June of 1985. KLM to Amsterdam. The railroad station is under the airport. Train to Brussels came in, about three hours. Asked the conductor in French which station in Brussels (There are two) to use for the transfer to the Paris train; he replied "Midi."

Jumped off at Midi; sure enough, the Paris train was on the adjacent track. It's now maybe 6 PM. The equipment was TEE equipment, still in good shape, although the TEE system was being phased out.

Onto the train; all seats taken. There were only seats in the dining car. Too bad! We sat down and let the dinner come, course by course, as the train slid through the suburbs of Brussels and into the countryside. The aperitif was champagne with a touch of a Belgian liqueur called Mandarine Napoleon. It was still quite light; the sky was full of clouds out of a Flemish painting, and the light was the color of the liqueur.

We had our coffee and paid the bill as the train slid into the Gare du Nord, two hours out of Brussels. The last daylight was still hanging in the sky in that way it does in June anywhere; but this wasn't anywhere, this was Paris!

It's faster now, the trains are sleeker, it's all very efficient. But it's not as much fun.