I've been fortunate to spend my past two spring seasons in the south of France. Its something I love to do but reflecting on my past travel experiences to get to the Ardeche (which has now included burning train tracks and a bomb scare!) I'm starting to think France doesn't like me....
Rewind a year and after spending one Autumn season in the Ardeche I decided to take on the Spring season. The main difference between the two seasons is the Grand Descent which is included in our spring program. The G.D is a 32km canoeing trip down the Ardeche river with a overnight stay where the students experience sleeping under the stars at one of two designated camp grounds along the river. As my spring and winter seasons were overlapping I had to take some time out from my job in Verbier to join the staff for one week river training. As I sat in the first of many trains the reality of leaving the mountains was settling in but the joy of being back on the water was taking over. It was a relatively long train journey from Switzerland to the south of France but the excitement of working with my college friend Westy and returners from last autumn diminished any boredom I was feeling. That was until the train stopped outside Lyon. The series of events looked something like this. An hour wait outside Lyon to then be told some train tracks were on fire and most trains had been stopped a three hour wait in Lyon where I worrienly counted down the time where I would miss the last bus to the Ardeche. Arriving at the bus station 2hours late where I found a lovely French bus driver who first laughed when I told him where I needed to go but then rang my boss and arranged a meeting spot where I could be collected! Finally I arrived in the Ardeche 6hours late, everyone was asleep but I had made it!
Fast forward a year and a similar sequence of events happened except when I arrived in Marseille train station the sercerity was ussering us out of the building which was then followed by alarm sounding and a womens voice telling the crowd that was gathering outside to step away from the building in several languages. I had no idea what was going on but later found out there had been a bomb threat and they were checking the building. It took me a total of 19hours to get to my house in Ireland to the Ardeche, I think I'll drive next time!
6am airport shot ZzzzZzzz....
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