Training in France

October 23: Eurostar brings Paris closer to London than even Edinburgh.

We rode first-class on this rail marvel though I'm not sure the upgrade cost was worth it. We got wider, reclining seats; a small continental breakfast; a drink; and magazines to read. Otherwise, no difference existed with standard class. But at the time I bought my ticket, the cost of first-class was only about $50 over standard class for two people. (If I'd bought earlier, standard class would've been a better bargain.)

Gare (station) du Nord drove us crazy with its size, crowds and lack of ATMs. And this despite all my research on the station and train system. We had to wander outside to find a cash machine before continuing our journey to Gare San Lazare through the incomprehensible Metro (subway) system.

In contrast to the spacious interior of the Eurostar, the train from Paris to Caen in Normandy was worn and crowded, with people standing for the entire two-hour trip. Bathrooms lacked even toilet paper because of the French strike against the raising of the retirement age. At our connecting station in Caen, the strike dissolved our scheduled routes to Bayeux. And I didn't know that until I ran around the station, struggling to find the platform of a train that no longer existed. After inching through a long line of people, I found the information agent unconcerned about our plight. She simply pointed to the schedule board to answer our question. I didn't know enough French to argue.

Eventually, we did find a train about an hour or so later to our final destination of Bayeux, also Normandy, which was only about 15 minutes away.