As dawn breaks on a chilly January morning, what is going on at the Rodez train station?
Come with me to take a look:
At 7:40 am on a Saturday, the joint isn't exactly jumping.
A few passengers drift in; a few cars pull out of the parking lot. And there is no chance of slipping into the now smoke-free train station café -- it hasn't yet opened its doors.
But I could pick up a newspaper and an issue of L'Express with Barack Obama on the cover, and slurp coffee from a Selecta drink machine:
By the way, what yanked me out of my nice house (read "bed") so early on a freezing Saturday morning?
Was I off on an exciting little trip just for moi, myself and I?
Actually, what got me out and about this morning was the blind determination of three teenage girls, two of whom I can claim as my own, to spend the day shopping up a storm at the sales in Toulouse:
And no, I wasn't invited along!
And no, I wasn't invited along!
C'est normal...
They chugged off on this sleek new TER, or regional, train:
Not so long ago, the trains to from Rodez to Toulouse were of the squat, square and sooty variety:
Not so long ago, the trains to from Rodez to Toulouse were of the squat, square and sooty variety:
So the rail trip from Rodez to la Ville Rose has become significantly more pleasant.
Attention à la fermeture des portes automatiques!
Have fun, girls...
It's going to be a long, beautiful day...
Time to get back to my car:
22 comments:
This post makes me smile.
nope. i took the military wife off of my profile. i keep that one away from my family. they can see all of fam pics and things, but my personal issues and other stuff go on my other one. so, you can't find the one through my profile. my computer-illiterate family members won't be able to find the other one. kind of stinky attitude, but some things are not meant to be shared with my fam.
love love love the pics of the gare. i miss taking trains all over the place. if you could only get the lady's voice with the ding ding ding of the gare that would be awesome. almost like i was there....
What a fab post! I loved it :-)
I hope your girls appreciate your willingness to wake up at an ungodly hour just to take them to the station.
Beautiful photos, great Mom for getting up and taking them...oh to be a teen in France! Taking the train to go shopping for the day, sounds great.
Is that train (in the 5th photo) as short as it looks?
Yes, Steve, that morning only one car was going to Toulouse from Rodez, although if they need to, they add other cars on the way -- in Albi, for example.
So it's not quite like the Amtrak that chugs into Eugene!
Tinsie, I think they do. I'm lucky to have kids who are always saying "Merci."
How long does it take from Rodez to Toulouse by train?
I quite like this last picture, it looks so peaceful!
spacedlaw -- It takes about two and a quarter hours.
The Rodez train station is usually a pretty peaceful place -- I especially love it at night and, as in this post, in the early morning.
What Amtrak through Eugene?
Oakridge landslide causes Amtrak cancellations
Amtrak halts bus rides for Coast Starlight train passengers
Actually, I think there's still some trains from up north reaching Eugene. But to the south? C'est fermé!
PS: It doesn't happen very often, but it is snowing in Eugene! We've got close to 4 inches this morning! Very cool!
Steve -- What a coincidence I should mention that in my comment to you.
Amtrak does seem to have its problems...
The important question is this: did you go back to bed when you got home?
The first and last pic are really pretty, but it looks so very early. I have a difficult time getting out of bed before 8.
I love this post today :)
We only have 6 weeks until we leave...what do you suggest to see in Rodez?
La joie de vivre!
We have to get up early to accompany the beloved ones for a long long beautiful day and we don't forget to look around all the pretty things!
On doit se lever tôt pour accompagner ceux qu'on aime pour une longue, longue et belle journée et on n'oublie pas de regarder autour de soi toutes ces belles choses
The brightest part of the day is the bit just after dawn.
Le meilleur moment de la journée c'est ce petit moment tranquille juste après l'aube.
When the sun is going to shine and when we have a lot of interesting projects dans la tête.
Quand le soleil va briller et qu'on a plein de projets intéressants dans la tête.
kristana
Cassoulet Cafe -- You must see me, of course! Send me an email! I'd love to give you a tour if I can fit it in...
Colleen -- No, I did not go back to bed! I went to the Rodez market -- a rare occurrence for me -- but it was so darn cold that I spent most of the time drinking a chocolat chaud in a blissfully smoke-free café. I also took some more photos of other things. I thought I'd at least take advantage of the time...
Coucou Betty..tout d'abord merci de ton passage et de toutes tes visites..c'est toujours un plaisir....Tu parles de Rodez..je ne connais pas cette ville...Peut-être un jour..mes petits pas me méneront vers elle...Je te souhaite une bonne soirée et encore merci, merci de ta gentillesse..tu es adorable...à tout bientôt...
Oh, Betty, I'm glad to hear that you didn't just go back to bed. I can imagine you walking around the market drinking your delicious hot chocolate. Exactly the kind of early morning I would indulge in...if I had to get up early, that is.
Thanks for sharing the photos!
Salut,
Marjorie
Great shots. Train stations still have that charm.
I am glad to see that I am not the only mother of teenagers who spends a large proportion of her time behind the steering wheel taking them to places where they will spend money...
Rosie -- That does sum up a lot of my time, true. But I'm happy that I don't always have to accompany them to spend money now! I don't really miss that aspect of the pre-teen/young teen years.
I loved this post, Betty. Brought back some memories of what we did for our daughter and her friends when they wanted to go shopping for the day WITHOUT their "parental units"~Happy to read you had a wonderful day, too.The train station is beautifully serene and peaceful..
Post a Comment