A Free Train Ride to Joigny

After four days in the City of Light, it was time to pack our bags and head off on the next leg of our adventure. We had been somewhat dreading this moment, not because we were sad to leave Paris, but because we would have to manhandle all our luggage down the narrow winding staircase.
Although the hotel was equipped with a functioning (albeit miniscule) lift on our arrival, due to an unfortunate incident with two of our team members, the lift is no longer functioning. As the French would say it is "en panne". For the past two days we have had to walk past the sad sign on the lift door and drag our tired and rapidly ageing legs up the steep stairs to our respective rooms. It wasn't easy. I have made sure to remind the two culprits at every available opportunity that this was indeed another fine mess they had gotten us into.
After wrestling our cases down the stairs to the foyer, we pondered how we would get to the Bercy Station. We quickly decided that taking the Metro was not an option. Mark suggested we try the Bolt app to secure a car. Within five minutes a large Mercedes minibus was at the hotel, ready to take us to the station. And the cost for this service ? It was a very reasonable 20Euro. At 5 Euro each we considered it a bargain to be conveyed effortlessly to the Gare de Bercy.
We discovered that, although we had booked the 11.30 am train, we had arrived early enough to catch the 10.30 am one instead. We had our tickets ready for examination, but found that we were able to get straight onto the comfortable train without any check at all. Maybe there will be a ticket inspector on the train, I thought. There wasn't. We could have taken the entire trip for free! It must just work on an honesty system.
About 70 minutes later we climbed off the train at the old Joigny railway station and began the 25 minute walk to our hotel. Although it was a relatively short 1..2 km walk, the heat and the heavy luggage made it somewhat tiring. We were glad to arrive at the hotel, so that we could deposit our luggage and settle down for a chat and drink in the garden by the riverside.
Our home for the next four nights is the Hotel Rive Gauche, a very stately hotel set on expansive grounds, right on the banks of the River Yonne. The rooms are spacious, comfortable and well equipped. It even has a fully functioning lift, at least it does at the moment. I hope it stays that way.
Later in the afternoon we wandered back along the river and over the bridge to the centre of the town. It was so refreshing to see the complete absence of tourists, in fact there was almost no one in sight. Most of the shops were shut and the place was deserted. We did eventually find one shop open - the kebab shop. Although the guy spoke not a single word of English, he managed to serve up an absolutely superb dinner and drinks for the grand sum of 12 Euro each. What a bargain,
With our tummies full we started the walk back to the hotel with a few drops of water falling on our heads. That was a sign we hadn't seen since arriving in France, and the parched state of the surrounding countryside showed how much it was desperately needed. We had heard that it was raining in Paris, so maybe it was now heading our way. Although we were subjected to rolling thunder, the much needed rain did not eventuate.
During the night I was able to lie on the bed and look out my window to the Northern Hemisphere stars, shining brightly overhead. There were no sounds of sirens, no cars, no music, nothing. The feeling of serenity was overwhelming, reminding me once again why I love this sort of travel so much.Read more