And the next adventure for the buggered old geezer and carer!

Hmmm...took 2 mins to load that one...might wait for hotel wifi...
Arrival at Geneva was 20 mins late! Another shock horror!
Now on v smart TGV Lyria for Gare de Lyon and bed bugs.

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So landed at hotel....10 mins from Gare du Nord after quick metro trip from Gare de Lyon....where we were 4 minutes late on arrival....more shock horror...
Need shower!
 
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Phew thats better!
What a way to see some scenery! The plains of Lombardy, lochs and mountains, the alps, the splendour of Lac Leman, and its fabulous villas and gardens, and due to the train being late not much time in Geneva...enough for a coffee and a croissant.
Then on along the Rhone, into the Jura, Bourg en Bresse(didn't see a single hen....if you know you know...)
Winding through the Jura until we join the high speed(190) line and rattle past the Morvan, past Troyes, and up to Paris.4 minutes late....I may be getting a bit anorakish...
A 10 minute walk to our lodgings..... Hotel Lucien & Marinette...


to find they had upgraded us to a bigger room....who knows?
 
Very nice train journey Gerrard.

Quite a few years ago, when Motorrail was in full swing, you could put your bike on a train in Calais, get a sleeper to Nice and meet up with your bike at 10:30 the next morning.

Then the service only came as far north as Paris - but I still used it.

One year I thought of sending my bike to Avignon (Motorail) and catching the TGV there from Paris - just to have a ride on the TGV. The thing that put me off was the six hour wait for my bike to arrive.:D

I still haven't had a ride on the TGV but you have awakened these thoughts. :thumb2
 
Onto another ferry for the journey to Varenna.
We had been here before, last year, on the bike, having crossed from Menaggio.
View attachment 286535
See the corner room with balcony to the left of the Varenna sign? My room when I stayed in the Hotel Olivedo!

Fantastic trip and write-up - thanks for sharing.

If you'd done the trip on UK trains throughout, how many days late would you be by now?
 
Too knackered to stray too far in search of grub, and not frantically hungry, we wandered round the corner and found a little boulangerie/patisserie.
We had a quiche, a panini, and a tarte de Normandie, washed down 1000003644.jpg1000003645.jpg1000003646.jpgwith fresh presse orange juice....delicious!
Remarkable watching a constant stream of locals coming in for fresh baguettes....supper and brek I guess....it's always good if you see locals using the place....a bustling part of town..
 
Always a queue for Eurostar...I'm sure a human would be quicker than these automatic passport gates even when its relatively quiet. 1000003657.jpg
 
A whizz across northern France....never very interesting in my view, but Wapping will be along to tell me its lovely and I'm a cretin...
Slow down for Lille and more rushing towards La Manche.....1000003658.jpg
 
Blimey! What a change! Grew up in Kings Cross nearly! Dad worked in and around here so we had priv tickets for cheap train travel.....significant alterations....and improvement....since then. V smart.
Unless youve got a pocket full of euros and your wealth is secreted in a secure place where no man goes but myself and require considerable contortion to get at it.
 
Now waiting for the Lumo(think Easytrain) service to Embra.
Looks as if the journey north beyond Embra is highly dodgy. Pick up arranged for Pitlochry, but currently shut....
Might have to get a cab from Perth...
 


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