Amsterdam isn't a destination you immediately think of when considering a Christmas market tour - in fact, I doubt you'd think of it at all. The only reason we included it to our plans was because we came across some bargain Thalys fares, which meant we could travel from Brussels to Amsterdam and back for just £24. Neither Jasmin nor I had ever been to Amsterdam before; we thought this was an opportunity not to be missed. Thalys is a high-speed train run jointly by the Belgian, French, Dutch and German railways. Its network links Brussels with Paris, Amsterdam and Cologne. http://www.thalys.com/ The best thing about it is that, although it's a high-speed, high-quality service, it offers bargain fares called "Smilys" which allow even those of us on a budget to experience the pleasure of fast
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