I’ve just re-read my post for today & I’m not sure if there is a word limit for what constitutes a blog post but you’ve been warned to get comfortable, settle down with a cuppa as this isn’t a 2 minute read! For anyone who knows me I can talk & I am writing this while trying to fill a 6 hour train journey! So let’s begin……
Well after booking this trip pretty much on 1st January 2016, my first escorted rail holiday finally begins! After travelling down to London from Harrogate last night, it’s an early 5am start to head over to London St Pancras for my first journey on the Eurostar! (As you read my posts over the coming week, you’ll realise this trip is about doing a lot of “firsts” and ticking things off my bucket list).
(On an aside – I’m still learning how to spell Pancras! It was only in January this year that I realised I’ve been calling it St Pancreas for my whole life not realising this is actually a human body organ and took a friend over a glass of champagne in the Renaissance Hotel at St Pancras to tell me I was pronouncing it wrong. Honestly…sometimes I should be blonde!)
Anyway….on a cold, wet morning in London (British summer eh!) I headed over the station and within 2 minutes struck up a conversation with a lady at the traffic lights. I was a little taken a back as NOBODY ever talks to you in London…….but then she was Scottish! She’d spotted my “Great Rail” travel label on my bag & asked where I was going. It only turned out she was a Tour Manager for the company and was also heading over to St Pancras to take a tour out to Portugal. As we walked & talked she said, “Dear, do be prepared to be the youngest of the group…..the average age is usually around 74 & they tend to go to bed rather early!” Now, I had been prepared for a tour with those in their more “middle aged” years…..but not elderly!!! Now I understand why when booking the holiday I was asked if I had a ‘walking aid’……
Her comment was pretty much backed up when I met ‘Richard’ (note all names have been changed to protect their identity!) our Tour Manager. In the welcome pack he’d put a picture and a short biography of the tours he’d previously done. Well, like any On Line Dating profile …this picture was slightly outdated…..by maybe 20 years…..obviously before he’d entered retirement. ‘Richard’ was incredibly pleasant but had wondered if I’d existed as I was the only member of the tour he had been unable to contact by telephone as he likes to personally call and welcome everyone the week before. With a confused look on my face, he showed me the contact telephone number where I then realised it was the made-up one I used when filling in the On Line enquiry form as I hate people calling me at home! Oops!!
After collecting my tickets I headed down to departures & sat with tears in my eyes, crying with laughter on what holiday I was about to embark. Anyone sitting nearby moved quietly to another seat on while I was pretty much horizontal on a bench laughing to myself. (I love my life!)
Anyway, things improved after going through security which proved a bit chaotic. I’m not sure why I was surprised that I would have to go through an airport style strip tease, bag checks as I was crossing European Borders but was completely thrown. As a keen traveller, I’ve got airport security down to a tee if I say so myself, but being a ‘Eurostar Virgin’ I completed messed up the line as I stood there not knowing what to do, frustrated a French official by not removing my belt in less than 2 seconds & blocked the Xray machine with my overstuffed travel bag!
As I said, things did improve by striking up a conversation with a rather handsome guy (looked a bit like Trevor Nelson the DJ for your imagination) with the most beautiful, smooth English accent. Now I would love to say our eyes met over our Café Nero drinks and fell in love – but no…we were both knackered and needed to find a plug point to charge our mobiles! It was a brief encounter with us both leaving with our batteries slightly more charged, him highly amused by the holiday tale & myself wondering should I instead ask if I could tag along to his overnight stay in Paris as he was travelling alone.
So it was onto the Eurostar and the first glimpse of my fellow 21 travelling companions. I do love a good list….so here’s a summary;
- Minimum age 50+…..Maximum possibly 70 – I think Richard the Tour guide is the eldest of the group!
- No walking aids from what I could see
- All couples + 1 single Scouse guy (let’s not even go there please as he’s sat next to me snoring on the train)
- Lots of sensible waterproof jackets (I’ve not even brought a jacket as I’m banking on sunshine for 10 days)
- Cabin sized luggage – how can anyone go on holiday for 10 days with a case the size of my hand bag?
- Even with cabin sized baggage, I’ve so far identified 3 couples who’ve actually brought their own kettles with them as it seems Italian hotels don’t have tea / coffee facilities in the rooms. (So even though I’ve brought my own Peppermint tea bags I’m screwed!)
- 1 North East couple whose family live round the corner from my parents in Middlesbrough – you literally can’t go abroad without meeting someone local. (But at least I’m on the type of tour where they aren’t wearing Newcastle United shirts!)
- At least 2 couples will remember my name as their daughters are called Louise. (At least they said daughters & not Grand-daughters!)
- I love this……they are at the age where I’ve spotted 3 Samsung Flip Phones!!!! Again anyone who knows me, I only moved to the world of the smart phone 18 months ago. I loved & I mean loved my little flip phone and felt my world had come to an end when I was resigned to the fact it couldn’t be mended as the parts were obsolete. Watching them take 5 minutes to write & send a text is highly amusing. Although I’m sure I provide the “young’uns” with much amusement as they watch me awkwardly text with 1 finger.
We arrived into Paris Gare Du Nord around lunchtime to transfer by coach to Gare Du Lyon for our next leg to Italy. I love France or should I say the French language. I haven’t even disembarked the Eurostar & I’m Bonjour, Bonjour, Bonjour! Funny how you flick into your GCSE French 25 years later! It was on route to our transfer coach that I realised that I am younger that everyone else. They walk sooooooooo slowly! I’d overtaken Richard the Tour Manager and striding forward at quite a pace then realising I actually don’t know where I’m going! I know I’m pretty unfit…but this touring holiday is definitely going to be at a slow pace! Maybe it will be good for me to slow down….and probably head up the group from the rear.
Luckily I managed to locate a Paris post card before scrambling onto the TGV train as the Italians don’t have a grasp for the British queuing system. It’s a 6 hour journey to Italy, long but pleasant enough passing through the French Alps with some beautiful scenery along the way & at last some sunshine. Unlike Virgin trains where the tea trolley only appears once between Leeds & London, I was constantly topped up on tea & chocolate while embarrassingly trying to speak French to what turned out to be an Italian……another blonde moment.
So 6 hours later I’ve arrived in Turin, tired but lying in quite a swanky hotel room so can’t complain.
Oh….and it’s raining…..heavily…… so have 21 quite smug companions all tucked up in their water proofs giving me that parental look of “I said you should have packed your kagool!”
Whose laughing now….
Till tomorrow….Bouna notte!
Lou Lou xx
The Post Card Diaries 