As good as a rest ... perhaps more interesting?

[whole diary]

[grahame]

A change is as good as a rest. I need a rest so I'm having a change. I suspect it will involve a lot of changes as this in an educational trip to help me experience first hand some public transport and places new to me.  Because it's got a public land transport bias, logging it as something of journal here.  Setting off in 20 minutes ... URL for latest page of updates will be http://www.passenger.chat/26784.9999 - enjoy, or ignore the thread if it gets too much!

[grahame]

Early (obvious) clues:

[bradshaw]

Ellis Towers bus to Melksham Station, thence Swindon, Paddington; Elizabeth line to Farringdon and thence St Pancras on GTR

[bobm]

Ellis Towers bus to Melksham Station, thence Swindon, Paddington; Elizabeth line to Farringdon and thence St Pancras on GTR

Substitute Chippenham for Swindon.

[grahame]

Where I am today may not be quite so obvious.   Still there so will post more tonight

[eXPassenger]

Switzerland?

[grahame]

Switzerland?

Surprisingly, not!

[grahame]

Where I am today may not be quite so obvious.   Still there so will post more tonight

The trains I doth travel on tail of yesterday and today - some very immediate clues there!

[Timmer]

First pic is the Paris Metro but what station I haven’t a clue.

[eightonedee]

Well I think I have worked out that you are in Spain. Pyrenees?

[grahame]

Well I think I have worked out that you are in Spain. Pyrenees?

Massive area, but yes.

[bradshaw]

Might it be Petit train de la Rhune?

[stuving]

There are quite a few pictures of that train called "Balandrau" on the web - and it runs up to the Vall de Nuria, which is where the lake and ... building ... in the picture is.

[stuving]

First pic is the Paris Metro but what station I haven’t a clue.

Gare d'Austerlitz, Line 5. That's the line that runs sideways through the station on a viaduct, and you can just see the glazing of the arch in the sidewall in the background. It was after dark, obviously.

[grahame]

From Melksham to Barcelona (Sans) via ... Chippenham, Paddington, Farringdon, St Pancras, Paris Gare du Nord, Latour du Carol and then with a diversion from Ribes to Nuria on the Abt rack to Nuria rather than staying on line all the way into Barcelons. 

11:54 bus from home, 12:33 train on Tuesday into London. Plenty of time in London for the 16:31 to Paris, which came to an abrupt halt in the tunnel under the Thames, the limped to Ebbsfleet (didn't think Eurostar stopped there any longer) while it had a "techincal issue" fixed; 40 minutes late into Paris on a short connection, so a dash for metro line 5 to Austerlitz and the 21:12 sleeper with convey sections to Loudres and Latour du Carol.

Latour du Carol is a fascinating station at where the 4'8.75" gauge of the French system changes to the 5'3" of the Spanish system, and it's also the terminus of the Ligne de Cerdagne, metre gauge to Villefranche - "the little yellow train". A fascinating place with a great deal of history, worthy of a separate writeup.

The 10:25 train to Barclona left 20 minutes late - reason unknown; it had arrived quite a while earlier, but then disappeared and from comments this was not usual - but it re-appeared again and we headed out.  Took "pot luck" in trying the line to Nuria - wasn't sure what I was travelling into from just a summary of times on in the European Rail Timetable I'm carrying.  Up on the 12:50 and back on the 15:40, connecting into the 16:21 towards Barcelona, pulling in there on time at 18:46.

That's the bare bones - many stories to tell already, or sometine, or perhaps to remain in my box of memories. Of the fat (sorry, he was, and that is significnat) on Eurostar.  Of the french sleeper.  Of Latour.  Of Renfe line R3.  Of the rack railway and spectacular scenery.  Of the queuing system and half hour wait to reserve my seat for tomorrow.  And of walking across Barcelona at night.

Another day starts.  Another day will be another train or two.