Let’s be honest … traveling can be stressful … especially when you don’t speak the language well. But that is absolutely NO REASON to not do it!! DO IT!! Go With The Flow, Don’t Be Discouraged, Smile and Be Polite (even if the French aren’t particularly smiley, and sometimes think you must be « bête » ), Have the experience of YOUR LIFE … Life is so Short, LIVE IT!!
Literally, we can count less than a handful of not great experiences involving the train, one of which was entirely our fault. These four “mishaps” are across 13 years … that’s 1 every 3 years … not bad odds!!
1) In 2013 when we decided to go to Dijon, it was a bit last minute. We actually went to the SNCF counter in one of the train stations. My pronunciation was really bad, and the young lady behind the counter was probably over dealing with tourists for the day. Not a problem. I simply wrote « Dijon, demain, tôt, retourner le soir » … “Dijon, tomorrow, early, return evening.” She understood what I wanted, processed the reservation, and we were all set to head to Dijon the next morning. Glad we weren’t discouraged.
2) In 2018, I was traveling alone … in the middle of a rail strike … great. Luckily my train was not canceled, but because so many trains had been canceled, walks-ons were being accommodated … I still managed to get my designated seat. Glad I wasn’t discouraged.
3) In 2019, we got on the wrong train … totally our fault. The problem was that there were two trains going from Avignon to Paris about 10 minutes apart. We were talking with our friend, not paying attention that the train we were getting on was about 10 minutes early … trains are NEVER early, and they NEVER leave early. We got on, only to find “our” seats occupied, and that we were headed to the wrong train station in Paris. Oh là là … our friend who spoke French a lot better than I explained what had happened. The attendant was gracious and offered us some empty seats. When we arrived in Paris, we had to take a taxi from the south side of Paris to the north side …. about 50 euros. Glad we weren’t discouraged … we always pay very close attention now!!
4) And lastly, in 2023, we got on the right train, … but the physical train had been changed. Our seats were supposed to be on the second level … there was no second level. I explained to the attendant what we thought had happened. Again, we were graciously offered empty seats. C’est la vie … glad we weren’t discouraged!
