Southampton to Paris

Taxi, Tasmanian catamaran, Train: troublesome manifestations, 18th October

Our journey today was multi-modal. It began with a taxi to Portsmouth, followed by a ferry from Cherbourg, the “Normandie Express”, on which we experienced the transition from an Anglophone to a Francophone culture, from good to bon, morning to jour with a Lonely Planet phrase book en main.

Our troubles began in Cherbourg. France is currently at war with itself over a proposal to elevate the retirement age to 62. Industrial action (what in France is called the “manifestation”) is widespread. When we arrived at the ferry terminal we discovered that the taxis and buses were ‘out’ and there was no sign of them returning again any time soon. Thus began a marathon walk (heavy luggage in tow) to Cherbourg’s SNCF, which a local had estimated as about 1 kilometre, which was conservative by at least a third. When we arrived at the aforesaid SNCF with bad backs, bad knees and bad just about every other part of the anatomy, we were pleased to see that the trains were still running (even though we had been told they might be out too), at least that is what we thought. The scheduled 13.56 was then being picketed and plastered with bills of the following ilk: “Retraites 60 ans pas un de plus. Tous dans l’action”. We translated that as a night or more in the Cherbourg Ibis. Towards 14.30 the picketers retreated, the air-conditioning started up, the platform-ed passengers mounted the train, and we spent the next three hours or so ‘pottering’ through the picturesque Normandy countryside, until we arrived, much relieved, at St. Lazarre, where there were more manifestations of the Retraites. However we were able to obtain a taxi to our stylish Marais apartment, in plenty of time to prepare for Alexis's arrival from Sydney via Dubai.

PS: We had toyed with the idea of travelling to France by Eurostar; however that would have transgressed the rules of our particular world game, viz. flyingbytrain is not the same as flyingbyboat.

PPS: Sorry about our last view of the United Kingdom, the coast of the Isle of Wight.

PPPS: Now we are in Europe proper , we thought we would change the font.