The Splash Express.

The last time I sat on a train I got lost in looking at photos I had taken earlier that day and didn’t notice the woman slowly getting more and more irritated by the beep my camera was making each time I changed the view.

I noticed her finally when she said-“Will you please stop your incessant beeping (I haven’t included a question mark there as she wasn’t really expecting an answer).

The 100 or so commuters who were packed into the 6:55 London Bridge to Tonbridge express thought it was really funny.

This time I have found an empty compartment all to myself - which is amazing as I had initially intended to take the 18.38 Toulouse to Narbonne service with about ten thousand other people heading for the coast and ended up, due to a delay of one and a half hours (!), on the 18:51 Bordeaux to Marseille service, which was only 10 minutes delayed.

The ten thousand of us joining the entire population of Bordeaux who had also decided to head that way.

So an empty compartment?

Maybe I have inadvertently strayed into first class?

Still, I can tip tap away without the worry that anyone will get annoyed.

Unfortunately I’m starving and have an hour cycle ride to the beach ahead, so I need to go searching for the buffet car which, rumour has it, is around here some place.

I’ll try and get back.

I’m back- wow what a journey, this is a fast train and it wobbles.

I learnt a lot of things.

1. I WAS in a first class compartment, still am actually ‘cos there’s a lot of room. My defence, if I am challenged, is socialism - that and the fact that the carpets are too dirty to warrant a first class accolade.
2. The ticket man is sitting a long way away, right up the other end of the train and looked even less likely to handle the wobbles than me.
3. There is no food on the train; “There might be from Bezier onward”. This is a surprisingly cavalier attitude for a nation that prides itself on its stomach; unfortunately I will descend before Bezier.
4. The woman with the painted-red toenails has very pretty feet when she points them and swivels out of my way.
5. The grey storm clouds hanging over Toulouse are not hanging over Narbonne!

I’m off for a splash in the Mediterranean.