Rendezvous with France... Again

Rendezvous with France... Again

Ok so now I indeed have lagged behind like anything. Let me start from where I remember.

On first of the two occasions when I went to check out Madrid night life, we sat in Isa's (Him's friend) car and she drove it round Madrid roads like a go carting car. I was blowing off in the cold wind near the window seat. I touched my locket that night at 2 am on Madrid roads and murmured... if only I escape alive.

The second visit was to "Terminal Value", a music night organized by IE Music club. Another awesome night. If only junta had similar enthu for rock in joka, JBS would have rocked harder. Anyways I was disappointed that they closed it down at 12 while JBS night starts at 1 am. Anyways it was an awesome night. They did sing an IE song on the tunes of one english song. Early Days is much more appropriate.

Then we left madrid on Renfe high speed train and I was waiting for 300 km/h speed, however it only touched 200 km/h. Disappointing yet good enough. However when we reached Hendaye for our connecting train to Paris, we realized that the train didn't run that day.

Entry into France and blunders begun to cross our roads. Anyways we took a hostel in Hendaye and got up at 8 am for the first train next day. At the station we met a guy from Pakistan. We talked with him in the queue and at te counter realized that all the Eurail seats to Paris were booked till next day.

Blunder number 2

Then we waited for 5 mins talked to the Pakistani fellow again and went back to another counter. That sweet French lady found some alternate route for us with 2 transits and we took a deep breath. After getting the tickets we rushed outside as our train was to leave in 10 mins. The Pakistani guy came with us. Just outside the ticket counter police men surrounded us. We showed our documents and everything and told them that our train was about to leave. But then we realized that the Pakistani guy did not have any documents.

We told the policemen that he is not with us, showed our id cards and they finally left us 3-4 mins before departure. We rushed our way to the train and as soon as we entered the train the doors closed.

All the transits went fine and we arrived at Paris well in time. However in the second train Keshari picked up one bag and his back pain was back... Which meant I had to carry 2 huge bags and one not so huge bag. Besides I helped a french guy climb the train and then talked with him for quite a while. Then something happened and he realized that he was sitting in first class with a second class ticket. Then conversation between him and TTE happened and while leaving he announced, "The moment you helped me get on the train, I knew that you are not French". I am not quite sure whether to believe in it coz I have had mixed experience with French the way one would have with people from any country. Anyways I am not here to derive any judgement about anyone and this was merely the statement of that guy.

At Paris we had to go from Montpasse to Nord station and in the way on metro there were no lifts or escalators. Rest is just history. I yelled at one man when I thought he was taking our bag away while he was just helping us. The direct train to Nord station stopped in the middle and we had to make two transits on metro which meant tons of more stairs, two trips per staircase for 3 bags besides by laptop bag on the back.

Anyways we reached Nord to realize that there were no tickets left in the train to Brussels.

So we took the train to some other station where there was no transit train to Eindhoven at 11, which meant another stay. We reached the place to realize that there was a train to Maastritch. We ran up the stairs to run into the train lady who was shouting "Maastritch", "Maastritch". Without second thoughts we boarded the train.

Okay just for information, we had left France by now and were in Belgium. Everything seemed to fall in place. On the train we met a nice Dutch guy who himself was also going to Eindhoven. He told us there was a last train to Eindhoven from Maastritch in the night. He helped us with the luggage as I was already half dead. At 2 am we reached Eindhven, we said him goodbye and approached a phone booth to call Kundan (friend). The damed box literally ate coins. Anyways we reached his place that night itself which we had never imagined from the moment we entered France till the moment we left.

However I must add this was when all the bad part ended and the fun started... more in next post.