We’ve just returned to France after a few days in Italy, no thanks to French railways. Normally we accept that as soon as we set foot on an Italian train, the entire railway system collapses. Not this time. Arriving at our local French station to catch the 9.24 train to Ventimiglia we found a scene of chaos. There was a local railways strike and some idiot had left a case in the middle of the concourse to boot. Station staff were thinking of evacuating the station, so we rushed on to the platform before they could chuck us out. Time passed and the 9.24 disappeared off the board. Lots of would-be passengers simply went home, giving up any idea of travelling that day. When we finally got to Nice about an hour later, we learned that the next train to Italy would be in four hours time. That’s the EU in action! Do not hesitate to cause problems for other member states!
Over coffee at Nice station we worked out our plan of campaign, took a taxi to Villefranche and had lunch in the sun at one of our favourite restaurants, then got on the first train to Ventimiglia. We arrived there just in time to punch buttons frantically on a “quick ticket” machine and catch a fast train to Diano Marina.
Now the reason for the sudden strike was two attacks on train guards/ticket collectors in the Marseilles area. Rail staff have the right to withdraw their labour, but a minimum service must be provided. Obviously no public servants should be attacked ever for doing their duty, but it seems to me that the wrong people are being punished. It is a pretty safe bet that the attackers had names like Ahmed or Jim Ouagadoogou, not Pierre Dupont. Just reading the crime reports in Nice Matin proves that. So why should French Railways not profile their passengers? Once the immigrant community got the idea that it was their own young thugs that were preventing them being allowed on public transport, things might improve.
It is well known that France has a very individual view of the Schengen agreement and sets up checks just over the border a few kilometres into French territory. On our return journey this morning the train stopped at Menton Garavan, just inside France. Policemen appeared on board and after we had sat there for some time, a gentleman of Middle Eastern/North African appearance was led away by two policemen. At this point another passenger of African appearance picked up his belongings and exited hastily. Now I think Schengen is a stupid, ill-conceived plan and I have no objection to showing my passport at borders. I just wish that France would announce its intentions clearly, so we all know there will be a delay. Again everyone suffers needlessly otherwise.
Boadicea's Chariot 
Good afternoon, Sheona. You know and I know that the French elite will say such things as “We are European and La Belle France will always support the European ideal” whilst totally ignoring that same sentiment whenever it goes against French national interest, which we all know is paramount.
OZ
Frankly, good for the frogs!
Great pity the UK doesn’t do the same.
I note in the UK papers that a disproportionate number of crimes, especially stabbings seem to be perpetrated by immigrants.
I note that Switzerland has slammed the door shut on Eastern Europe immigrants by imposing quotas on all EU immigrants. Closed till next year effectively!
I don’t remember the last time I went on a train, any train. Must be the early 80s. All sounds too effortful for words. Think how many nice landmines for the drive one could buy for the price of a ticket to aggravation!!!
Yes, good for the frogs,Christina, but not good enough. They must learn to stop punishing all French travellers because of the misdeeds of a bunch of immigrants.
I’m not sure about the price of landmines, but Italian rail fares are very reasonable. We won’t be using French railways again.
Trouble is unless you are allowed to discriminate, which will have the yuman rights brigade, the EUSSR and all woolly liberals upon you like a ton of bricks, you can’t but help discommoding your own nationals.
The sooner the EU goes belly up the better and then any country can fling out whosoever they wish, and the faster the better.
Why don’t you just drive to wherever you want to go in Europe? It can’t be very far.
Rather than travel, I think I’ll invest in more landmine futures!!! I do love to hear these calamitous tales of travel and then retreat to the greenhouse with a merry chortle! One wonders if a greenhouse will do as an anchorite cell?
What an American idea of distances you have, Christina. Having twice recently driven across Europe to Slovakia and other points, we do sometimes leave the car at home. Driving across France can be very tedious and since we are chez nous in France we thought the train would be easier than that horrendous motorway, all viaducts and tunnels, built to help the Dutch and Germans get to the Med more quickly. Once we get back to GB and download the photos, you will see that some of the places visited are not automobile-friendly.
I think the EU is not very well at the moment and may even be fraying at the seams.
True, everything is a quick thousand miles from this neck of the woods!
Our nearest relatives are 2200 miles away! (Wonderful!)
Sheona, Shengen is now a joke. Danish and German police now openly man the ferry ports and the Jutland land link, searching for drugs, arms and crime-tourist groups. I’m sure the Brits do too.
Janus, the UK was never part of Schengen. I just wish France would come out openly about its border controls.
Indeed.
Janus: the UK border is not perfect, but it’s not as bad as people make it out to be.
On my last holiday there I flew into London City and they checked everyone and there
were drug-sniffing dogs. It was thorough but not invasive. One of my workmates went to
the UK not too long ago via Eurail and she was put through British passport control
in France. According to her everyone was checked. Things do go wrong and not everyone
is caught but broadly the system isn’t the worst.
The problem with Schengen is that it was only viable when countries such as Germany,
the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg, Denmark, etcetera were members.
As soon as it grew to be as large as it is it became chaos, especially since the eastern states
are not nearly as concerned about keeping their borders in order as they should be. That might
be applied to the French as well.