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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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May 07, 2022 08:00 PM Blablabus to Bordeaux
Three hours bus drive for 6 euro - sounds interesting! It was late morning when I embarked blablabus in Toulouse. The standard of the bus was OK with a toilet and we had only one WC stop on the route. Well, be prepared if you didn't pay extra for the selection of the seat that they will put you into the last row... In Bordeaux they have stop in the narrow street east of the St Jean station building. Looks not to be the safest place in the night...
I found cheapest accommodation in the Formule1 hotel on the other side of the river. To get there I walked through the St Jean bridge and then it is still more than 1 km south. Room for 38 euro has a sink, but not a bath. Covid histeria is still present here - because covid they do not provide towels. You can buy one single-use microfibre paying 3 euro extra!
It is quiet place, but to buy some bread and other groceries you have to walk 2 kms back to Place Stalingrad (what I did). 1,5 litre of red wine cost 5 euro. Let's make a toast in the country of the bordeaux-color wine!
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May 06, 2022 08:00 PM Toulouse in the spring sun
17 euro for one hour journey on the regional train? French railways charge too much! No discounts! Today in the morning I took a train to Toulouse, no other choice.
Toulouse, fourth city of France has a charm. Green boulevards, a lot of pedestrian streets in the old town. Nice architecture of the old mansions. I can call it "the brick city" since many of old city houses are made of brick. I took a walk along Garonne River enjoying the fresh green of the trees and the views. But the nicest landscape of today I found in the littke city park where, near the elegant fountain they planted a lot of spring flowers - what a view! People are picnicking freely around on the grass. Sure, in Toulouse they produce airbuses, but who care...
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May 05, 2022 08:00 PM Bonjour! Ici Carcassonne!
Sunny but windy morning. My ibis-budget hotel is inexpensive, but the distance to the famous medieval old town is around 6 kms - good morning exercise for the senior traveller! :) Carcassonne is divided by the river into the old Lower Cty and even older Medieval Town. Old bridge (for pedestrians only) connects them. This stone bridge is miserably poor - French could learn on Prague' Charles Bridge how to maintain such a jewels! But from this bridge I saw for the first time old Carcassonne occupying the hill. Since yoears I was thinking about being here... One more dream came true! I went around the hill to the main gate Porte Narbonne. Then through the narrow, cobbled streets (too much souvenir shops!) I was sneaking to St Nazaire church and to the Comte Castle. Oho, the wanted me to pay 13€ for entry... Thank you! Carcassonne is worth to be on the UNESCO world heritage list!
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May 04, 2022 08:00 PM Two cheap flights to France...
Sunny, but rather cold morning. At 8.30 am I was already in the Gdansk Airport. No line to the security control at this time! At the gate they did not care about the size of my backpack at all!
After two hours we landed in London Stansted. It is huge and complicated airport. First the toy tray took me from the wing to the main building. Then there was a long walk to immigration hall. They don't have a transit zone so even if you have only connection you mist go through passport control. They have 30-boths line for the automated control of the people from UK and EU. Sounds nice! But when I reached my both all the line broken! After 20 min of nervous waiting they sent us to the another line for manual control! Thanks God i had 2 hours for the connection. It was enough also to snake through 1-km labirynth of the duty free shops - no other way! OK - my second flight was almost full but is was only 1,5 hours...
We landed in Carcassonne at 3.30 pm. The airport building is under reconstruction - completly destroyed! Immigration checked covid vaccinations! Shuttle bus can take you for 6 euro to the station. -Non, merci! I have only 1,5 km walk to my budget ibis hotel!
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May 03, 2022 08:00 PM Spring break - just one week off!
Spring break! In my Wojtkówka spring flowers bloom beautifully. My friends are visiting me and we enjoy my first vegetables together. Weary of the daily work on the beds (unfortunately there are no people willing to help), I decided to escape for a week to Southern France. Low cost airlines have just offered tickets at incredibly low prices - 10-12 euros per flight. And I'm flying! Via London to historic Carcassonne, and then by buses to Toulouse, Bordeaux and Paris. As always, you will find news from the voyage in my travel log. Keep your fingers crossed for the good weather, please!
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Apr 16, 2022 08:00 PM Happy in Wojtkówka
In Bergamo Airport everything was OK - they did not care about my oversized luggage on low-cost airline. Two hours later - in my Gdansk I experienced only 6 deg Celsius temperature. As a result I soon started coughing...
My son Adam collected me from the airport.
One more interesting voyage is succesfuly completed!
Today I went to my dacha to see first soring flowers in blossom. There is a lot of work waiting. Let's work, and dream about next trip!! :)
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Apr 15, 2022 08:00 PM Savona - Genova - Milano Centrale - Bergamo
At the sunrise our ship docked in Savona. End of our epic cruise! Staff from the ship wanted us to go out of the cabins at 8 am! Good joke! I I went first for the breakfast and started to pack my carry - on at 9 am. Before 10 am I said goodbye to the crew and in the sun started half an hour walk to Savona Railway station... Oho! No seats available for the intercity train to Milan!
No choice - bought for 15,50 euro ticket for the regional train with the connection in Genova. I should be still on time for the 4 pm bus Milano - Bergamo airport... Direct flight Bergamo to Gda?sk departs only at 18.40
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Apr 13, 2022 08:00 PM Marseille in France...
After full day at sea in the morning we saw the coast of France. Sun is shining and I feel the European spring in the air... :)
Tomorrow we will reach Italian port of Savona and my transatlantic sailing will be completed. It is time to take a walk to the city (I have been to Marseille three times already) and then it will be the time to pack all my stuff and yo have a farewell glass of wine with the friends! ;)
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Apr 13, 2022 08:00 PM Marseille cruise port - practicals
Cruise port in Marseille is quite far from the city center. You will see from the ship famous church Notre Dame de la Garde but very far - not a walk. Although in the past I dod it - via a bidonville... So how to get to the old town?
1. Our cruise line offered a shuttle bus frm terminal B to the city - paid 11 euro for roundtrip.
2. They are milking us so they did not say that from the port gate - 1 km from Terminal B every 30 min goes to the city center white, free port bus - till 5 pm to Hare Maritime Joliette
3. If you will go further out the port on the edge of the highway you will find the city bus stop no. 35 going to Joliette Square on the edge of old town. It cost 3,50 euro. If the cruise ship is in the port is in the port extra city bus 35T goes from Joliette to the outside port gate. Good luck!
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Apr 11, 2022 08:00 PM Gibraltar after years...
In the morning when we reached the port of Gibraltar it was cloudy, rainy and we experienced light showers, but later the sun appeared and I was ready for taking the pictures. The view of Gibraltar rock was quiet different from the ship - much nicer. But... They introduced 16 pounds tickets (no discounts) for those who want to climb up to the ridge and to see famous monkeys! I was walking instead to the cap lighthouse to see the monument of ge. Sikorski, who died here during the war. It is nice place. and a good exercise for walkers (the 6 kms distance one way) But I returned happy!
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