San Sebastian to Paris

San Sebastian to Paris
15:57 08/31/2009

So I figured that this would be worth an entry… It’s been a while since I’ve written about anything, but this morning we found ourselves on the way out of San Sebastian on a train to Hendye, a station just over the border into France. When we got to Hendye to make the TGV reservations to Paris, we got the bad news… There were no seats available on any train to Paris that day and half of the next. After some debating we decided to get on the next train going in that direction, which stopped in Dax, about a tenth of the way to Paris. We got to Dax and heard the same storey about the trains to Paris being full. The TGV to Paris would stop there, but there would be no unsold seats so we wouldn’t be able to take it, basically. Personally, I thought that we should just get on and stay outside the bathroom or where the bags are at the end of each car. Corey thought that this wasn’t a good idea. Instead, he wanted to wait for the train to Bordeaux (the one coming in after the TGV to Paris) and see if we could get another train to Paris from there (even though the man at the ticket office told us that all of them were sold out). After getting some lunch while debating this, I heard the TGV roar into the station on track 2 and told Corey I was going to see if I could plead our way on by saying we had a train to catch in Paris tonight. Turns out they weren’t checking tickets at the door, so we COULD just get on, but Corey still said he thought it was a stupid idea. The baggage areas were packed full of twenty-somethings with packs on, so it looked to me like they were all doing what I was thinking would be the best idea. Walking down the platform with Corey behind me I saw car after car with full baggage areas. There was one after a little while with some space, and I started to get in there, but I wasn’t sure it was enough space to be comfortable for me AND Corey, so I figured I’d head down to the next car and see if it was better. At this point I heard a “beep, beep” and saw the doors start closting, and I turned around to see Corey nowhere in sight. I thought he must have walked away so as not to be convinced to get on, but as I walked back down the platform in the other direction I heard him banging on the door of the next car from the INSIDE. There was NO way to open the door. We tried everything and just before I thought I had better tell him I’d meet him at the hotel, he walked off to find a conductor and at the same time the train started to pull off. Now I’M on the train to Bordeaux that came 10 mins later, and HE’S on the TGV to Paris where I wanted to be in the first place. My objective is to not worry about finding him and just get to the hotel – I’m assuming he’ll be doing the same. We’ll just have to compare stories in Paris however late tonight (or tomorrow as it may turn out for me) and see who had the more hellish time getting there. Oh, boy…

Corey went straight to Paris and waited for me at the station… I got on the next TGV to Paris at Bordeaux. We both got out without reservations. I had to pay 20E to reserve, which I thought was the going price anyway, but it turns out Corey only had to pay 10E. Anyway, we are together and really after all that we only got held up an extra 45 mins anyway…

3 comments:

Denise said...

I'm breathless!!!

Walter + Peggy said...

Ah - the stories you'll have to tell! Glad you both got there in one piece - and not even very much behind schedule. Now for gay Paree!! Enjoy and do call Greg. Sooner than later.

Thomas said...

Will do... Too bad it's rainy here today. We were planning on doing the Louvre today but it's closed on Tuesdays, so we're heading to Notre Dame.