Dag 30: Frontignan - Sète - Arles (12 km)
28 juni 2018 - Arles, Frankrijk
Those who have seen my photograph that I posted earlier today will have understood that we'd managed to get our bicycles (and ourselves) on the train. That both actions succeeded is not self-evident as the train might leave before all the actions are completed. When we got on the train, we had help. When we got off there was none, except a lady with a latin-american look that shouted to the controller that there was one more bicycle to come. And me.
We were lucky that precisely the Intercities were not cancelled. But the officer at the ticket office was not aware that we could take such a train to Arles. She was corrected by a colleague and we had two minutes to take that train. Impossible, as we had to go through un underground tunnel without elevator. So we decided to take the train that would go two hours later. The same officer now explained us that we could by a ticket at one of the machines. Thus so we did. We followed all the steps but couldn't find a button for the bicycles and asked another railway officer to help us. "That train is fully booked and there is limited place for bicycles. You can't buy a ticket here, but must ask the controller at the train". No choice, we had to wait and see. When waiting with a good cup of coffee we saw two other packed cyclists arriving. To avoid that they would approach the controller before us, we went early to the platform from where the train would depart. Enfin, when they arrived there, assisted by yet another officer I had my doubts and asked if they had a reservation. Yes! They had bought ten minutes before at the ticket office where we had been send off. My next action was to explain events to the officer that was assisting the couple with tickets. And that worked. Ugh.
And I didn't tell you that we could have had the train that we missed by a few minutes if we hadn't been confronted with yet another 'route barrée' on our way to Sète, that we also had to wait for the open bridge and solve a navigation problem at a crossing where one road sign said 'station to the left' and the other 'to the right'. We asked an elder lady who started laughing and said that she had never noticed it! C'est la douce France.
We were lucky that precisely the Intercities were not cancelled. But the officer at the ticket office was not aware that we could take such a train to Arles. She was corrected by a colleague and we had two minutes to take that train. Impossible, as we had to go through un underground tunnel without elevator. So we decided to take the train that would go two hours later. The same officer now explained us that we could by a ticket at one of the machines. Thus so we did. We followed all the steps but couldn't find a button for the bicycles and asked another railway officer to help us. "That train is fully booked and there is limited place for bicycles. You can't buy a ticket here, but must ask the controller at the train". No choice, we had to wait and see. When waiting with a good cup of coffee we saw two other packed cyclists arriving. To avoid that they would approach the controller before us, we went early to the platform from where the train would depart. Enfin, when they arrived there, assisted by yet another officer I had my doubts and asked if they had a reservation. Yes! They had bought ten minutes before at the ticket office where we had been send off. My next action was to explain events to the officer that was assisting the couple with tickets. And that worked. Ugh.
And I didn't tell you that we could have had the train that we missed by a few minutes if we hadn't been confronted with yet another 'route barrée' on our way to Sète, that we also had to wait for the open bridge and solve a navigation problem at a crossing where one road sign said 'station to the left' and the other 'to the right'. We asked an elder lady who started laughing and said that she had never noticed it! C'est la douce France.
