Visiting Gare Part-Dieu (3 October 2024)


 

Graham was due to arrive at Gare Part-Dieu in the afternoon. 

 

We had not had an exploration of our local area Croix-Rousses so we decided to go for a bit of a walk through the area ostensibly in search of a cup of coffee.  Like all of the cities of Europe that we have been to, the streets are generally quite lively.  They are also narrow.  Cars fill every parking area and our NZ Minister of Transport would be disgusted with the traffic calming measures and the slow speed required when driving.  It is much easier to walk or take public transport. 

 

A couple of hundred metres up the street we found a bar/café where we were able to get a coffee.  It was nice sitting in the warmth for a few minutes. We continued along the street  and Bev was delighted to find La Poste (the post office) to buy some stamps for her postcards.  They seem to be a disappearing institution in France like much of the rest of the world. 

 

Much sooner than we expected we were taking the metro to Gare Part-Dieu.  I had worked out the trains we had to take and we arrived at the station on time but we navigated to the wrong platform.  Two TGVs from Paris arrived within minutes of each other and we incorrectly guessed it was the first one.  Fortunately, once we had the train number we were able to find the platform and Graham, looking around expectantly for his sister. 

 

We took Graham back to the apartment and settled in with a cup of tea.  We then took him for a walk to the Le mur des Canuts and to show him the delights of the local area. 

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