Would have liked to have gone on the "little Yellow train" into the Pyrenees but timing not right unless I was to stay the night in the town at the end of the line. Wendy would also like to go so I'll leave it for another trip.
Left Caldes de Malavella on a regional train from Barcelona at 7h36 cost 5.90 euros, many commuters, Renfe train, ticket seller helpful but could not speak English. Not sure whether to get off at Portbou or Cerbere In France?
Stations:
Riudellots
Fornells
Girona - everybody left the train to go to work.
Celra - sun rose 8h00, outside temperature 13 degrees, 2 pin power point between seats, charged the iPad
Bordils-Juia
Flaca - first noticed the Pyrenees - announcements in Spanish, Catalan and English between each station and on a digital screen in the carriage. Gives time and temperature, next station, destination, coach number. No wifi. Loos next to luggage racks- very clean
Guard came & checked tickets and I asked for advice. . Bought an extra ticket to Cerbere 1.55 euros. Total 7.45 euros.
Camallera
Sant Miquel de Fluvia
Vilamalla. Changed seats to get a view from both sides of the train.
Figueres - bigger town, europcar branch at station. I still haven't driven on the right hand side. Turned Garmin on as maps not working on iPad without internet. Trouble finding satellites.
Vilajuiga
Pyrenees appear as a ridge running parallel.
Through short tunnel in foothills.
Evacuation plan on the station. Another tunnel, pretty trees and many small hills, some aloes,
Colera, nestles in the hills and is on the Mediterranean, very narrow coastal plain.
Portbou - border with France. Aim eventually for Calais to catch a ferry to Dover? Use buses in England? Victoria coach station.
Cerbere
At Cerbere. There is a discount ticket valid for one year in France for over sixties. Didn't quite make it.
I bought a ticket as follows:
Cerbere 10h32 to Perpignan 11h14 change
Perpignan 11h35 to Montpelier 13h12
Montpelier 14h16 to Nice Ville 18h33
And another:
Nice Ville 20h02 to Paris Austerlitz 8h49
Paris Gard du Nord 9h58 to Calais 11h32
Cost 197.80 euros - would have been cheaper booked ahead.
Return Calais 1st November 19h35to Paris Nord 21h15
Paris Austerlitz 21h56 to Cerbere 8h12 2nd November
Cost 99.90
The Journey
Left side is mountains, facing back. Right side is coast facing back. One single seat and 2 double, footrests, plenty of legroom, trays, headrests
Mediterranean, tunnel, the train goes to Toulouse-Matabiau
Languedoc Rouissillon
Banyuls-sur-Mer
Port Vendres Ville
Collioure - pretty pink terraced houses with window boxes
Argeles-sur-Mer - views of Pyrenees, took photo for Myriam as it's where her house is being built, bamboo alongside station, orchards.
Elne- high Pyrenees
Perpignan
Changed Train, bought water & maltesers from vending machine with euro coins
New train to Paris via Narbonne
Not so much space, sitting upstairs, hot, no power, blinds at windows, two seats each side
Be careful to note which platform you are on and not which platform the arrows are pointing to!
Voice on train gives destinations before setting off. Speaking only French.
Lift up trays
Need a map!
leaving Perpignan good views of Pyrenees, some seats face the other way
Noticed that I have a seat number on the ticket - all in French, I'm in the wrong seat and probably in the wrong coach.
Passed marshes with herons, wind farm with 8 windmills in several groups, lake next to sea?
Sea, ships, flat sand, river mouth, flamingoes, canal with barge, photo, horses in marsh
Poplar trees,
Narbonne
Parc naturelle regionale de la Narbonnaise en le Mediteranne
Check in World Atlas - works without Internet connection
Platform is in French
Beziers - bit more inland
pour votre securite il est interdit de traverser les voies
Under highway E9
Agde holiday town, wheel,
Along narrow strip of land to Sete
pampas grass next to A9
Sea on one side, then road, rail, lake, maybe 400 meters wide
Car parks for tourists
Modern duplexes
Sete
Houses on lakeside
Old buildings
Over river
High up above the platform, get off at next station. Train goes inland to Montpelier
Buses leave from next to station, list of destinations scroll next to door.
Port
Ships
Canal
Petrol storage
Hills inland
Waited in Montpellier for 45 minutes, and changed to single deck train to Nice, very busy, middle seat, many suitcases. Carriage 14 Seat 42.
Lady with Yorkshire Terrier
Train stopped for a while in Marseille
First station Toulon 16h41
Earphones stopped working
Ipad Battery 82%
Saint Raphael
red rock
Cannes
Marinas
Yellow mimosa
18h04
People in sea
A lot of grafitti painted on walls
palm trees
Island opposite
Juan les Pins
Antibes
on further after Nice to Monaco
Huge yachts, castle
View of Nice across bay
motor homes in parking next to beach
Stony
Biot
Fishing
Airplanes landing
Rounded block of flats
Race track horses
Cagnes sur Mer
Where is St Tropez?
Eating a tasty burger in Nice, free cup of very sweet mint tea, power and wifi access but no Internet
Chocolate Brownie
Wifi Gare requires login
Left Nice at 20h04
Reclining seats with extending footrests, no power, single storey
Dark
Uncomfortable night, carriage darkened could not get into a good position, even with my inflatable pillow.
Started to get light at 7h08
Had been back through Cannes & marseille, through Lyon, dion,
Trouble getting from Gare Austerlicht to Paris Nord - walk first to Gare du Lyon and then use green line 2 stops
Get off at Lille Europe for Eurostar (en route to Calais)
Get off at Calais Ville for ferries and catch a bus from the bus stop in the car park before the bridge where you cross to the town centre. Approx every 40 minutes.
Bus labelled car ferry takes you to ticket office. 2 euro only takes euros
Ferry 39 euro single
Duty free on board
Steep ramp to get up four levels
No coach or train information on board
Courtesy bus to and from ship like at airport.
At Dover there is a National Express booking office to right of main exit. Caught bus at 15h15 no time to phone anyone. Cost 15 pounds.
There is also a coach from Victoria to Paris with a 15 pound add on from anywhere else & wifi access
Canterbury 15h40, home of Kent cricket.
Finally arrived at Victoria coach station, London at 18h00, 36 hours after leaving Wendy's house!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:First destination Perpignan, 3rd October 2011. Then to Nice?
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