Friday, June 16, 2006
Aaaah the Eurostar...
Last week, I started off nice and on time to catch the Eurostar to London. It was a good thing my dad was with me because when we got to the Metro we realised it was completely blocked with strikes. So we rushed to Dad's car and he took me to Gare du Nord by car. So far so good, a little bit of stress in the traffic and the one way streets but hey, we made it.
The next event occurred on the train. My classmates and I were all waiting for the dates of our oral exams (round 2) to be announced and I'd given my UK number to three or four people, in case of emergency i.e. very early exams. We'd just crossed the channel when I got a phone call from a very stressed out Marie saying "Come back come back, we're all on the earliest date possible!!" Now she couldn't be sure of that because she didn't have my details to enter in the internet so you can get the dates (they're different for every person). Details which Maeva and my mum did have. So I try to contact both by typing flash-like text messages and get no answer but finally have the inspired idea to turn my French cell on and to check for messages there... Enters Maeva's message: "The dates are now known.....I've checked on the internet (terrible suspense)... you're on the earliest possible date!"
PANIC.
Big big panic. I panic easy I guess and when I do it's big. Super stress wave welling up in me. I start checking on my calendar. Right I need so many days to study this, so many to study that.... AAAAA I'm never going to make it on time, I need to get back to Paris NOW.
It's horrible to be blocked on a train and to be unable to do anything whatever because it's inexorably taking you further and further on. In my case, away from where I should have been: my desk. With two piles of books as decoration.
It's horrible to be blocked on a train and to be unable to do anything whatever because it's inexorably taking you further and further on. In my case, away from where I should have been: my desk. With two piles of books as decoration.
The train arrives, I take all my stuff, run down the ramp, dash past "security" (they never check anyone), hurry up the slope that gets to the Eurostar terminal, sprint to the nearest till and burst into tears while telling the poor ticket vendor that I've just arrived and I need to go back. Now. He was excessively sweet, so so nice. Thankfully this didn't happen in France cause the guy would have been horribly rude. But the English Eurostar people are really helpful and sweet, and I speak from experience having travelled with a sprained neck as well as with crutches. Anyways he changes the ticket for the next train for nothing (instead of the 150 quid they were asking of my neighbours who wanted to do the same thing: the power of tears!), walks me through the gates, and guides me forward and next thing I know I'm on the Eurostar again. I'd arrived at 5pm and the train left at 5:40. It's gotta be a record!
So I'm on the train, still sniffy-teary and I start to calm down a bit. Then Maeva calls again. Aaaa the joys of cellphones... it so happens that there was an internet fuck up and that all the dates had been false when they'd first been published, and they have all been changed. My exams are now not in a week's time but in a whole loooong month - which leaves me all the time in the world to go to Reading, to weapons camp, to Stratford and to London, as planned. And after all I'm all packed and in England. So all's well, right? Except that I'm on the Eurostar back and that it doesn't stop until Paris... aaaaaaaarrrrrrrgggggg!!!! Actually that's a lie, it did stop but only because there was a technical problem, and there was no way of getting off, except breaking the window and jumping off!!
There ensues a looong giggly phase of irrepressible silly laughter due to what really must have been the stupidest day in the history of daykind! So anyways I got back home 8 hours after leaving it, with exactly the same stuff, and only an English water bottle that I'd purchased in the London Eurostar terminal to prove that I'd been to the UK. That's the longest journey and most stressful journey ever to go from one point to the same!!
I took another ticket for the next day, I just had to. I was all ready for my England week, I couldn't just leave it at that and get depressed over being stuck in Paris when I could have been in sunny England - I mean that I'm all tanned now that I've been :) It's a big expense, and it's not very reasonable, granted, and it did chafe a bit that I had to cough up lots of money for this trip - a good thing Dad helped with that - but I never do silly rash things that cost lots of money so I guess once is not sooo bad and it'll teach me: next time I panic, I'll wait a little bit and use my brain before I hurry into action and take the Eurostar three times in under 24 hours!
Oh and btw, I tested for you: when they say you have to be there at least 30 min before the departure, they really only say that to stress you out big time, I went past the Eurostar check in 15 minutes before departure yesterday due to the amazing London transportation system at peak hour that doubles the journey time, and no one stopped me: I caught the train and am back home :)
# posted by V @ 10:22 AM 
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Waou, talk about an adventure !
FYI, one of my colleagues got there ten mins. before and they told here she was too late for check in. So I guess 15 mins. is pretty much the max you should pull it to.
Biz,
ME:D
FYI, one of my colleagues got there ten mins. before and they told here she was too late for check in. So I guess 15 mins. is pretty much the max you should pull it to.
Biz,
ME:D
# posted by 
: 5:34 PM
: 5:34 PM
LOL! Only you could have a day like that! The most interesting part for me was the bit about being "all tanned now". May I politely request a new post entitled "My white bits - photographic evidence"?
DUDE!!! :o
You may hum politely request all you like but I'll politely reject the request. With vehement politeliness :p
Thanks for the indo Med, crazy that it was a 5 min thing. I guess that was one lucky run for the train :)
Now guys, what is it about me that makes this days so me and like only me could live it??
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You may hum politely request all you like but I'll politely reject the request. With vehement politeliness :p
Thanks for the indo Med, crazy that it was a 5 min thing. I guess that was one lucky run for the train :)
Now guys, what is it about me that makes this days so me and like only me could live it??
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