Lyon, Rhône-Alpes, France
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
I explored
Paris a bit more on my last day, going to the Eiffel tower up close and receiving a large fright. As I walked away with an empty pocket. There are many scam artists around the tower and I figured that I must have been pick pocketed. So I began to search for a police station to get a police report that would allow me to claim the theft on insurance. All the while, I was wondering who, where, and when did it go missing. I was carrying around my backpack at the time and thought there was a small chance of me putting it in my backpack. Sure enough there it was, lying on top of a souvenir I had bought earlier. Boy was I relieved, now I zip up my pocket to make sure it is safe. After the Eiffel Tower, I went and saw the Arch De Triumph briefly, before heading out on a train towards
Lyon. I made it to Lyon and intended to buy a ticket to
Barcelona. The first woman I talked to said that it was impossible because of the strike. I asked someone else, and they said it was possible if I went to Montpelier first then went to Barcelona after. So I bought a ticket to Montpelier for Wednesday (today) and was told I could buy the ticket to
Barcelona here at Montpelier. I spent only one night at my hostel in
Lyon because it was full for the rest of the week. Because of this, I was only able to see a small portion of the city. This morning I hopped on a train, and am now here in Montpelier. Unfortunately I can not go to
Barcelona from here either by train, and may have to take a bus which will cost me 35€... Stupid strike, I am not enjoying my Eurorail pass yet, I hope it will be of more use in other countries. Currently I am waiting for the people in the bus station to come back from a 2 hour lunch break... 1 hour to go, hopefully I will make it to
Barcelona tonight.
Comments
That train strike is keeping you from seeing some of the countries that you planned to see. How much longer do they anticipate it will last?
Train strike could last another week
April 13, 2010
A STRIKE by train drivers and conductors that has affected services for the past seven days could last another week, according to unions.
The SNCF has said it is willing to negotiate - but has set an April 21 date for the round-table meeting.
The rail operator says in a letter to the CGT, Unsa, Sud-Rail and CFDT unions that the meeting could be held earlier, but only if a normal level of service is restored first.
The CGT rejected the proposal and said discussions were needed now - not in nine days' time.
According to the SNCF, 79% of TER services will be running today, but the figure hides some large regional differences.
The south of France continues to be the worst-affected by the walkout, which began last Wednesday.
Only a small number of local TER services will be running along the main Mediterranean coast routes today.
Train drivers stand to lose €500-€600 from their pay packets this month as a result of the strike according to CGT union heads Cyrille Poggi and Michaël Albin.
Nationwide, 58% of Corail services are operating, 82% of TGVs and 71% of Intercités trains.
Paris also continues to be affected, especially on RER lines B and D. International services run by Eurostar and Thalys are running as usual.
Hey kiddo, you are certainly getting an education on the joys and frustrations of travel. I am glad you have managed to avoid the scammers and pick pockets so far, good job! So, are there any soccer (football) games happening in Barcelona when you are there? I can imagine that it would be exciting to watch Barcelona play. I have heard that Lisbon, Gibraltor and Morocco are very interesting places to visit.
I think that pretty much sums it up, thanks dad.
And about the Soccer, I will try to figure it out, the tickets will be crazy expensive as they are in the semi-finals (one of the top 4 left) in the Champions League Tournament (Like the Playoffs)
And Lisbon, Gibraltar and Morocco, would all be interesting and I have heard good things about them, but I'm not sure how much time I want to spend in Spain. More importantly though, how much money do I want to spend in Spain. This detour has already cost me an extra 60€, and I know Spain won't be cheap.
I meant I don't want to spend to much time near spain. Meaning Morroco, and Portugal.
The beaches in southern Spain are beautiful. Do you think you will make it there? Sounds like you could use a little sun & sand relax time. Take care!