On the 14th October 1852 the new, permanent, terminus of the Great Northern Railway opened next to what is now the Euston Road. Replacing a temporary station nearby, London King’s Cross was born and just over 170 years later the station continues to serve millions of rail passengers each year
Caen, the capital of Calvados and the second largest urban area in Normandie, is famous for being the historic seat of the Dukes of Normandie, including William the Conqueror, as well as being the centre of the Battle of Caen during the liberation of France in WW2.
Just a couple of weeks after we’d booked our tickets to and from France with P&O Ferries, the news broke of them sacking hundreds of workers and suspending all services, pending inspection from UK authorities. Unfortunately, with non-refundable tickets, we were stuck with our choice and watched with anger, frustration and concern as chaos once again struck the Port of Dover.
Having had a great couple of days exploring La Rochelle and Nantes, it was time to head back to the UK, with a short 90-minute flight on Ryanair to Stansted.
My visit to La Rochelle last month (July 22) was split over two days, with a short time before I caught a train to Nantes and some time when I got back before flying home. Unfortunately, the timings meant I didn’t have a great deal of time to spend in La Rochelle, however I did fall in love with the city and will definitely be returning.
After a great, but too short, time exploring Nantes, I was up early to make my way to the station ready to catch a train back to La Rochelle. Having booked a specific train in advance, the fares were reasonable and so I decided to spend a few euros extra and try out first-class onboard SNCF’s Intercités product.
