Trains

I love riding the rails in Europe. Because of the compact size of Europe and it's dense population, rail travel is very convenient and affordable and over the years it has just gotten better.

When I first starting riding the rails over there, the trains were quite conventional. To get from Paris down to Angouleme took about six hours. The trip wasn't too bad because you could get up and move around and usually you had a small cabin with about six people in it. Also you could go get something to eat in the dining car and you still can. Since then, the trains have gotten faster and the trip only takes about half the time if all is going well on the tracks. They go so much faster, now, that I've noticed that it is very difficult to keep the countryside in focus as you zip by.

On one of my trips, I remember being in the train with a lot of young travelers. Everyone was up and about and it was almost like a party atmosphere as everyone was socializing and just enjoying the ride. I also remember the time we took our young children and the train was oversold and there were no places to sit in the 2nd class cars. Daniele's family was with us at the time and her father worked for the the railroad. I was tired and holding a small child while standing was no fun so I told him (her father) that I was going up to First Class to take a seat. I mean, afterall, I paid for a seat so I was going to sit down. Daniele's mom and dad were horrified and said I couldn't do that. I said, "watch me." So they came along and when the conducter came around he started to tell me I was in the wrong cabin. I told him to find me seats in the oversold 2nd Class cabin and he just shook his shoulders and moved along. The funny part was Daniele's parents look of incredulity.

One of the best improvements over the years, has been the addition of a train station at the airport. Now you can go directly from plane to train without having to get a taxi or bus to go into Paris.

This photo is of Kellie in front of a TGV that we are about to take to from Paris to Libourne.