We Laugh At Your French Train Strike!

Another French train strike has begun … impacting our trip, and our ability to get back to Paris and home. Home? You know, that place where I used to live. And hope to one day return.

But we refuse to let this deter us … and instead of complaining about the train strike, I’ll dazzle you with some videos from our last two days on the Dordogne, which were phenomenal.

For example…

This is the view from the top of the castle in Beynac where we stayed last night (the town, not the castle). You walk up and up the cobblestone stairs of the medieval village (Justin has an app on his phone and it said the ascent was 17 percent at one point) and there, at the top, is this amazing castle. And when I saw amazing, I think it’s an understatement.

I think up here, on top of Beynac, on the parapets of the castle, is one of my favorite spots in all of France.

And then, we walked down and down the cobblestone stairs back down to the river (the Dordogne). It was a lot faster going down than up…

A few Ks down the Dordogne from Beynac is the town of La Roque-Gageac, which is on the river and built into the cliffs that rise above it…

This next video is of Justin riding past Beynac on the other side of the river…

Once you turn off and away from the Dordogne, you climb and climb and climb some more. It’s fantastic. And then … you descend, like this. It’s hard to take a video while riding down a curvy downhill at 35, 40 and then 50 Ks an hour, so I had to put my phone away and hang on with both hands…

Today, we headed back to Sarlat and the train station, for our train to Bordeaux. It was a short, 16-mile ride, but scenic (of course).

OK, that’s it. We’re in Bordeaux, and, instead of a 2-hour, direct train ride to Paris tomorrow, due to the strike, it will take eight hours with one transfer (knock on wood). While I’m a bit tired from all the traveling and being away from home and Susan and work (really, I actually miss work), I already miss my bike and the Dordogne and having a great (and often wet) ride every day. Then again, there’s always next year!