WHEN it comes to new technologies, I wouldn't call myself an early adopter. Probably a begrudging adopter is closer to the truth.

I can't help but agree that when moving 10 tons of soil, a digger is much better than a shovel, and a keyboard beats a pen any day (especially with my handwriting). But I do feel that it is important not to get too carried away with innovation and progress. Sometimes it is a good idea to take a step back from new technologies and have a fresh look at the old, leave the food processor in the cupboard and use a knife and a chopping board. See the advantages and disadvantages.

So it was that I had to go back to the UK for a book signing at the France Show at Olympia. There were threatened strikes by air traffic controllers, baggage handlers, air hostesses and somebody else who occupies themselves with making aluminium tubes land in different countries. This seemed to me like an ideal opportunity to take the slow route back to the motherland - by train.

It is actually feasible to get all of the way to London from our tiny village, but I decided to cut off part of the route by joining the train at Montauban. I planned my route and set off with hope in my heart.

As soon as I installed myself on the train I remembered how much more civilised it is to sit on a comfortable seat with plenty of legroom rather than being squeezed in with 100 other sweaty flyers.

The only downside was that it wasn't a TGV (fast train) but a traditional service up to Paris. This did at least mean that I got a good look at the countryside without the blurring. On reaching Paris a quick tube ride found me at the Gare du Nord to hop on to the Eurostar service - and what a service. The train was quieter and smoother than a feather bed, and fast - really fast.

Just after exiting the euro tunnel I hit a crisis - my journey had been so comfortable that I had finished all of my reading material and was now facing the whole journey to St Pancras with nothing to do but look out of the window. It being dark, this was not a very appealing prospect. Luck was on my side; the new service being so quick saw me being deposited on the London platform in the blink of an eye - Paris to London in two-and-a-quarter hours is impressive.

The destination of St Pancras is definitely one to see. It is a fabulous example of Victorian railway architecture at its finest, with new life breathed upon it by the modern world. It is impressive in scale, with the huge new roofs matching up to their elderly cast iron counterparts. The gleaming new shops and the champagne bar are set against a bold backdrop of Victorian brick, and unless I am very much mistaken, a fair amount of detailing in Portland stone.

The whole trip probably took me nearly twice as long as flying and cost about three times as much, but was about 10 times more pleasant than flying cattle class.

So, new technology or old? I might just need to do a bit more research. An hour or two at that champagne bar should give me most of the information I need.