Evening people,
Today's blog is quite a quickie, mainly because all I've done is sit on a train. It's not that difficult to be totally honest.
I got up this am, ambled down to breakfast for a now obligatory croissant and couple of cups of coffees, packed my bag up and walked down to say ter-rar to the start/finish line behind the hotel. Then I walked back up to the train station and got on my train to Nice, a rapid change there for the train bound for Lyon and off we go.
Now then, I'm quite observant me, I like to people watch and see how people interact with others. However, this startled me: how bloody fussy and nosy are the French?? Bloody busy bodies! I can't believe I hadn't noticed this before!? The simple act of getting on a train with a bag or suitcase is as if you've presented them with some sort of Krypton Factor-esqe challenge and Gordon Burns is in the window seat providing a running commentary; "the bags in the door now, oh the doors shut on him, now he's trapped his finger, he can't find the door realise... There it is, oh no, there's no room on tier one of the luggage rack, he lifts his arms there in frustration... Looking lower now, has he spotted a space? He's moving another bag across, ooh just enough space, and it's in the... OH JUST PUT IT DOWN MAN AND SIT IN YOUR FRIGGING SEAT!!" Jesus.
Then, as an outsider, I pass my Interrail Pass with my Passport (as in the regulations) to the Ticket Inspector and Mr Krypton Factor Champion 1989 (with 7 fingers not 8 due to the door debacle earlier) next to me, launches into bleeding Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, firing off 15 questions at me, a now very bewildered, slightly damp from spittle, Englishman. ALL IN FRENCH! I have no idea what he said to me. I did guess however, that he wanted to find out what the hell I was doing, on his train somewhere inbetween Nice and Toulon on a cool Sunday lunchtime in mid December. My reply? "Je ne comprand pas". Silence.
As we pulled into Lyon I felt quite a long way from Monaco Harbour. It's like pulling into Birmingham. It's s***. I found an Etap Hotel just outside the Station and checked in. I really couldn't care less about Lyon, the only reason I'm here is to get the morning train to Geneva then change for the Milano one. It's quite nice to get my bag repacked and a sort out. Tomorrow the second half of my Petit Grande Tour starts and you could say I'm quite excited by that!
Now go away,
Si x
P.S. ta for reading x