A Car Is Not A Luxury, It’s A Necessity
Danny Alexander has just said this on television.
In my view, after not driving for three years and going everywhere by public transport, a car is a complete pain in the arse. And when you give up your car and stop driving, it’s a total change for the better.
Fall Out From A Train Crash
On the fifteenth of October, there was a train derailment at Camden Road on the North London Line. It still hasn’t been fixed fully yet, as the train brought the overhead wiring down in a very difficult place.
It’s reported here in the Camden New Journal. Some of the comments are priceless and fairly paranoid and speculate about it being a nuclear fuel train. It was actually, a load of containers going from Birmingham to Felixstowe.
Probably the good news is that this derailment has caused great inconvenience to freight train operators and they will be thinking harder about using the direct routes via Nuneaton and Peterborough, thus avoiding sending freight trains through Central London. This will of course get easier once the Bacon Factory Curve is complete at Ipswich.
Back From Palermo By Train
I arrived back safely from Palermo last night and I’ll be posting the details of the trip over the next few days. The posts will be dated as they happened.
I should say though, that I travelled on eight trains in the seven days, since I left on the eighth of this month.
Other than the choosing of the wrong hotel in Naples, I made only one big mistake; I travelled with an out-of-date guide, which made Naples, Genoa and Turin difficult.
This link will give all the posts, when they’ve all been written.
Queues At The Louvre
There were long queues at the Louvre.
You can buy advance tickets and the details are here.
I queued for about an hour and a half to get in. But it was worth it!
A Day In Paris
As I wasn’t sure how long it would take to get home, before I left, I booked a ticket on the 21:10 Eurostar from Paris to London.
This effectively gave me nine hours in Paris, so I decided to go to the Louvre and then do some exploration.
Unfortunately, my camera ran out of juice, so there isn’t many pictures.
But I enjoyed myself otherwise!
I did even find a gluten-free creperie in Montmartre, but unfortunately it shuts on Mondays.
This wouldn’t have been a disaster, as I knew I’d get a good supper on Eurostar.
But unfortunately, I’d somehow mixed up getting my gluten-free meal.
The staff however, rustled me up some very acceptable chicken with chick-peas.
I was in my bed in Hackney by just after eleven, after eight trains in seven days.
Being close to St. Pancras means that trains are a very good option, as I can always get a bus home if the train is a very late one.
The
From Geneva To Paris
Four words sum up the TGV Duplex trip from Geneva to Paris; fast, frequent, comfortable and boring. This bridge was the only interesting thing I was able to photograph.
From Geneva To Paris
To describe the trip as boring is actually a complement and I arrived in Paris just over three hours after I left Geneva.
If only all travel was as simple.
At Geneva Station Use The Back Entrance For France
there was some work going on at Geneva station and I had difficulty finding the platforms for the TGV to Paris.
A Welcoming Lith In Geneva
This excellent lith with a map and information, was placed just out of Geneva station on the way to the lake.
A Welcoming Lith In Geneva
Every station exit in the world should have one!
I can’t find anything about these liths and their maps on the Internet.
My Hotel In Geneva
I didn’t have a hotel, when I arrived in Geneva, so I just walked out of the station and tried the first I saw.
It was a design hotel, called the Hotel Christal.
There were the usual small design glitches, but I’d certainly stay there again, as it was so convenient for the station.
The thing that annoyed me was that the socket, didn’t take my standard European adaptor. It was a new French design, which looks to be incompatible with the rest of the continent. In one excellent hotel I stayed in, there was a panel which accepted every possible plug.
I also found the coffee machine too clever for me. When will designers realise that those who buy their products have money. And many who have money are retired with the odd health issue.
The Anonymous Widower 