On our way to Arras - north France

 Dave is such a legend! Yes I actually admit it - how the hell he got us through Barcelona train station (big lines for the train to Paris) and then off at Paris's huge train station to take the metro. This station is so busy on a Sunday evening with people rushing everywhere and NO signs in English. We had to take the metro to two different places (how do you figure out the number of stops before you get off?) and then to another huge train station where we had to ask three assistance people (they now have them with English to help ignorants such as ourselves!) to find the right place to board the train to Arras. This is me being a luggage minder after 6 hours and hell in the metro to get there. No one was taking my bag ...... admittedly I have never seen such a number of police and security walking around in packs of 5. No pick-pockets to be seen. I had one scary nightmare moment when we were on a crowed metro train by the door with Dave in front of me with the bags and knowing we only have a few seconds to get off. All I could think of is what happens if he makes it out but not me before the door closes, which it does automatically? I grabbed his t-shirt from behind and held on for dear life.

I was fascinated with the French countryside - quite a bit different from Spain. Very green with cultivated fields and plains. Lots of windmill farms

We passed through some lovely old towns and cities.

Our train basically followed up the coast a long way before turning inland to Paris.

This is a little island joined up by a causeway that is covered up when the tide comes in.