Today was a bit of a train day. The last month and a half of our trip is going to have a bit of hopping about across France rather than following a straight line. When we were planning our route through France we originally planned to go in mostly a straight line across France from Leysin to Aalst where our friend is getting married in 3 weeks. But we have already cycled some of that, and when we shared it with our friends Alex and Manue who we hosted maybe 10 years ago in Dunedin on warmshowers they suggested we Do a detour and ride through Burgandy instead. So we will ride around here for a week and then do another train hop across to get us near Belgium so we can get to Landers wedding in time. 

We woke to rain in Leysin. NZ was playing Switzerland in the women's football World cup in Dunedin so Geraldine and Tobias watched that while we packed. Well it started out with them watching the football then he somehow convinced her to put cartoons on the tv while she watched the football on her phone. The rain had dried up by the time we said goodbye, we had a really enjoyable 3 days and hope we can host Geraldine and Michel, or their kids, at some point in New Zealand.

I was feeling a bit nervous about the ride down. The rain had stopped but the road was very wet. It was definitely preferable to getting back in the cog train, but Geraldine and Michel warned us about the traffic and the narrow road. It didn't start well with one car trying to pass me on a blind corner then realizing I was actually going the same speed as the traffic in front so just sitting alongside me for a while. When it was safe for me to pull over I did and he pulled the fingers. Besides that it was fine, though it is a very narrow road with lots of blind corners and not many places for cars to pass safely. It felt a bit like we were cheating, getting all that descent without doing any of the work to get up there.

We got away so well on time that we could catch one train ahead of what we planned to Geneva. It had space for 2 bikes in every carriage, but only hanging with all luggage unloaded. We got on fine and the ride to Geneva along the lake was beautiful. Getting off was a bit more of a challenge as it was a busy stop and there was no room to reload all the bags to the bikes so we were tossing them out the train to the platform while holding people up. 

We had about an hour until our next train to Lyon so we got some lunch and waited anxiously on the platform watching more and more people show up. Bikes on TER trains are free, but spaces are limited and given on a first in, first served basis. Everything else about seeing a family with 4 kids on bikes show up is awesome, except for finding space in a train. They were actually super friendly and split their bikes so we could fit in the bike carriage close to us (it's a real pain to push a bike with one hand and the trailer with the other along the platform, but we have to unhitch it in preparation or we are too slow to get on).

We spent the journey talking to an Australian backpacker on his way to Lyon and passively trying to encourage Tobias to have a nap. He was very tired, but there was so much going on that he refused all the nap options we offered and just stayed awake for the whole 2 hours instead.

We unloaded leasurely in Lyon and bid the Swiss family farewell. They were very well organized and all the kids were carrying something on their bikes and able to manouver them themselves. And they didn't need a trailer. But still, keeping track of 4 kids and bikes must be a challenge. In Aigle, Geneva and Lyon we encountered the easiest way to get our loaded bikes on the platforms yet - just a really big, wide, ramp. No lifts and definitely no stairs. It was perfect.

We got out of the station and I put Tobias in the trailer and took him for a walk so he could finally go to sleep. He was doing pretty well, but our last train wouldn't arrive in Tournus until 6.30pm and then we had to get to the campsite, set up tent, and eat. So there was no chance we could give him an early night.

He woke up just as the platform was announced so we headed to find our train. There was some chaos as we tried to get past the ticket check to get onto the platform but we kept getting pushed past since the bikes made space in front. In the end the security guy let us through the tape and up the side. It was easy to roll onto the train. Less easy to get the bikes and trailer out of the road of everyone else. This last train was a regional train all the way to Paris on a Sunday evening, so there were lots of travellers with luggage. Tobias was a bit sick of travelling at this point so we passed the time watching some videos of him from the start of the year. Its crazy to see how much he has grown and developed in the last 6 months.

After all our bike friendly stations today, Tournus was a nightmare. Its a small place with only 2 platforms. If we'd been on platform 1 it would have been fine, but we arrived on platform 2 and had to go down some stairs through a tunnel, and back up again. Tobias was very supportive and stood at the bottom clapping us on then delighted in pushing the trailer through the tunnel himself.

While I was checking us in at the campsite James happened to meet another Kiwi cycle tourist siding with her partner and 3 kids. We got Tobias' bike off so we could ride over and say hi. Their kids are all on their own bikes but they still tow a trailer with all the stuff, and then bungy the youngest kid behind the trailer. We've seen more cycle tourists today than we have in months, and definitely more kids.

We debated about doing this train hop over 2 days rather than 1, but I'm glad we did it all on one go. I get a bit anxious about getting on and off the trains and if there will be enough space for us, so I'd rather do all that in one go. Now we just get to ride our bike for the next week.

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