h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It takes a curiously West-London perspective to claim that Waterloo is the worst connected Terminus. And even when I lived in Ealing I found travelling to Paris much much better by Eurostar than by a quick hop to Heathrow.
Have you mentioned the 20 minutes from check in to departure? How about the delivery to the centre of Paris rather than to one of the lousiest airport terminals in Europe, with a confusing bus link to a somewhat distant RER station?
How about straight off the train and straight out of the station, no immigration or customs or baggage reclaim - sure I know we shoot through those anyway but it's quite a hike?
And where do you get off in calling standard class uncomfortable? Have you tried sitting in economy on a 737 when the moron in front is DETERMINED TO LIE DOWN?
Sure it's not cheap, so you have to play the rules - Saturday night away, or three nights away to get a cheap return, same as air fares.
Eurostar is not only civilised - it's convenient, it's quick.

Bring your own food, though.

Every time I have travelled to London I have always gone to Waterloo. It is the only available station for much of the south, and is on several of the underground lines. Next door you can cross over a bridge and you're right in Waterloo East, which has connections to Charing Cross. Waterloo is also only a minute or two away from Clapham Junction. How can anyone consider calling Waterloo the worst connected station? It is the only one I've ever used to go to London, from the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton.

If Waterloo station is the worst connected station, wait till the trains end up going into St Pancras (if they ever do).

I have used St Pancras, King's Cross, Waterloo, Euston and Paddington. It aways takes longer to get to Waterloo from any other station - either by taxi or by tube - and every train I have found which terminates at Waterloo is a museum piece. I'm sure that there has been a 125 at Waterloo, but I have never seen it. Sorry, but that's how it is for me.

Museum peices? You should go to the Isle of Wight railway, where the most modern trains are 65 year old London Underground carriages - yet still are the most prompt trains in the country.
The trains to Waterloo are old, but I've never been on one that's been seriously late or broken down, whilst the modern trains often do.
They may be old, but they are far more reliable.
Steam trains in the 1950s still have a far better record for punctuality than the modern trains, and they used to run far more services before Beaching destroyed them all.
Old = good.

Ah, British rail stations. Have they repaired the ticket office at Victoria Station? It was blown up, in 1973, by the IRA. At the time I was working as a barman at the adjacent "Whistle Stop Inn".

In those days all the "financialy embarrassed" Kiwis and Aussies doing the big OE (overseas experience) could only afford to travel to Europe by train (2nd class) and ferry. I imagine this has not changed in the intervening years.

The "richer" ones drove. My trusty bright yellow Volkswagen combivan is probably still making the trip. I doubt if it would be allowed to grace Eurostar though.

The fact remains that the only non-corridor stock (as condemned by several rape inquiries) I have travelled on in the last 20 years runs on the lines to Waterloo. Anyway, I didn't say the Eurostar was bad. I actually rather like it, but it's to slow to be practical for my normal Brussels trips. Where, incidentally, it's city centre location is a distinct disadvantage as it takes up to 40 minutes longer to get to Mechelen from Brussels Midi than from Zaventem.

I've used Eurostar a number of times and agree that the food trolley is unappetising, the slow Kent railway track frustrating, and the fare disappointingly high, but despite all this I find it much more relaxing than the tube to the airport, queue at airline check-in and the need to tie yourself in with aeroplane seatbelts.

I will continue to recommend Eurostar over air travel to anyone who asks.