Bonus Trips to Villefranche-sur-Saône, Dijon and Postscript

Days 20 and 21

I am delighted that Belleville-sur-Saône has a station from where you can easily reach some splendid destinations. 

The station itself has been beautifully restored, which is lovely to see. As is so common at French railway stations, there is a nice restaurant nearby. 

'Le Buffet de La Gare' is very popular with locals. So much so, that all the tables on the terrace are full when I pop in for lunch, so I have to sit in the bar. But that's great, because I can watch the hustle and bustle and just soak up the atmosphere.

I just manage to finish my meal before I have to dash to catch the regional express train to Villefranche-sur-Saône, only 12 minutes along the track towards Lyon. I am delighted to find that the station is only a short walk from centre ville. The people at the tourist office are especially helpful in telling me what sights there are to see. 

In the office, there's an extraordinary machine, which dispenses a selection of Beaujolais wine at the press of a button. I purchase the necessary smart card and enjoy sampling a Brouilly and a Fleurie. Just as I am about to leave, a French lady engages me in conversation. This turns out to be Liliane Melinand, whose family run the Domaine des Marrans in Fleurie. Her wine is one of the dozen or so in the machine and I think she is rather pleased to see that someone is actually trying it out.

Villefranche-sur-Saône turns out to be well worth a visit, with lots of historical buildings, some dating back to the 15^th century, to see, a lovely 12^th century church and much besides. I am glad I am walking rather than in a car because the main drag, the rue Nationale, seems to be almost permanently gridlocked. For not the first time in Beaujolais, I note that the bakers shops seem to be vying with each other to produce the biggest meringues in town!

It's back to Belleville-sur-Saône for dinner, where we are joined by two Belgian couples. Dinners at Domaine Geoffray are always a delight, but especially when other folk are booked in. (The following night, three French couples arrive in 'Camping-Cars'. I have a look inside the impressive camper vans and am not surprised to discover that they each cost over €52,000. Gulp.)

My final bonus trip is on the line north to Dijon, famous mustard-producing town.

The station is undergoing a major transformation for the arrival of a new TGV line and, on September 1^st, two new tram lines. It's impossible to walk through Dijon without seeing publicity about the new DIVIA service, which will incorporate new smart card technology.

If Villefranche-sur-Saône was packed with history, Dijon just oozes it, although the Tourist Office is rather less forthcoming about what there is to see than their colleagues in Villefranche. That's bizarre but maybe it is just the smaller organisation being better at capitalising on their fewer number of resources?

I stop for a much-needed haircut and although I am not keen, 'un shampooing' is, apparently, 'obligatoire'. I am at pains to explain to the girl that I do not want too much cut off, but she does what she does and I won't need to visit a hairdresser again for quite a while.

Dijon is a lovely city with many lovely old buildings. I am drawn to Les Halles market, which is absolutely splendid and clearly hugely popular. It is surrounded by little cafés and restaurants which, at 1pm, are similarly packed. 

I choose the Café de l'Industrie, mainly because it seems to be especially popular and I am lucky to be given the one recently vacated table. It turns out to be an absolutely excellent choice. Interestingly, by the time I leave at 2.30, most of the hustle and bustle has left the street, the market stalls surrounding Les Halles are all gone and Dijon has gone into Saturday afternoon slumber mode.

I have to buy some mustard, but while a visit to the Maille Moutarde shop is interesting, the prices are extortionate. So I head to the nearby Monoprix supermarket where the same products are a lot more kind to the pocket.

I have added brief details of my two bonus trips just as an example of how flexible and easy it is to get about using railways as a means of travel. And how much there is to discover close to the many thousands of stations throughout Europe. I especially enjoy not being stuck in traffic or going around in circles trying to find a parking space. I like the fact that trains are generally comfortable, much more spacious than aircraft and there is no hassle about security.

For users of InterRail passes, the main tip is to book ahead on routes where there are compulsory reservations. That is especially vital when trying to use French High Speed Trains, the TGV's. Wherever possible, use the excellent network of Regional Express trains which are often less crowded and a lot more fun than their faster equivalents.

But do plan ahead. The Thomas Cook book 'Europe by Rail' and their European Rail Map are essentials. Their regularly updated timetables too are great to have with you, but, if you are online, I can also recommend the German Railways' website for the best up to date timetable information for all European trains.

Of course, as one who has been a victim of robbery, be vigilant with your valuables, especially near major railway stations.

An InterRail pass represents great value, is available in many options and can be bought by anyone.

In closing, I'd like to thank Eurail for giving me the opportunity to do the trip I'm also very grateful to the many friends who have contributed to such an excellent three weeks and the many new folk I have met along the way and who have helped make it such an experience.

If you haven't InterRailed before, try it. You will not be disappointed.

Best of the trip photos are at:

The very best of European Rail Journey 2012

You can see all the photos at:

European Rail Trip 2012

Belleville, Beaujolais and a side trip to Bern

Day 15-19

At the end of a two month trip around the world, followed by two weeks on European Railways, I am very much in need of a week of rest and relaxation. Domaine Geoffray (http://www.domaine-geoffray.com/en/) provides exactly that.

Although I am accommodated in the very spacious gite that adjoins the farmhouse, I am officially a guest in the bed and breakfast accommodation, so breakfast is provided for me. I have also opted, as over 80% of visitors do, to take my evening meal with the family.

Weather permitting, both meals can be taken in the front garden, with a lovely view over the vineyards to the valley below. Early in the morning, you can even see Mont Blanc, many kilometres distant.

Brigitte is very particular about the quality of her bread and pastries and when, on a trip to a boulangerie, I ask her why she uses that particular shop, she says 'Because I am certain it sells the best bread in town'.

I love the French tradition of saying 'Bonjour' to everyone when you enter or leave a shop. Alain and Brigitte are surprised that it doesn't happen everywhere. 'It is just politeness', they say. Even French youngsters expect you to shake them by the hand or kiss them on both cheeks upon meeting or departing.

Brigitte's breakfasts include lovely fresh bread and croissants, about eight different varieties of home-made jams plus locally-produced honey. There is Alain's red or white grape juice and coffee, tea or hot chocolate, as you wish.

Evening meals include nibbles with your aperitif, followed by a wonderfully varied four-course meal featuring local charcuterie, cheese and other seasonally available produce. Starting around 8pm, you are unlikely to be finished before 10. While the food is excellent, the best bit is that it is all washed down with Alain's splendid wines, Beaujolais, Brouilly, Gamay and Morgon as well as sparkling versions of the white Beaujolais and Gamay Rose.

You don't have to stay at Domain Geoffray to try the wines or local produce; there is an excellent shop at the farm which stocks things like Brigitte's home-made jam and local honey plus a cellar where you can try out the wines before deciding what to buy.

The conversation at dinner is wide and varied, but I love listening to Alain on the subject of wine How to graft vines, the complex rules of domain and vintage, what soil and terrain is best for a good vineyard and much else. When the sun shines, he is away on his specially-designed vineyard tractor at 0530 in the morning, finally returning home shortly before sunset. 

With all the neighbours doing the same, the term quiet countryside can be, at times, a misnomer!

The local town is called Belleville-sur-Saône, but sometimes marketed as Belleville-en-Beaujolais. Officially, it is just plain Belleville.

There's not a great deal to see really, but there are some delightful historic aspects of the town if you venture just a little way off the beaten track. 

On such a mission, I spot some lovely old gates with ancient advertising painted on them, plus the entrance to what used to be the municipal bath-house.

The 12^th century Notre Dame church certainly deserves an hour of your time. Started in 1168, the church was consecrated 11 years later. Some 14^th century decoration of the pillars is especially striking.

The Hôtel-Dieu, opened in 1733 and in use till 1991, is certainly well worth a visit. Like many French towns, the name refers to the main hospital, originally set up by the church and commonly run by nuns. Belleville has a particularly well-preserved example which you can experience by using an audio-guide or as part of a guided tour. I was disappointed that, as an audio guide user, I couldn't see the apothecary, but three perfectly preserved wards and the 18^th century chapel are fascinating.

Three display cases have a wide variety of surgical instruments including a display on enemas and the guide informs you that Louis XIV had one almost every day. Colonic irrigation is certainly not a new concept! There are even live leeches as part of a display about blood-letting, plus some very fearsome looking dental forceps which remind me that my toothache is so severe, that I cannot wait until my appointment back home next week.

But help is at hand. Brigitte has booked me an appointment almost next door to the Hôtel-Dieu. My French is challenged severely when I have to complete my medical details on the registration form, but, having done so, I am seen very quickly.

Melanie Muller learned her craft in Strasbourg and very quickly establishes that I had, as I thought, broken a tooth some six weeks ago in Australia. An X-Ray reveals that the nerve is very close to the damage and that is why I am having such intense pain. What I thought was another problem on a tooth above the broken one appears just to be a reaction to the inflammation below. All this detail conducted in French! After a jab and a bit of drilling, Melanie puts in an emergency filling, good for two weeks and sends me back to reception.

I am expecting a large bill and have my credit card ready, but the consultation fee, including the filling and the X-Ray is just €21, much less than I would have to pay under the Health Service in England. Melanie has also given me a prescription for painkillers and an anti-inflammatory drug and, at the pharmacy, that costs a little over €6.

But the pain relief is almost immediate and I am immensely grateful.

I have planned an away-day to Switzerland to organise an emergency passport. Luckily, with several days left on my InterRail pass, I can get from Belleville to Bern without additional expense.

It means a very early start though, because I need to be at the British Embassy by 11am. Alain kindly gets up before dawn to run me to the station in time for the 0525am 'TER-Car'. In railway-speak, a TER is a regional express train, but the 'Car' tag is anew one on me. It turns out that it means a bus. A little one is waiting to go to the TGV station in Macon, while a big coach appears to take 25 or so of us to Lyon Part-Dieu station. Under a somewhat surreal blue light, the waiting passengers look like something from a theatre set.

The coach takes the auto-route to Lyon and deposits us right in front of the station and well in time for my train to Geneva. This turns out to be a very stylish and comfortable new TER, with a small First Class section immediately behind the driver's cab.

Swiss and French customs and border officials are in evidence, but nobody asks to check my briefcase or see my non-existent passport.

The connection to the Swiss Railways double decker Inter City train to Bern is made within twenty minutes and, almost exactly five hours after leaving Belleville, I am on the tram for the short trip to the British Embassy.

I have filled in the forms in advance and have all the necessary documentation to hand, so the paperwork doesn't take long. An hour later, I hand over 147 Swiss Francs (Around €122 or £100) and I have my Emergency Travel Document as the bureaucrats call it, although it says Emergency Passport on the front.

I am asked to fill in a customer satisfaction survey and am happy to do so. The staff at the Consular Service in Bern have been completely polite, professional and efficient, but the call centre you have to deal with in the first instance is truly awful and makes the experience of losing a passport much more traumatic than it needs to be. If one of the Bern Consular staff hadn't given me a direct email address on my first visit, I am certain I would have completely lost it with the call centre.

I have been in Bern for under two hours and just manage to catch the fast train back to Geneva. There I am in plenty of time to catch the TGV to Lyon but, same old story, there are plenty of seats if I pay the full fare, but none are available for InterRail pass holders.

So there is time to repair to the nearby Lebanese/Moroccan restaurant Al-Amir, which serves a delightful lamb stew lunch for 17 Swiss Francs (£11.50 or €14), a pretty amazing price for hugely expensive central Geneva.

As it happens, there is an old-style TER which, because the line is not to TGV standards, takes only ten minutes longer than the high-speed train to reach Lyon. And, amazingly, it's one of the most comfortable and best-appointed carriages I have had in almost three weeks of travel.

Some 13 hours after setting off, I am back in Belleville in plenty of time for one of Brigitte's splendid dinners and, of course, copious amounts of Alain's excellent wines.

On Sunday, I take my final rail trip back to Geneva and have one night there before I take, three weeks later than initially planned, my final leg of my round the world journey (http://mdsouter.blogspot.com).

The best of the rail trip photos are in a new album:

The very best of European Rail Journey 2012

A lovely day in the Black Forest, plus relocating to Beaujolais

Having expected to have a very quiet Sunday, largely as a result of a very wet weather forecast, I awake to sunshine and fluffy white clouds. 

So, it's off to Ehrensburger's bakery in Lahr for an absolutely splendid al fresco breakfast. Not only lovely freshly baked breads and croissants, but slices of ham and cheese with some tasty scrambled eggs, washed down with freshly brewed coffee.

As it's turned out to be such a nice day, we decide to get into the cabriolet and drive to Staufen, a delightful village on the edge of the Black Forest. It's very pretty indeed and a perfect choice of Schwarzwald destination.

I am fascinated by the cracks on some of the otherwise pristine buildings. It turns out that, a few years ago, the town hall decided to get some geothermal heating and, during the drilling process, a chemical reaction occurred deep underground which has meant that some areas have shifted by as much as 30 centimetres. Google Staufen to find out the detail. 

Clearly, there is a fighting spirit in the town, because red labels have been positioned across the cracks with a slogan along the lines of 'Staufen is not broken'.

From there to the historic settlement of Breisach, bordering the Rhine and thus France. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of stone age folk living in the area, which was very important in Roman times. So, it's got a lovely atmosphere, with the original town built on a mound overlooking the river.

We stop for a drink at the museum gallery and bistro, which seems to be being run by folk on their very first day at work. It's a complete shambles with, it appears. no system or proper organisation in place. We eventually get served, but have to ask for the table to be cleared, which takes three attempts. The 'Museumsstube' should be a little goldmine – and possibly is – but anyone with any experience of the hospitality industry would make major changes to the way it is run.

There's a nice run through terraced vineyards, clinging to the edges of hills, before stopping in Teniningen for some much-needed sustenance. It's been a lovely day and all the better for evolving rather than being planned.

Overnight, it chucks it down and it is still pouring at 6am when I have to set off to start the journey to France. A bus to Lahr station is followed by a regional German Railways' train to Offenburg, where I pick up a regional express to Strasbourg.

Rather than stay in the station precincts for breakfast, I walk across the square to the Hotel du Rhin where a bit of bread, a croissant, some chemical tasting orange juice from concentrate and a pot of lukewarm coffee costs €8.50. I really thought that such mean French hotel breakfasts were a thing of the past, but clearly not. At least it's quiet and has nicely filled in the time between trains.

The French Railways' TGV from Strasbourg to Dijon is of the double decker variety. A large group of Chinese travellers with many suitcases are being installed which causes complete chaos as nobody is sitting in their allocated seats. But eventually it all gets sorted out. My oriental neighbours immediately set out to devour a large picnic of some strange looking and smelling foodstuffs, clearly brought from home, and proceed to wash it all down with French beer. It is just after 9am!

The Regional Express train from Dijon to Lyon turns out to be the best rolling stock of the day. Unexpectedly, there is a very nicely appointed and quiet First Class carriage with some very comfortable seating which makes the journey to Beaujolais country very pleasant indeed.

At Belleville sur Saone, I am met by my hostess, Brigitte. She and her partner Alain run a vineyard at nearby St-Jean-d'Ardières, coupled with B&B and an adjoining cottage. I am expecting to be staying in the main house, so I am surprised to be shown into the gite which sleeps 8. But Brigitte tells me it is vacant until Friday, so, for five days, I have more space than I do at home!

But at least I can do some washing, a much overlooked essential for a traveller, before doing some exploring in the local area.

Domaine Geoffrey, as the vineyard founded by Alain's grandfather is called, is right in the middle of Beaujolais wine country. There are vineyards as far as the eye can see. I set off on a little promenade, to discover later that I have taken a picture which shows Alain and his father, far away from me, tying up the vines by hand.

In the evening, Alain, Brigitte and I enjoy dinner in their kitchen, washed down with some excellent Beaujolais and Brouilly wines, all produced by Alain within a few metres of where we are sitting.

Despite the fact I am suffering from 'rage au dent', raging toothache as a result of losing part of a tooth in Australia, it's a lovely evening.

I repair to bed, armed with a pack of Dafalgan, a codeine/paracetamol painkiller mix that seems to calm things down for the night. Thankfully, I have a dental appointment set for next week, but it can't come soon enough.


Photos at:

European Rail Trip 2012