mardi 9 mars 2010
Diabolical french fries ?!
Oh My God is the only thing that went through my head whilst watching this video.
We all know eating fast food is unhealthy, but this just pushes the whole thing to a new level of unhealthiness ! I think, from now on, I'll stick to the burgers at McDonald's but will stay away from the fries. God knows what happens once they are in your body ?! Youtube is a pretty great site to look up this kind of experiments. I am sure there are plenty more videos on the extraordinary lifespan these fries have, I simply could not watch another one right now.
All I can say is, ponder that with your tea ... or in this case, with your big Mac meal deal.
mardi 19 janvier 2010
Millennium
I don't know how affected England has been by the whole Millennium saga phenomenon but I can say that Belgium was pretty touched haha. The trilogy by Stieg Larsson was a huge blast back there and I remember everyone reading the books. I too read them. And loved them. Because, there is no other possibility than loving these amazingly well written books !!! I had never heard of Stieg Larsson until Millennium showed up in our bookshops. I did a little research on him and see him as pretty much who I would like the become. Writing about politics, economics and denunciating the corruption of the system. He was bold and wasn't afraid of what the people he wrote about could do to him.
So, as I said, I read his books and absolutely loved the story, the characters and the style. His writing is very detailed yet not pompous or hard to focus on. I mean, I am currently trying to read my way through Bleak House, and as much as I respect Dickens, my god is he impossible to read or what ?! Interesting story-line (I've been doing research on the law case) but so full of tiny details that make it impossible for me to focus on the main plot. Well, the books were such a success (and if you haven't read them, I strongly advise you to do so. It'll take you a week, maybe a little more, but you will not feel disappointed) that they made films out of them. I have seen the first one (which I even have in DVD, I like it so much) and recently went to see the second one at the cinema.
Now, you have to be aware that the films are swedish (actually it's a swedish, german and danish collaboration) and therefor have a very different feel from a big budget american film. Hollywood has expressed interest in buying the rights to do their own version, so keep your eyes open if that interests you. If you do get the chance to see the swedish films though, again, I recommend you watch them. I personally like scandinavian films. I haven't seen many but would like to see more. The style, the filming techniques, the atmosphere is just so ... different from what is on the market these days. It is like a breeze of fresh air in a stuffy room full of meaningless films. Don't get me wrong, some films that come out are good, and I do enjoy, once in a while, a good comedy but it's nice to have a change of pace. And Millennium is exactly that, a change of pace. It is a longer, I would say nearly slower film. The actors, who are amazing in my opinion, are very subtle in their roles and the overall atmosphere is exactly what I pictured when reading the books. It is also very daring. Indeed, in both films, Noomi Rapace (who plays Lisbeth, the heroine of the story) is naked and has to play pretty crude scenes. These scenes are not approached like Hollywood would approach them, they are crude and real. That's a good way of resuming the atmosphere of the films, very real. It doesn't feel like these people are living in another world. They are not what you would call beautiful, but yet they are. They are beautiful because they are real. They don't look plastic or retouched from everywhere.
The critics, for the second film, were quite bad in Belgium. I remember reading one that said the film was too slow and the main actor spineless. But when you have read the book, you know that the character he portrays is having a mid-life crisis and is pretty slow. You just have to bear in mind that you are not watching one of these mega budget hollywood dramas but a film that, if I may say, has a soul. And frankly, to me, the actor was very good and played his role to perfection.
So, what you should have noted from this post are these two pieces of advice : get a hand on those books and go see the films if you would like to experience something different from Avatar and god knows what else.
So, as I said, I read his books and absolutely loved the story, the characters and the style. His writing is very detailed yet not pompous or hard to focus on. I mean, I am currently trying to read my way through Bleak House, and as much as I respect Dickens, my god is he impossible to read or what ?! Interesting story-line (I've been doing research on the law case) but so full of tiny details that make it impossible for me to focus on the main plot. Well, the books were such a success (and if you haven't read them, I strongly advise you to do so. It'll take you a week, maybe a little more, but you will not feel disappointed) that they made films out of them. I have seen the first one (which I even have in DVD, I like it so much) and recently went to see the second one at the cinema.
Now, you have to be aware that the films are swedish (actually it's a swedish, german and danish collaboration) and therefor have a very different feel from a big budget american film. Hollywood has expressed interest in buying the rights to do their own version, so keep your eyes open if that interests you. If you do get the chance to see the swedish films though, again, I recommend you watch them. I personally like scandinavian films. I haven't seen many but would like to see more. The style, the filming techniques, the atmosphere is just so ... different from what is on the market these days. It is like a breeze of fresh air in a stuffy room full of meaningless films. Don't get me wrong, some films that come out are good, and I do enjoy, once in a while, a good comedy but it's nice to have a change of pace. And Millennium is exactly that, a change of pace. It is a longer, I would say nearly slower film. The actors, who are amazing in my opinion, are very subtle in their roles and the overall atmosphere is exactly what I pictured when reading the books. It is also very daring. Indeed, in both films, Noomi Rapace (who plays Lisbeth, the heroine of the story) is naked and has to play pretty crude scenes. These scenes are not approached like Hollywood would approach them, they are crude and real. That's a good way of resuming the atmosphere of the films, very real. It doesn't feel like these people are living in another world. They are not what you would call beautiful, but yet they are. They are beautiful because they are real. They don't look plastic or retouched from everywhere.
The critics, for the second film, were quite bad in Belgium. I remember reading one that said the film was too slow and the main actor spineless. But when you have read the book, you know that the character he portrays is having a mid-life crisis and is pretty slow. You just have to bear in mind that you are not watching one of these mega budget hollywood dramas but a film that, if I may say, has a soul. And frankly, to me, the actor was very good and played his role to perfection.
So, what you should have noted from this post are these two pieces of advice : get a hand on those books and go see the films if you would like to experience something different from Avatar and god knows what else.
Do you believe in signs ?
So, some of you may have read my series of posts on what happened to my little person on the weekend of December 18th. If not, here is a summary in a few, short words : That weekend was the weekend I was going back to Belgium. It was also the weekend where all the eurostars were cancelled due to the snow. Well, I was stuck a couple of hours in London before we, my parents and I, had to result in taking action. Indeed, I took the train to Dover whilst my father drove all the way to Calais, took the ferry to Dover, picked me up and then drove back to Brussels.
I thought my amount of bad luck had to stop there, but apparently not. Nothing dramatic appeared during the break. Of course, all the snow that was falling down on England got me a little worried, but apart from that, nothing notable. One week before my departure for England, I had a strange feeling growing up in me. I felt overly worried about the journey back and the time of the train. It was so bad I could not sleep one night. The next morning, m mother and I went to the train station and bought an earlier ticket, yes it was that bad a feeling. I do not really believe in signs, but something was telling me that a disaster was about to happen and I just had to get an earlier train. Go figure, on the day of my departure, we drove to the train station and my mother escorted me to the eurostar part of the station. On a TV screen were all of the trains that were leaving that day. I was meant to take the 16:59 train. Well, that train was cancelled. We could not believe our eyes, I mean, how often does that happen. Thank god I had the other ticket. I felt so relieved but at the same time a little weirded out.
Whatever the feeling was one week before, I am very grateful I felt it. Incredible.
By the way, even though the train part of the journey ended up being fine, the rest was a little bumpy. Let me explain : I had overpacked my suitcase to a point where I needed help for taking if on and off the trains (and even the men who helped me asked me what was in it. One guy even joked and asked if I hadn't packed a couple of bowling balls; I can assure you, I did no such thing. Clothes and books only). So, of course, in London there was no way I could manage taking the bus (let's not even talk of the tube) to get from one station to another. Thus, I decided to take a taxi. Well, first of all, there was a massive line for taxis, and then, when I got into mine, we got caught in traffic ... in the middle of a sunday afternoon !!! The taxi fare was £12, and when you are a poor student like me, £12 is a fortune !!! especially compared to a £2 bus fare. So, note to self : never ever take the taxi in London again. After that, I proceeded to take the train to Winchester. I had my ticket in my pocket and everything was fine until I got onto the train.
On the train, I had so much stuff, I just decided to put my magazine onto the seat next to me, just the time to get everything sorted out. I had also put my ticket on top of le dit magazine. Once everything was in place, coat above my head and laptop in a safe place next to my legs, I picked up the magazine and had a major freak out : I could not find the ticket, it had simply vanished. I rose from my seat and looked absolutely everywhere for it. I was even sweating I was so stressed. People were looking at me as though I was crazy. Well, I sort of was as I didn't realise I had put the ticket inside the magazine to make sure it wouldn't fall on the floor ... I hate myself for being so intelligent and stupid at the same time !!!
Oh and when I got to Winchester, I again took a taxi and we got stuck because of some work on the roads ... I mean, what a lucky girl, right !? At least I didn't have as many problems as the way home but still, felt like a pretty hectic ride back. I have now learned the lesson to pack light AND always be careful about where I put my train ticket.
Until next time,
xxx
I thought my amount of bad luck had to stop there, but apparently not. Nothing dramatic appeared during the break. Of course, all the snow that was falling down on England got me a little worried, but apart from that, nothing notable. One week before my departure for England, I had a strange feeling growing up in me. I felt overly worried about the journey back and the time of the train. It was so bad I could not sleep one night. The next morning, m mother and I went to the train station and bought an earlier ticket, yes it was that bad a feeling. I do not really believe in signs, but something was telling me that a disaster was about to happen and I just had to get an earlier train. Go figure, on the day of my departure, we drove to the train station and my mother escorted me to the eurostar part of the station. On a TV screen were all of the trains that were leaving that day. I was meant to take the 16:59 train. Well, that train was cancelled. We could not believe our eyes, I mean, how often does that happen. Thank god I had the other ticket. I felt so relieved but at the same time a little weirded out.
Whatever the feeling was one week before, I am very grateful I felt it. Incredible.
By the way, even though the train part of the journey ended up being fine, the rest was a little bumpy. Let me explain : I had overpacked my suitcase to a point where I needed help for taking if on and off the trains (and even the men who helped me asked me what was in it. One guy even joked and asked if I hadn't packed a couple of bowling balls; I can assure you, I did no such thing. Clothes and books only). So, of course, in London there was no way I could manage taking the bus (let's not even talk of the tube) to get from one station to another. Thus, I decided to take a taxi. Well, first of all, there was a massive line for taxis, and then, when I got into mine, we got caught in traffic ... in the middle of a sunday afternoon !!! The taxi fare was £12, and when you are a poor student like me, £12 is a fortune !!! especially compared to a £2 bus fare. So, note to self : never ever take the taxi in London again. After that, I proceeded to take the train to Winchester. I had my ticket in my pocket and everything was fine until I got onto the train.
On the train, I had so much stuff, I just decided to put my magazine onto the seat next to me, just the time to get everything sorted out. I had also put my ticket on top of le dit magazine. Once everything was in place, coat above my head and laptop in a safe place next to my legs, I picked up the magazine and had a major freak out : I could not find the ticket, it had simply vanished. I rose from my seat and looked absolutely everywhere for it. I was even sweating I was so stressed. People were looking at me as though I was crazy. Well, I sort of was as I didn't realise I had put the ticket inside the magazine to make sure it wouldn't fall on the floor ... I hate myself for being so intelligent and stupid at the same time !!!
Oh and when I got to Winchester, I again took a taxi and we got stuck because of some work on the roads ... I mean, what a lucky girl, right !? At least I didn't have as many problems as the way home but still, felt like a pretty hectic ride back. I have now learned the lesson to pack light AND always be careful about where I put my train ticket.
Until next time,
xxx
mardi 12 janvier 2010
Journey Home IV (written 21/12/2009)
I won't make this longer than it needs to : I made it home safely at 5:30 Sunday morning. Basically, when we arrived at Calais, it was heavily snowing and the highway was terrible !!! What should have taken us 2 and a half hours took us 3 and a half hours. Could have been worse as the snow stopped at some point and the roads were being cleared by the special machine. So we drove, didn't stop until we got home and god, wasn't I happy to be home ?! We are now going to go to the Eurostar centre point in the Central Train Station and ask about refunds and everything. I did get someone on the phone today and they said I would get total refund and a free ticket at least, we are going to ask about my train ticket to Dover and the ferry fares (I mean, 300€ is a lot !!). Though, for the way I (and all the other passengers) were treated in London, they better pay !!! (We saw on the news today that Eurostar was going to refund all their customers and also repay all of their expenses, so that's not too bad, pretty good I may say).
I think my blog, during the christmas break, will probably be about what is said on the belgian news, haha. I have to say, I'd like to get more information about the Auschwitz sign stolen (who would want to steal a "arbeit macht frei" sign ? I know I wouldn't !!) and also maybe Copenhagen, what happened there was quite a disgrace. So ... well ... I guess you'll have to continue reading me (who am I talking to, anyway ? I know Chris reads my blog, but that must be the extent of my audience haha —no offense Chris !) even throughout the break.
Have a merry Christmas if I don't post anything until then.
I think my blog, during the christmas break, will probably be about what is said on the belgian news, haha. I have to say, I'd like to get more information about the Auschwitz sign stolen (who would want to steal a "arbeit macht frei" sign ? I know I wouldn't !!) and also maybe Copenhagen, what happened there was quite a disgrace. So ... well ... I guess you'll have to continue reading me (who am I talking to, anyway ? I know Chris reads my blog, but that must be the extent of my audience haha —no offense Chris !) even throughout the break.
Have a merry Christmas if I don't post anything until then.
Journey Home III (written 20/12/2009)
Okay … let's continue our journey going back to Belgium. Last post I was on the train to Dover. Well, I arrived in Dover at 19:27. My mum phoned and I told her I was in Dover Priory, waiting for my dad. I had 1 hour 35 minutes in front of me. I had naively thought Dover Priory would be a big station with shops and a heated waiting room … no no no ! The station was small, empty and freezing. Everything was closed and no one was there to indicate me where to wait or even give me basic information about buses going to the ferry terminal. I had to wait in a freezing cold waiting room with flashing red lights that were actually heatings (although they didn't really help with the temperature of the room). I was told by a woman waiting for her train that Dover's roads were icy and circulation was bad. As a matter of fact, No buses or taxis were going by the station and there was 3 miles of traffic to the ferry terminals. I waited for my dad in the company of an american woman, very nice.
Finally my dad arrived. It took us exactly 2 and a half hours before we made it to the ferry terminal. We then had to wait another half an hour to board. I am now writing on the ferry that is rocking like mad, making me feel quite nauseous. One of the reasons I don't take the ferry is that I hate it with a passion. I can't stand the feeling and frankly tonight is a very bad night. It is nearly one o'clock and I am in no way tired. We won't be in Brussels until late tonight/early in the morning.
The ferry is packed with people and we are sitting in a bar area. I have to admit I was particularly hungry after not eating for half a day and was delighted (sarcasm) to see that both restaurants were closed because it was passed 10 o'clock. I had to satisfy myself with crisps and a very far from good sandwich. Hopefully the rocking will calm down, although I have a feeling it won't. I mean, let's face it: I have had the worst travel day EVER. The boat trip has to be as bad as the rest of the day. Gosh, as I am writing, the situation just got worse. There is even more shaking right now … my stomach does not appreciate at all.
What is quite panicking is that before boarding, I was looking at the information board and P&O ferries announced to their passengers that Calais was now closed due to bad weather. We are on a Seafrance ferryboat and they haven't said anything … which is even more stressful.
Again, as the previous post, when this will be published much time will have passed (no wifi in the middle of the Channel) and probably both post will have gone on at the same time. I will have another post following this one with an update … telling you all I survived and am now back home (hopefully … or in a hotel, it'll depend). Also, before my dad left, he checked the weather forecast and it was planned that there would be a snow storm in France and Belgium over night. Hopefully, we will not be caught in it, fingers crossed.
Finally my dad arrived. It took us exactly 2 and a half hours before we made it to the ferry terminal. We then had to wait another half an hour to board. I am now writing on the ferry that is rocking like mad, making me feel quite nauseous. One of the reasons I don't take the ferry is that I hate it with a passion. I can't stand the feeling and frankly tonight is a very bad night. It is nearly one o'clock and I am in no way tired. We won't be in Brussels until late tonight/early in the morning.
The ferry is packed with people and we are sitting in a bar area. I have to admit I was particularly hungry after not eating for half a day and was delighted (sarcasm) to see that both restaurants were closed because it was passed 10 o'clock. I had to satisfy myself with crisps and a very far from good sandwich. Hopefully the rocking will calm down, although I have a feeling it won't. I mean, let's face it: I have had the worst travel day EVER. The boat trip has to be as bad as the rest of the day. Gosh, as I am writing, the situation just got worse. There is even more shaking right now … my stomach does not appreciate at all.
What is quite panicking is that before boarding, I was looking at the information board and P&O ferries announced to their passengers that Calais was now closed due to bad weather. We are on a Seafrance ferryboat and they haven't said anything … which is even more stressful.
Again, as the previous post, when this will be published much time will have passed (no wifi in the middle of the Channel) and probably both post will have gone on at the same time. I will have another post following this one with an update … telling you all I survived and am now back home (hopefully … or in a hotel, it'll depend). Also, before my dad left, he checked the weather forecast and it was planned that there would be a snow storm in France and Belgium over night. Hopefully, we will not be caught in it, fingers crossed.
Journey Home II (written on the 19/12/2009)
Last time I wrote a post, I was abandoning the Eurostar in favour of my dad picking me up. Well … because of the snow in Dover, my dad could not come to London to pick me up in time. The situation being what it was, I went to see a member of staff and asked about the trains leaving in the evening, by luck there was still a couple of seats for the Brussels train of 17:04. So I ran to check-in, got a blue sticker (they had to result into putting coloured stickers on our tickets, indicating which train we were going to board on. The situation seemed to have been resolved until, 15 minutes after the train should have left the station, we were announced that no train would leave London this evening as the weather was so bad, EuroTunnel closed the tunnel. Thankfully my mum called me at that exact time. I burst into tears for a couple of minutes before recovering my common sense. My dad was still in Calais (bless him for not going home, I mean is that fatherly love or what ?!) and was able to get a ticket to cross over. My mum also informed me that my grandmother had put some money on my account on Monday, so I was not moneyless as I had thought. I got a ticket to Dover Priory and am now writing on the train to Dover. This message will not go on my blog until I get wifi, so god knows what will have happened in between, but a message will probably follow this one, giving you an update on the situation. This is like some kind of mini series haha.
So, for the moment, everything seems resolved : I have money on me (I took £40 out) and my dad is meeting me in Diver in an hour. I can tell you, though, that the snow we got in Winchester is nothing compared to what I can see here (I don't know where here is exactly, but it's down somewhere haha … *edit: Here was near Folkestone*) I know understand why the trains have been cancelled and the tunnel closed, it would be taking too many risks in these conditions. I am very happy that there is a Dover train service departing from Saint Pancras and frankly, this is a pleasant journey and the train is actually quite warm, nice change from the freezing cold station (my hands were blue from the cold and I could barely feel my body it was so numb).
This series is probably the most boring one you have ever read … but I need a way of passing time and it is pretty therapeutical to be writing what happened, gives me an opportunity to calm down. I will probably write a sequel to this when going back, but hopefully the journey back will go smoothly and without any interruption like today. I have learned a couple of things today and I am going to share my wisdom with you.
First of all, be aware that Eurostar has very poor communication skills and you won't be informed unless you ask yourself to a member of staff (and even they won't know for sure). Snow is lovely as long as it doesn't interrupt train services (and plane services and boats and other ways of going home !). Always always always have money on your phone (and a full battery !!) and money on you (I'd say £50 so if you have to book a hotel/buy a train ticket/feed yourself you can actually do it). And don't cry in the middle of a crowd : people will mock you instead of trying to help you !! And also, trains to Dover rock !!!
So, for the moment, everything seems resolved : I have money on me (I took £40 out) and my dad is meeting me in Diver in an hour. I can tell you, though, that the snow we got in Winchester is nothing compared to what I can see here (I don't know where here is exactly, but it's down somewhere haha … *edit: Here was near Folkestone*) I know understand why the trains have been cancelled and the tunnel closed, it would be taking too many risks in these conditions. I am very happy that there is a Dover train service departing from Saint Pancras and frankly, this is a pleasant journey and the train is actually quite warm, nice change from the freezing cold station (my hands were blue from the cold and I could barely feel my body it was so numb).
This series is probably the most boring one you have ever read … but I need a way of passing time and it is pretty therapeutical to be writing what happened, gives me an opportunity to calm down. I will probably write a sequel to this when going back, but hopefully the journey back will go smoothly and without any interruption like today. I have learned a couple of things today and I am going to share my wisdom with you.
First of all, be aware that Eurostar has very poor communication skills and you won't be informed unless you ask yourself to a member of staff (and even they won't know for sure). Snow is lovely as long as it doesn't interrupt train services (and plane services and boats and other ways of going home !). Always always always have money on your phone (and a full battery !!) and money on you (I'd say £50 so if you have to book a hotel/buy a train ticket/feed yourself you can actually do it). And don't cry in the middle of a crowd : people will mock you instead of trying to help you !! And also, trains to Dover rock !!!
Journey Home (written on the 19/12/2009)
So, I have four hours to kill and I thought, why not a blogpost ? I now this doesn't have a direct link to our course or any work at all, but I needed to write, otherwise my fingers were going to fall off because of the cold.
Today I was supposed to be going home. Supposed because Eurostar has decided to not let me leave England. Indeed, I am sitting in Saint Pancras International station, which is freezing may I add, next to an ice sculpture, not helping with the temperature, unable to tell you exactly what the situation is. Everyone by now must be aware of the fact that one of the unions is on strike, which is already a pretty bad thing, but add up the bad weather and you get the current situation. I arrived in the train station about 2 hours ago now and not much has been happening. When I left this morning, I checked the eurostar website and they had an announcement telling all passengers morning trains had been cancelled and the services would all be delayed until Sunday midday. Well, on my arrival at the station, I was told that there was no delay as there were no trains whatsoever. Information is apparently not Eurostar's strongest point as I still don't know what exactly is happening and keep on getting different information each time I ask.
Some passengers have been waiting since early this morning and have now been put on a special list that give them priority sitting on the next train that will be leaving. Unfortunately, I won't be getting on a train before tomorrow morning, 9 o'clock. So, instead of waiting a whole night in a freezing station, my dad is coming to pick me up FROM BELGIUM. I will be getting a refund and sincere apologies from Eurostar ... well ... at least I'll get money out of this.
The problem with the situation is : no one knows what will happen for sure. Apparently the last train that left yesterday was stuck in the tunnel for 15 hours (this is one of the informations I got from a member of staff ...) and trains cannot leave because of the risks. Though there will be two trains leaving for Brussels and two trains leaving for Paris this evening, But the people that will get seats are the ones that have been waiting the longest.... I understand this but at the same time : I am an 18 year old student traveling alone with no money on my phone or on me for that matter. I don't know anyone in London and am scared (there, I said it ... I am FREAKING out). So even though I have a lot of empathy for the people that have been waiting all day ... they should do something for freaked out lonely girls !!!!
Now something that pissed me out about the passengers is the constant commentary about the strike. I understand people are not happy about the strike, but I am pretty sure the conductors have a good reason to do it and even if they don't, I see striking as a natural right. And people are always happy when they have this right ... so even though it bugs us, we should try to understand their reasons and I hope they get what they want ... It is a money issue although I don't have much information about it) and in this time of economic crisis, I understand that everyone wants a bit more. And frankly driving a train (do you drive a train ? What verb should I use ?) must not be a very happy clappy funny job.
Anyway ... I still have a lot of time on my hands .... maybe I'll look at the shops and buy myself another cup of coffee (with the £2 that I have left). I am stressed and my dad isn't too happy about having to pick me up in London (he HATES London with a passion) so I am very grateful of him to do so. My hands are now numb and I am bored out of my mind ... there may be another post to follow this one in a couple of hours ... let's take advantage of the free wifi !!!
Have a nice day.
Today I was supposed to be going home. Supposed because Eurostar has decided to not let me leave England. Indeed, I am sitting in Saint Pancras International station, which is freezing may I add, next to an ice sculpture, not helping with the temperature, unable to tell you exactly what the situation is. Everyone by now must be aware of the fact that one of the unions is on strike, which is already a pretty bad thing, but add up the bad weather and you get the current situation. I arrived in the train station about 2 hours ago now and not much has been happening. When I left this morning, I checked the eurostar website and they had an announcement telling all passengers morning trains had been cancelled and the services would all be delayed until Sunday midday. Well, on my arrival at the station, I was told that there was no delay as there were no trains whatsoever. Information is apparently not Eurostar's strongest point as I still don't know what exactly is happening and keep on getting different information each time I ask.
Some passengers have been waiting since early this morning and have now been put on a special list that give them priority sitting on the next train that will be leaving. Unfortunately, I won't be getting on a train before tomorrow morning, 9 o'clock. So, instead of waiting a whole night in a freezing station, my dad is coming to pick me up FROM BELGIUM. I will be getting a refund and sincere apologies from Eurostar ... well ... at least I'll get money out of this.
The problem with the situation is : no one knows what will happen for sure. Apparently the last train that left yesterday was stuck in the tunnel for 15 hours (this is one of the informations I got from a member of staff ...) and trains cannot leave because of the risks. Though there will be two trains leaving for Brussels and two trains leaving for Paris this evening, But the people that will get seats are the ones that have been waiting the longest.... I understand this but at the same time : I am an 18 year old student traveling alone with no money on my phone or on me for that matter. I don't know anyone in London and am scared (there, I said it ... I am FREAKING out). So even though I have a lot of empathy for the people that have been waiting all day ... they should do something for freaked out lonely girls !!!!
Now something that pissed me out about the passengers is the constant commentary about the strike. I understand people are not happy about the strike, but I am pretty sure the conductors have a good reason to do it and even if they don't, I see striking as a natural right. And people are always happy when they have this right ... so even though it bugs us, we should try to understand their reasons and I hope they get what they want ... It is a money issue although I don't have much information about it) and in this time of economic crisis, I understand that everyone wants a bit more. And frankly driving a train (do you drive a train ? What verb should I use ?) must not be a very happy clappy funny job.
Anyway ... I still have a lot of time on my hands .... maybe I'll look at the shops and buy myself another cup of coffee (with the £2 that I have left). I am stressed and my dad isn't too happy about having to pick me up in London (he HATES London with a passion) so I am very grateful of him to do so. My hands are now numb and I am bored out of my mind ... there may be another post to follow this one in a couple of hours ... let's take advantage of the free wifi !!!
Have a nice day.
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