Saturday 1st September 2007
Well the day has arrived for us to start our journey to Les Toulerons and
time to leave St.Margaret's.
Packed our bags, leaving some of the summer clothes behind as we expect the weather is going to cool down.
Checked the route to the Marble Arch depot for the car and set off. Never having driven into London let alone around Hyde Park Corner, Park Lane etc was something that I wasn’t sure about. However it was Saturday morning, no congestion charge and not much traffic about. On the A4 we virtually drove straight to the place in 35 minutes! Marvellous, checked the car in with no problems and caught a taxi to Waterloo for the 1209 to Paris Gare de Nord.
Bags scanned as we went through control, my passport stamped by immigration without as much as a look at the passport or me. I’m sure he didn’t even look up at Beatrice as he stamped her passport, as he was much too busy chatting to his mates in his booth.
Eurostar was 20 carriages and we were number 17. Nos 20 being the front we had a long way to walk with our bags.
All aboard and away without a whistle a wave of a flag or a sound.
We just slid out. Two seats next to a window all very comfortable for 2nd class.
Non-stop to Ashford we just sliced through the stations, towns and countryside. Unable to catch the station names as we were going so fast at over 200 kph. and oh so quiet, non of this clicky de clack rail noise.(As of November it will be leaving from St Pancreas station and it will take 20 minutes off the time to Paris as they have upgraded the tracks to enable it to travel at over 300kph)
Out of Ashford and not long after the announcement we were about to enter the channel tunnel, which would take 20 minutes. Daylight and now the announcements are starting in French; we were in France and stopping at Calais. Soldiers walking around in camouflage with fierce looking machine guns slung from their shoulders at the ready.
Now to see France! The train tilts to the left and speeds up, much faster this side as the lines are all geared up for it, tilts to the right as we go around curves and continues like this getting faster and faster. Overcast skies, church spires, fields being worked, hay rolls, cows grazing, all very similar except there were no stone walls or hedges or fences separating the different fields and these were all much bigger. Motorways 110 kph speed limit, camping grounds,canals with barges and narrow boats.
Closer to Paris we caught a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower on the horizon and then it was gone. Outer suburbs busy with all kinds of people, 5-6 storey apartment buildings perhaps only 4 windows wide and a pitched tiled roof. The graffiti everywhere, don’t think I’ve ever seen so much and some of it in the most impossible places that could be reached. In no time we were pulling into Paris Gare du Nord, pulling our bags off and out of the station looking for the taxi rank. Joined the queue and shuffled up to the dispatcher. Here was my chance to try my French out, I mumbled something, he laughed and asked me in perfect English where we wanted to go and were we paying in cash.
Off to Gare de Lyon to catch the train going south to Nogent-Sur-Vernission at 1757 hrs. Across Paris from north to south, it all just looked like I had imagined. The outdoor cafes, people sitting outside, metal chairs, umbrellas, the tall apartment buildings, they even looked the same as the sets in La Boheme at the opera house. We are really looking forward to coming back here for a few days!
We had instructions where to buy are tickets at the station and after a few discussion Beatrice lined up and at the window found we had to go around the corner, which we did and Beatrice in perfect French purchased two seniors tickets to our destination.
What a day, boarded the train in the last carriage armed with the names of each station as we had to be ready to get off at our once we had left Montargis as our stop was going to be a very brief one as it was only a minor station. One and half later we were on our feet bags by the door and a big drop down to the platform we had arrived! There walking away from us was Valerie and Geoff, a shouted hello and we met up. Had my first lesson kissing both sides as the French do, however just shook Geoff’s hand. Out into the car park and loaded into the Saab.
The drive to the cottage seemed to take ages, through minor roads and then one-car wide country lanes. We were really going into the middle of nowhere.
Then up a grass rutted driveway there was Nos 3 Les Toulerons. A 200-year-old cottage which they had been working on for the last two years. One bedroom, garage, workshop, kitchen dinning room and a sitting room with comfy settees and chairs. Not forgetting the huge garden at the back and the front with the pond.
Time to eat, spaghetti, bread, cheese and biscuits with French wine, that all went down a treat.
Booked into the Auberg des 7 Ecluses we set off for Rogny, a drive of 10minutes away. Very dark by now and the sky twinkling with stars from one side to the other.
Lennard the owner had given Valerie all the instructions on how to open the door with the code and our room number as he was in Chatillion-Coligny doing the catering for a huge wedding. Sometimes plans just don’t seem to work out and we just couldn’t open the front door. In desperation Valerie was able to get Lennard on his mobile and to her horror he told her that he had decided to change the door code as the same one had been in use for over a year! Of course he was sorry that he hadn’t let her know and he had only given it to her the previous day! Finally in and all this done by torchlight we clambered up to the first floor looking for room #3. Nowhere to be found, 6,7,and all the rest but # 3. Another call, to be told it was a door off the corridor, that was very well disguised that led into another hallway and it was the first door on the right. No numbers on the doors so we were lucky he had told us that, otherwise it would have been another call. Two single beds and a shared toilet and shower for 6 rooms. This area was just used when he was booked out and that was the case as the guests from the wedding had taken all the rooms and we were lucky that he had been able to fit us in.
Looking out of our windows we could hear water gushing and could see that we were opposite a canal lock, it all looked very interesting, however we would have to check it all out tomorrow as, believe it or not we were very tired, though very satisfied that we had made it!
Well the day has arrived for us to start our journey to Les Toulerons and
time to leave St.Margaret's.
Packed our bags, leaving some of the summer clothes behind as we expect the weather is going to cool down.
Checked the route to the Marble Arch depot for the car and set off. Never having driven into London let alone around Hyde Park Corner, Park Lane etc was something that I wasn’t sure about. However it was Saturday morning, no congestion charge and not much traffic about. On the A4 we virtually drove straight to the place in 35 minutes! Marvellous, checked the car in with no problems and caught a taxi to Waterloo for the 1209 to Paris Gare de Nord.
Bags scanned as we went through control, my passport stamped by immigration without as much as a look at the passport or me. I’m sure he didn’t even look up at Beatrice as he stamped her passport, as he was much too busy chatting to his mates in his booth.
Eurostar was 20 carriages and we were number 17. Nos 20 being the front we had a long way to walk with our bags.
All aboard and away without a whistle a wave of a flag or a sound.
We just slid out. Two seats next to a window all very comfortable for 2nd class.
Non-stop to Ashford we just sliced through the stations, towns and countryside. Unable to catch the station names as we were going so fast at over 200 kph. and oh so quiet, non of this clicky de clack rail noise.(As of November it will be leaving from St Pancreas station and it will take 20 minutes off the time to Paris as they have upgraded the tracks to enable it to travel at over 300kph)
Out of Ashford and not long after the announcement we were about to enter the channel tunnel, which would take 20 minutes. Daylight and now the announcements are starting in French; we were in France and stopping at Calais. Soldiers walking around in camouflage with fierce looking machine guns slung from their shoulders at the ready.
Now to see France! The train tilts to the left and speeds up, much faster this side as the lines are all geared up for it, tilts to the right as we go around curves and continues like this getting faster and faster. Overcast skies, church spires, fields being worked, hay rolls, cows grazing, all very similar except there were no stone walls or hedges or fences separating the different fields and these were all much bigger. Motorways 110 kph speed limit, camping grounds,canals with barges and narrow boats.
Closer to Paris we caught a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower on the horizon and then it was gone. Outer suburbs busy with all kinds of people, 5-6 storey apartment buildings perhaps only 4 windows wide and a pitched tiled roof. The graffiti everywhere, don’t think I’ve ever seen so much and some of it in the most impossible places that could be reached. In no time we were pulling into Paris Gare du Nord, pulling our bags off and out of the station looking for the taxi rank. Joined the queue and shuffled up to the dispatcher. Here was my chance to try my French out, I mumbled something, he laughed and asked me in perfect English where we wanted to go and were we paying in cash.
Off to Gare de Lyon to catch the train going south to Nogent-Sur-Vernission at 1757 hrs. Across Paris from north to south, it all just looked like I had imagined. The outdoor cafes, people sitting outside, metal chairs, umbrellas, the tall apartment buildings, they even looked the same as the sets in La Boheme at the opera house. We are really looking forward to coming back here for a few days!
We had instructions where to buy are tickets at the station and after a few discussion Beatrice lined up and at the window found we had to go around the corner, which we did and Beatrice in perfect French purchased two seniors tickets to our destination.
What a day, boarded the train in the last carriage armed with the names of each station as we had to be ready to get off at our once we had left Montargis as our stop was going to be a very brief one as it was only a minor station. One and half later we were on our feet bags by the door and a big drop down to the platform we had arrived! There walking away from us was Valerie and Geoff, a shouted hello and we met up. Had my first lesson kissing both sides as the French do, however just shook Geoff’s hand. Out into the car park and loaded into the Saab.
The drive to the cottage seemed to take ages, through minor roads and then one-car wide country lanes. We were really going into the middle of nowhere.
Then up a grass rutted driveway there was Nos 3 Les Toulerons. A 200-year-old cottage which they had been working on for the last two years. One bedroom, garage, workshop, kitchen dinning room and a sitting room with comfy settees and chairs. Not forgetting the huge garden at the back and the front with the pond.
Time to eat, spaghetti, bread, cheese and biscuits with French wine, that all went down a treat.
Booked into the Auberg des 7 Ecluses we set off for Rogny, a drive of 10minutes away. Very dark by now and the sky twinkling with stars from one side to the other.
Lennard the owner had given Valerie all the instructions on how to open the door with the code and our room number as he was in Chatillion-Coligny doing the catering for a huge wedding. Sometimes plans just don’t seem to work out and we just couldn’t open the front door. In desperation Valerie was able to get Lennard on his mobile and to her horror he told her that he had decided to change the door code as the same one had been in use for over a year! Of course he was sorry that he hadn’t let her know and he had only given it to her the previous day! Finally in and all this done by torchlight we clambered up to the first floor looking for room #3. Nowhere to be found, 6,7,and all the rest but # 3. Another call, to be told it was a door off the corridor, that was very well disguised that led into another hallway and it was the first door on the right. No numbers on the doors so we were lucky he had told us that, otherwise it would have been another call. Two single beds and a shared toilet and shower for 6 rooms. This area was just used when he was booked out and that was the case as the guests from the wedding had taken all the rooms and we were lucky that he had been able to fit us in.
Looking out of our windows we could hear water gushing and could see that we were opposite a canal lock, it all looked very interesting, however we would have to check it all out tomorrow as, believe it or not we were very tired, though very satisfied that we had made it!
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