It is the morning of the 17th December 2017 and I am making my second journey from Madrid to France, the last by road in 2013, this time continuing my adventure by train from the Black Sea to the North Sea. My train leaves from Madrid Atocha ,one of the main railway stations in the capital. To get there my hosts for the past couple of months, Gonzales and Maria, drive me the kilometre or so to the local station where I board the local commuter much beloved of my journeys around Madrid. This drops me at Atocha where a change of area and of platform will be required. At first I thought that I was in the wrong place and entering the departure platform for the airport but no, it my train to France. I pass through airport like security where my ticket, baggage and person are checked. I seem to remember that this is a standard procedure on the high speed trains as I had to undergo the same checks when travelling from Segovia to Madrid a few years ago. As I am in the Schengen area my passport is not required. Alas this will all change when we depart the European Union.
I board RENFE SNCF 9724 for the 5 hour 25 minute journey to Narbonne sitting in a second class seat it is still very comfortable. As you can imagine at this time of year the train is full, Christmas is coming. The trolley service will deliver a lunch of panini and coffee to my reserved seat, a prerequisite of travel on these trains. The route will take us NE from Madrid past Zaragoza, Taragona, Barcelona, then up the coast Girona, Figueres, Perpignan to Narbonne. The terminus is Marseille. I sit back and unpack my camera. Being late in the year conditions are not ideal to capture the journey but I have included a selection of photographs to convey some idea of the terrain we travelled through. The route is east to the coast then north to France.
It is dark and very cold when we arrive in Narbonne. This would normally be a destination in its own right as there is much to see here and in the surrounding region. The Canal du Midi which I would later visit in Toulouse passes near here, the great locks a "must see". But on this occasion I have booked into the 2* Hotel L’Alsace simply because it is opposite the station and I have an 08:00 departure tomorrow morning. I must admit that for 60 I have stayed in better. I was met at reception and signed in.
Mounting the stairs to the first floor I was shown into a room from the early part of the century. A huge ornate double bed, a huge ornate wooden wardrobe and a huge industrial style radiator. A tiny old fashioned TV mounted in the corner. It was a good job that there was an eiderdown and plenty of blankets, the heating was switched off. I was then informed that the kitchen was closed for two weeks for refurbishment. No evening meal or breakfast! I believe that I was the only guest. I ventured back out into the cold in search of a hot evening meal finding a small bar open along the street. After a glass of wine and a chicken dinner I wandered in each direction from the hotel in an an attempt to capture a flavour of the area for the album. I did not wander for long!
The following morning I departed bright and early to give myself time to breakfast at the railway station. I was followed to the door of the hotel after checking out but definitely no tip. I am catching the IC 4756 to Toulouse departing at 08:55 arriving there on platform 3 at 10:14. The platform is divided into sections, each designated by a letter of the alphabet. The display board indicates the carriage and seat numbers and the platform area. Thus the trains run on time. My journey will take me almost all the way across France towards the west coast. In the meantime I sit in the warm and pleasant station cafe with a large cafe au lait and two croissants before me.
The train arrives on platform 3 and I change catching the TER 7145 from platform 1 to Les Cabannes, the nearest local station to Aulos where I am destined to spend the next few months. I should point out that my dislocated shoulder and my opposing bad leg greatly hampered my manoeuvres both at Narbonne and Toulouse stations but the local staff could not have been more helpful assisting me to the service lifts and platforms where necessary. The route would take me southeast across France once again. It is fairly open countryside down to Foix but then starts to wind through the mountains of the Midi-Pyrenees.
At this time of year the mountain tops are covered in snow, mists and low cloud swirl around creating a haunting atmosphere. The view from the carriage window shows the hard life people live in this area, if you want heating, cut some logs. If you want food it helps to grow your own, the supermarket is not just around the corner. We pass through stations, some are stops, others now disused or unmanned halts as the economy has changed. I see huge lorries transporting logs which would probably have been hauled by train along with milk and perishables a few years ago. I will be met by my brother-in-law at the station for a short journey by road to Aulos some 1.5 km away. It is mid-afternoon when I arrive and already darkness is falling. Merry Christmas one and all.
Click here to view my
"Journey to France by train" photo album.
"Renfe-SNCF trains are the result of a collaboration between France and Spain to bring the two countries together via a network of high-speed trains. There are two comfort classes: Second Class (or Turista) and First Class (or Preferente). Both classes have power outlets and comfortable seating. Attention: a check of luggage is in force in all the Spanish stations before boarding the train. It is also advisable to travel with your identity card for any border control."
Comments
Post a Comment