Starting an #interrail #crossborderRail travel from Najac (FR, Occitanie) to Grindelwald (CH). I have no doubts about the swiss part of the journey, but will #SNCF get me to the border? Probably more snarky SNCF remarks coming in the thread.
Bad start, no TER today, so.. replacement bus. 🙄
And the replacement bus dropped me in Figeac, where my "connecting" train to Clermont Ferrand will leave in 3 hours from now. We are in the massif central, after all.
But there are many lunch opportunities here, and it's a nice city. I guess that's what they call slow travel?
Departure from Figeac to Clermont-Ferrand.
Normally this train originates all the way from Toulouse and I wouldn't have had to take a replacement bus. The train is only once-a-day, but I'm very grateful to have this long-distance connection in the TGV-vacuum massif central.
Fun fact: you can't buy tickets for this train from the SNCF LiO vending machines in occitanie (including Figeac), because Clermont-Ferrand is not part of the list of stations. 🙄
The secret to enjoyable train travel is taking a good picnic: muffins with blue cheese and nigella seeds, and muffins with blackcurrant, redcurrant and gooseberries (from last year's harvest, frozen)
Arrival in Clermont Ferrand, on-time at 19.04. Darkness has fallen, and obviously the last train connecting to Lyon (you know, that other big city within the same région) departed an hour ago already. 🙄
So I'll take a hotel instead, and that's the end of day 1.
@bentorfs https://compute.olie.science/expo/?data=2025-05-05/bedtime#x=3.1049&y=45.8126&z=10.4378 checks out, clermont ferrand's train bedtime is 7pm
might be the worst big city in france actually
maybe i should do that calculation 🤔
thanks for bringing us along on your adventure so far!
Ben
Oliver Blanthorn