AUTUMN IN THE PYRENEES TO GERMAN RIVERS

We are travelling from Toulouse in southern France to Strasbourg in northern France by rail.  The first leg, from Toulouse to Boudreaux is 2 hours and 13 minutes and the second leg to Strasbourg is about 6:30. Obviously this is not the high-speed TVG train, more of a local milk run – but we stop at towns only about once an hour.

We’re travelling first class, the most obvious advantage of which is very comfortable wide seats and plenty of leg room.  The ride is smooth and quiet.  We’re both reading books on our Kindle’s.  Brenda is reading “The Nightingale” and I’m reading “The Sixth Extinction”.

I thought I saw a sign indicating internet on the train but I haven’t found it or maybe haven’t paid for the password.  We did have lunch from the bar – quite good as you would expect in France.

Train travel is still very popular in Europe.  Earlier today I was reading Rick Steve’s description of Frankfurt, where we’ll be two weeks from today, and he stated that the Frankfurt train station handles 350,000 travelers every day, catching 1,800 trains on one of 24 platforms! Wow!

Maybe I have not made clear that the Bicycle Adventure Club Pyrenees tour is over and we’re now joining our Dallas Tandem Friends (and a few other oddballs) for a tour from Strasbourg (Fr) into Germany – north up the Rhine River valley to Koblenz and then west along the Mosel River to Trier.  My late wife Anne and I did much of this ride, in the other direction, in 1993.  It was my first international bicycle tour.  I’ve now done 25.

This tour will be my 100^th bicycle tour since 1973; quite an accomplishment I guess.  Most, 78, have been since we retired 15 years ago.  I’m very lucky in many ways, good health being only one of them.

In this blog last year, you may remember the French Gardens tour, also led by Jane Holahan of Dallas, I commented on “the French”.  My previous experiences had not been good; I found them to be rude. But last year I found none of this.  And again this year, I found the French to be very friendly.  I’m convinced they’ve improved over the past ten years.  Surely it’s not me; I have not mellowed. J