DAY 9 – AU REVOIR PARIS

Time to bid Adieu to Paris -- and Sandrine. I had an early and long train ride, so we got moving early. The hotel is only a few blocks from the train station (which is why I picked it). And there’s a darling bakery just next to the train station entrance – so I grab a few croissants for breakfast & lunch.

            Although I’ve mostly figured out the Paris Metro system, the long-distance trains are much more complicated. Plus, the track isn’t posted until about 15 minutes before departure. I hear a few people saying something something “Barcelona” and pointing – so I follow a cute little Spanish grandma toward the tracks.

            There’s a group of Americans (mostly teenagers) gathered – and their Tour Guide is very informed, so I eavesdrop and follow along. [It’s much easier to eavesdrop on conversations in English, since I don’t speak anything else.]

            This train is huge – double-decker, and dozens and dozens of train cars. Fortunately, I have assigned seating – so I just need to walk along until I find the correct car, then make my way to my seat. Unfortunately, these cars are not quite in numerical order – but eventually I find my train car and enter. There are about 32 seats in this section, in groupings of 4, with a table in the middle – like you’re ready to deal cards or picnic or something. And most of these foursomes are those American Teenagers – including 2 across the table from me. (I totally lucked out and the seat next to me was empty.)

            I settle in for a 7-hour train ride, from Paris to Barcelona – although I’m quite sure it will feel much longer with a few dozen American teenagers aboard. Adults keep coming around and counting heads, and eventually all are accounted for – although the group was split into 2 areas. (Thank heavens!) They’re obviously excited – and they’ve obviously had too much caffeine or too much sugar – or both.

            Everyone sits as the train pulls away, and in a few minutes we are outside of the city – and there is more of that glorious French countryside. Each window looks perfectly framed to be captured on an oil painting. And each pastoral village that we pass has a centuries-old cathedral rising up in the center. As much as I love traveling around America, everything is relatively new in the U.S. – and every city and town in Europe is steeped in history. And I just drink it up.

            Eventually the serenity of the scenery outside overtakes the bustling of seat swapping inside – and I fall asleep. (My usually horrible sleep habits are MUCH worse when traveling.) A few hours later I awake, with the French countryside still rolling by outside – and a much calmer group of teenagers inside. An older woman (probably my age) is sitting with this cluster of teens, and eventually I ask where they are from. Turns out they are also from Arizona, near Scottsdale – and they are a group of French & Spanish classes on a 10-day trip. (The caffeine/sugar has thankfully worn off some.)

            A few more hours pass, and then we’re notified that we’ll be stopping and needing to change trains – because there’s something wrong with this one. (NOT what you want to hear!) So we head for Perpignan, France, to switch trains. Fortunately we’ll be in the same assigned seats – but it does mean we need to move all of our luggage (and the luggage racks are very full).

            At Perpignan, the train we are to board isn’t there yet. So we pour out onto the train platform. A few hundred of us. There is a group of about 10 Gendarme in the middle of the platform – which probably contributed to the patience of the group. And there was someone on the platform handing out bottled water while we waited. We were already over an hour behind schedule, and this delay added at least another hour – but eventually the replacement train arrived and we were back on our way to Barcelona. A group of 6 heavily-armed Gendarme come into our section (after we've left the station), and one walks up to someone behind me and asks a question in French – then seemingly satisfied, the Gendarmerie move on to the upstairs section.

            By the time we arrived in Barcelona, I was tired. As much as I love train travel, long travel days can also be exhausting. I understand why many choose to fly within Europe instead – but that’s not the experience I wanted this time. So I’m grateful for the time on the train, and I’m now grateful that it’s over.

            And I’m in Barcelona! It feels different. But tonight I’m just going to find my hotel, check in, take a long shower – and rest up for adventuring tomorrow.