Page 228 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL FALL 2024 SPAIN

But don't think this is a floating truck third, the price of your train ticket from
stop, because there are a number of con-
veniences to make this relatively short trip
comfortable for even snooty travelers, in-
cluding two restaurants, a pub and an up-
graded-cost lounge, games for kids, a
cinema and a duty-free shop open in inter-
national waters. And did I say there are no
baggage restrictions, as long as you bring
it aboard yourself with the aid of trolleys.
You might say
we had decided
to arrive in Eng-
land from Hol-
land through the
back door by
traveling on the
ferry and not on
alternatives such
as flying to Lon-
don from Amster-
dam's Schipol
Airport or by the
fastest route, the
Eurostar train
from Amsterdam
to London’s St.
Pancras station.
We arrived aboard the ship after
Sharon caught a YouTube video, one of
thousands about traveling, profiling the
voyage across the North Sea, an eight-
and-a-half hour transit.
There it was, a step-by-step presenta-
tion by some videographer on how to
travel this overnight ferry from the port of
Hook of Holland to Harwich International in
British Anglia.
It's a trip highly recommended for a
number of reasons, if you leave speed out
of it. First, you're doing a good thing by
minimizing our carbon footprint on an en-
ergy-efficient vessel that beats the train or
plane. Second, by traveling at night, in a
required cabin, you forsake the need to
book an expensive London hotel room. And
228 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE FALL 2024
Harwich to London is folded into the ferry
price.
Leaving each night at 10 p.m., the Stena
ferry pulls into Harwich at 6:30 a.m. the
next morning. A companion ship plies the
same route during daylight hours, with
cheaper prices because booking a cabin is
not required. At pier-side at Harwich, trav-
elers can catch trains for the 90 minute trip
into London's Liv-
erpool Street
Station. So, you
can be in the
heart of London
by 10 a.m. the
morning after
boarding the
ferry. Or you can
easily make your
way by train to a
number of other
cities in eastern
England, includ-
ing Cambridge
and Colchester.
Getting to the ship from our hotel in
central Rotterdam was a bit of a challenge.
The easiest way is to hop a tram taking
you to the Hook of Holland station, but
that requires a transfer between tram lines
and we decided it would be better because
of our suitcases to book a ride to the pier
from our hotel, the Rotterdam Marriott.
In its heyday, the Hook of Holland ter-
minal was a busy jumping off or arrival
point by train for European passengers go-
ing or coming from as far away as Moscow.
Today, the train line has been replaced by
the Rotterdam metro system tram line.
Passengers coming or going from nearby
Amsterdam can take a frequent train to
Schiedam station and connect by tram with
the Hook of Holland tram for a short ride
to the pier..
Our car picked us up at 5:30 p.m. as