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It’s already tomorrow, but it’s too hot to sleep. I got up at 6 Saturday morning in Southampton. My hotel was a 5 minute walk to the train station. After a delicious McDonald’s breakfast (British sausage is saltier than American) I boarded a train to Waterloo in London. From there I took the subway to the international train station (it was a 15 minute walk after I got off the subway). Google maps claimed I get off the Subway at 8:50 and catch the bullet train to Paris at 9:30. I was there at 9:30, but you have to buy your ticket more than 45 minutes before the train leaves, and get through security at least 30 minutes before the train leaves.

So I caught the 10:30 bullet train, and went through the chunnel. It wasn’t as cool as I thought it would be. The bullet trains in Korea are much smoother and quieter.

In Paris I had issues getting my tickets. I bought two tickets, one to Bordeux St Jean, and then a separate ticket from there to Bayonne. The machine printed a ticket for the second leg, but gave me a receipt for the first leg, and sent me the ticket electronically. Then I couldn’t get on wifi in the train station so I couldn’t get my ticket.

Somehow I got on the train anyway. This was a double decker bullet train and it was pretty cool.

At Bordeux St Jean I transferred to a regular train to go to Bayonne. It was here that I met Mickey and Ragini. He’s from the Bay Area, and she is from India. They have been married less than a year. They were taking a trip to Morocco when everything went wrong. They had spent 4 days in airports and somehow ended up in Paris, and sitting next to me on the train.

We had dinner together and then boarded the next train. They were going past Bayonne to the end of the line. A minute or so after the train started moving, Ragini realizes we are on the wrong train. Apparently there was a weather issue, and everyone headed where we were going was put on this train. So 2 hours later we get off at the wrong stop with about 40 other people. Train officials show up making official announcements in French but nothing happens. They are supposed to load us on a bus and take us to Bayonne but they don’t.

Enter Patricia from Austria, who is going to start her second Camino. She books an Uber back to Bayonne. The 4 of us ride together. The driver only speaks French. I tell Patricia there’s a Hostel near the Bayonne train station, so she uses her translation app to translate German to French.

We get to Bayonne train station, Mickey and Ragini take a bus to their final destination, and Patricia and I are here at the hostel. We are having breakfast at 7, and then she is going to St Jean Pied Du Port to start her Camino. I will start the next day.

Mickey and Ragini live in the DC area, and I am going to try and connect with them on my return motorcycle trip. Lots of adventure for one day.