France 182 - St Jean du Gard and back again / Chuff Chuff/Puff Puff and Toot Toot went his whistle


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Published: April 18th 2022
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"Time passes swiftly and opportunity is lost " " Each of us should strive to awaken" Dogi Zenji . I prefer to write the second part again and change the wording ever so slightly. Strive to do something today. Not to miss an opportunity . And make the most of every passing minute .

We woke early to a bright and sunny morning which followed a good nights sleep. We emptied Gabby and filled her up again and waited for the gare to open in Anduze so that I could exchange our paper internet ticket for the train for a proper ticket . We do like to do different things on holiday so cities come into the mix, museums, something Roman or Greek and quiet days . So far we have seen the sea, done the Roman bit , been to one city, visited a museum and seen a Minotaur . So today it was train day.

What is it about the smell of a steam train that excites you and brings back so many vivid memories ? Is it the steam or the oily smell? Is it the nostalgia of hearing the engine hissing and growling ? What is there not to love about going back in time to a time when you were young and loved to travel on a steam train ?

I must have walked down to the locked gare times many before I headed into Anduze to buy the morning pane and croissants. The train was due out at 10.30 and the gare finally opened its doors to the waiting crowds about 10 oclock . I joined the queue , presented my paper and the young receptionist took me over to a machine which once my code had been entered spewed out the ticket . Ready to go. All we needed now was the train .

At 10.20 the expectation was growing . You cannot hurry a good old fashioned steam train . It would turn up at some point . The children got very excited and together with their parents they climbed over the white line trying to see into the tunnel where the train would emerge . The chatter of voices grew as it closed in on 10.30. Eventually the attendant turned up and shooed all the children back over the line telling them to be careful and not stand near the edge of the platform . An exercise in control she clearly failed as when she turned her back the children and parents surged forward .

Then a sound came from the tunnel . A low rumble and the train appeared . Belching smoke , chuff chuffing along but pulling the carriages backwards . She stopped and the passengers disembarked . The scrabble to get on began. The carriages were windowless and the seats old and wooden . Uncomfortable to the extreme they brought back memories from a long time ago. We sat in 3rd class with no luxury of padded seats . The engine returning puff puffing to fill up with water for the return journey before attached itself to the carriages . And off we went entering the first long tunnel . In the darkness we could see nothing . We could smell the smoke and hear the toot toot of the whistle . Before long we reached the Bamboo Garden our first stop. Leaving the garden we climbed through valleys and wooded forests . We could see rivers below us . Bridges and the road to St Jean du Gard . I was surprised no-one stood at the crossings to wave at us .

40 minutes later we got off the train at the gare in St Jean. Next stop lunch . There as a snack bar at the station but we fancied the Gare Restaurant . Sadly it was full as was the second and third restaurants . We had to head out of the town to a small square with a couple of cafes . There was a church tower on the corner belonging to now defunct Free Protestant Church . The usual cockerel adorned the top and the bell chimed the hours . A special sausage dish for me served with duchesse potato . For Glenn an Italian salad washed down with a blond beer and a glass of wine .



Before long it was time to walk back to the station . This time the station was empty. The train was waiting and there was not the clamour to climb on board . The 40 minute ride back to Anduze was probably better than the climb up. The train was less crowded . The driver stopped at every opportunity for us to hang out of the window and take photographs. A lovely day out and one to savour for a long time .

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