Paris to Brussels

Before we leave Paris, I want to share something with you that I have noticed in sort of an eerie way since I have left the city. Paris police cars always sem to use their sirens when moving from place to place.  The sirens are those loud high-low types that we always heard in those old movies when. We were growing up.
Every time I hear those sirens, it makes me wonder if the Gestapo is coming for me since th Germans controlled Paris during WWII. No wonder I have had trouble sleeping!
Knowing that we had an early wake-up this morning and having a million things on my mind, I (John) awoke a 4:00 AM, against my better widhes.  We had a taxi scheduled to pick us up at 7:40 and had some of our hote'sl breakfast first.  We got to the Nord rail station with plenty of time to spare, since the morning rush really hadn't started rolling in the downtwn area yet.  As we passed each of the now-famliar landmarks of Paris, we smiled, the love in our hearts paralleled our. Love for the City of Lights.
The last time we had come through this station was 1991 on our way to Copenhagen on a slow night train.  Todays trip would be a much different experience.  The Thalys is a modern,  high-speed train and we had reserved seats.  Hefting our HEAVY bags onboard, we discovered that the conductor had put is in car 8, instead of car 5, where our reserved seats were,  This meant we had. To manhandle the bags through the narrow aisles of four coaches to find our seats.  Well, we made it.
The trip on the train was marvelous.  Checking the train's speed on our GPS, it averaged 180 mph and topped out at 189!  There were no grade crossings, whistles, or signal arms or was there. In fact, there was hardly any feeling of motion.
I reflected upon the flat lands and beautiful fields we were crossing during our 165 mile trip.  These were the lands of Flanders Fields contested by great armies.  Thesse lands in France and Belgium were the lands of trench warfare during the Greeat War of 1914-1918/  These are the lands where millions of. Germans, French,  Belgians, Brits and Americans were sacrificed to gain a few yards of mud against mustard gas and machine gun bullets.  These were also the lands of Napoleon's attempts to rule Europe, Nearby, lay the port of  Dunquerquè, where, the British Expeditionary Force achieved miraculous rescue as the Nazi blitzkreig rolled across the continent.  These coastal farmlands where so many of their nation's finest will rest forever, we crossed effortlessly, un-noticed and in comfort in only 80 minutes.
We pulled. Into Brussels' midi terminal on time and were soon at our hotel, a modern facility.  After a short walk into. The downtown area, we decided to relax for the remainder of the day.
Tomorrow, we will visit the location of Napoleon's final battle at Waterloo

the Thallys in Paris

Checking our speed on the GPS. 183 mph ain't bad!