So after 4 hot committed days on the bike Helen, Kate and rose again on the 5th day at 4.45! Kate very kindly to drive H and I to La Rochelle train stn to get the 6 o'clock to Toulouse . We thought we would be lying by the pool by midday.
Issue no 1- NO train- so on the coach...aargh! 3.40 hrs later arrive Bordeaux - oh no too late for our connecting train...or so we thought. Quelle surprise the train is there along with 1000's of people scrambling around like us. Found our carriage no4 but where to put bike? The train TGV is huge- H asks guard about bike. We do as told and continue to back of train- whistles and bleepers start going we think mmmm should climb aboard ASAP - end up in carriage 15 but no matter we have seats by the luggage and bike is next to us. Doors close we pull out and relief we Made it . Celebrate good fortune coffees all round then little snooze to catch ip on early start- perfecto.
Issue 2.
H notices the display above the carriage entrance:
Dax, Pau, Lourdes...
Curiously enough I had noticed a disproportionate number of children with learning difficulties and adults with physical disability and was a but worried about position if bike- obvi' not wanting to cause more injury!!
Suggest to H that if French anything like uk maybe they forgot to change info' (forever the optimist)
H goes off to find out and returns with bad news. Yes we are on our way to Lourdes! Only the first 4 carriages going to Toulouse.
H has minor altercation with the ticket man- puts him right in no uncertain terms- way to go Helen....after he'd picked himself up off the floor he was in much more agreeable mood and staggered away down the train.
H has lovely sister and brother in law who are already at the house and really don't mind doing a 6 hr round trip to rescue us from Dax! Where is Dax anyway? Answer miles away from anywhere. We can only comment on the station cafe which seemed full if people like ourselves 'lost in France' ( but not as Bonnie sang ' in love' with very much at the moment )
Just for the record facilities at Gare de Dax are not worth a stop.
So Glenn (the bro' in law) arrives in super duper car- luxury and by 6pm we are in the pool, Glenn is making perfect G&T's, Alison is making supper and as the great bard says 'all's well that ends well.'
Thank you and goodnight from Villebrumier.
