There is a fresh and exciting ambience at St. Pancras station in London. Without a doubt there are people here that have passed by to soak up the atmosphere created by this model of optimism for the future of travel, adventure and indeed the country, they are surely not travelling anywhere. It has been called the European equivalent of New York’s Grand Central Station, one of the most romantic meeting places in the world, as depicted in ‘North by Northwest’starring Cary Grant. This is not only a station but a destination itself and from the 14th November 2007 will be the new home to the Eurostar link between London and the rest of the European continent.

The original gothic architecture and faultless Victorian engineering that comprises the old St. Pancras station has been skilfully restored to merge it’s former glory with a contemporary and futuristic vision, a perfect example of the successful blend between old and new.

As well as this, the opening of the station marks the country’s first high speed train link, meaning the journey time between London and Paris is cut by 20 minutes and sets a precedence for the rest of Britain’s railways. Could this mark a new golden age of travel, restoring a glamour lost by budget carriers and poor transportation? We can only hope and with travel prices to Paris stating from around the £50 mark, this means that it’s well within affordable reach.

The Eurostar makes it easy to take advantage of the strong pound and nip across the channel for a bit of Christmas shopping. In less than three hours you can be strolling down the romantic avenues of Paris and sampling the delights of continental life and be back home in a day, some people have longer commutes to work.

The beginning and end of your journey will no longer be stressful and cumbersome affair, the ease of St. Pancras station, due to its clean and efficient design is a joy. The competition to secure a retail unit in the space was fraught. Caprice Holdings, the company that owns The Ivy and Scotts, two of London’s most famous restaurants were in the bid for the station’s main restaurant but sadly lost out to the same management and owners of restaurants at the Royal Opera House and the National Portrait Gallery. In this station there is not an McDonalds or Burger King in sight, but they do have the world’s longest champagne bar, stretching the length of a platform, so when sipping on bubbly and getting in the spirit, make sure you don’t forget to board your train.