"Roman Holiday" in Nimes -- Train Adventures

 

My adventure to Nimes started and ended with the SNCF  train system.

Outbound, I went through Lyon, which is northward from Le Puy before it goes southward to Nimes. My return trip took me through mountains and little towns, along with some surprises that made the trip longer but more interesting.

I left Lyon on the TGV. Of course, I had heard of the TGV, but this was the first time I had ever ridden one.

TGV stands for"Très Grand Vitesse". It is a high-speed train that was a great innovation in inter-city travel in France starting in 1981--and saved the French railways, according to SNCF President Louis Gallois.

After Japan introduced the Shinkansen also known as the "Bullet Train" in 1959, the French government investigated newer, faster trains using hovercraft and the Aérotrain air-cushion vehicle. Meanwhile, the SNCF began researching high-speed trains on conventional tracks from 1966-1974 and gained approval for developing them from French President Georges Pompidou.

The TGV trains were originally designed to be powered by gas turbines, however, the 1973 oil crisis caused a reversal of that strategy, and the trains became electric. In 1976, the SNCF ordered 87 trains with the first lines of service going between Paris and Lyon. In 1981 high-speed trains were later connected to other major French cities (Marseille, Lille, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Rennes, and Montpellier) and neighboring countries. Today, the TGV network in France carries 110 million passengers a year--and on this trip, I was glad to be one of them.

 

Nimes Arrival

I arrived in Nimes on a rainy day, but that didn't dampen my excitement at visiting this great, old city. Last year, I became acquainted with the city through GeoHistoire magazine, the French twin of National Geographic. I knew I had to visit it when I got the chance. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The train station was initially built in 1839. Between 1840-1844 a second station was built on top of a viaduct, which seems odd compared with most stations where trains go underground or at ground level. The architecture's neoclassical style is reflective of the city's Roman past as the long halls of the station sported rounded arches. 

City buses were available outside the front of the station with automatic ticket dispensers nearby. Regional buses, including the ones to the Pont du Gard aquaduct, were parked in the back of the station. Inside the station was a bicycle rental store as well as Paul's restaurant, a Starbuck's café, and Relay, an all-purpose store.

 

Training It Back to Le Puy

I was able to get a very cheap train ride back to Le Puy that went through many small towns west of Lyon instead of going through Lyon. The trip offered many scenic views of the mountains and hills. The train was not a full train like the TGV to Nimes, so there was plenty of room to stretch out without having to share a seat. This was the life, I thought, until the train stopped at Genolhac and didn't continue. Track trouble ahead. We were told we'd only be delayed by an hour's wait. However, the reality was that we'd have a three-hour wait.

 

Everyone picked up their belongings and left the train. Some of us wandered over to the café and had a cup of coffee while we waited. I had a chance to sit with a woman, and we spoke French together for half an hour. (She said I did pretty well, which increased my confidence in the language!) The café didn't offer anything but coffee. Fortunately, I had a blueberry muffin at the Nimes train station at 8 a.m. I was due to transfer trains in Langogne with an hour to spare. That would be much lunch break. However, workers on the tracks were not able to make their repairs for three hours instead of their anticipated one hour. So I not only missed my transfer, I missed getting anything to eat. 

After this long and unexpected wait in Genolhac, many of us went back to the train to pick out a seat and relax until it would resume its route. Finally, we moved. I had hoped the train would make up time and I could get on another train that would take me back to Le Puy. I searched the SNCF schedules on my cell phone and found a stop in Langogne where I was supposed to make my transfer. I decided that if I couldn't get a train back to Le Puy on this day, I would stay overnight in a hotel and go on a train in the morning. That sounded like a good plan, however, the conductor advised me to go beyond Langogne to a little town called St. Georges D'Aurac. A taxi would take me to Le Puy, just a 30-minute drive. SNCF would take care of the cost. That sounded good to me. I would later learn from the station master at St. Georges D'Aurac that this happens all the time, and this was the way SNCF takes care of its passengers. So I learned something new about the French transportation system for future reference. 

By this time I thought it would take a long time to get to St. Georges D'Aurac, but was surprised that the stop came up so soon after we had passed Langogne. When we arrived at the station, the conductor wanted me to get off the train quickly so he grabbed my suitcase and escorted me out. The station master called the taxi and told me it would only take 5 minutes for him to arrive. Well, it took 20 minutes, but I wasn't sorry--except for my hunger pains. It was getting to be 3 p.m. and I hadn't had anything to eat since 8 a.m. save for a stick of gum that a young man gave me after he finished translating the conductor's instructions to me into English. He just happened to be there at the right moment to help me twice--and I was soooo grateful to him. It was one of those fabulous serendipitous moments that come with travel, and makes for a good story. Such people are the little angels that the travel gods set out for you to help you get to where you want to go along the way.

During my wait for the taxi, I amused myself with taking photos of this train stop that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. There wasn't any kind of store or café here. Nothing! It was farm country with a lot of dairy cows around who are responsible for giving milk that eventually becomes Auvergne blue cheese, one of my favorites. As the taxi traveled the roads, I couldn't even find many houses! During my taxi ride, the driver and I spoke French, and I learned a few things about the area. We arrived at the train station in Le Puy just in time for me to take a small electric-powered bus to the stop near the International Centre. What great luck! 

I finally arrived home at 4 p.m. The cheap train trip that was only supposed to last 4 hours had taken 8 hours--and I was famished. As we sat and waited on the train tracks in Genolhac, I fantasized about what I would eat when I arrived home--something quick and satisfying. I decided on my go-to for comfort food: pasta with olive oil, garlic powder, and Parmisean Reggiano--and a salad with Cæsar dressing. Mmm-good!!!