France

A Long Day’s Journey

July 19, 2016 /

6am, Bury St Edmund. All the taxis are already booked so we end up walking the 40 mins to the railway station. Mr Arcadia is especially brave as he is carrying the main backpack.

It’s good that the sun is barely up as it’s quite hot today. 7am train via Cambridge. No time for coffee at Cambridge, just 10 mins to get from platform 5 to platform 1.

8.30, Train arrives at Kings Cross and we shoot upstairs to St Pancras to print out tickets & have breakfast.

  

Security is slow, as the trains to Brussels, Lille & Paris are full. I’d heard that tourism was down after Nice, but with school break up next week there were plenty of people traveling.

Another brush with fame: the nieces of the Australian Ballet’s recently retired Premier Danseur, Stephen Heathcote, are across the aisle from us, with Mum & Dad. They are very proud of uncle Stephen, and warm to me when I tell them, yes, I have seen him dance. They are busy practicing Frenxh, Italian & Spanish for their trip. I intoduce them to Memrise.

The trip through the Chunnel is a little slow; as the hot weather means they can’t go at full speed. The huge barriers and fences on the French side make me feel sad, and like I am in a gulag myself. Not quite the Maginot line, but it will do for starters. I see no refugees and don’t know either to be glad or not. (I’m told they are active at night.) I feel guilty for being in this country. For the refugees and because my Mum will worry if – when – she finds out I’m across the channel.

  

Paris Gare du Nord was its usual chaotic self. With 40 mins to cross Paris & catch our SNCF train, we’re feeling the pressure. Two stops on the D line, to The Gare de Lyon, then 2 stations on the 14 line. Then a 200m walk. Print the prepaid tickets at an SNCF kiosk and sink into a seat in the train with 10 mins spare.

The sun is hot. No, make that HOT. Luckily the train has a/c if no wifi. We pass some nasty industrial wasteland, a lot of suburbia & then we are in the country. I tried to take photos out the window but was unsuccessful in the fast trains. Even if the trains are in slow mode with the heat. The area around Bercy reminds me of inner Sydney more than anything else.

At Sens we have an unscheduled stop. Finally arrive at Auxerre St Germain at 18.45. Decide to catch s cab to our B&B. It’s not far, a mere 5 mins & 7€.

And we are here.