Barcelona => Sevilla

From Girona we got a standard train to Barcelona Sants and spent the night with a friend. The next day we headed to Sants again to catch the AVE to Sevilla.

On the AVE from Barcelona to Sevilla. One of the great things about travelling by train is that you can get up and walk around, and go and meet a friend for coffee!
On the AVE from Barcelona to Sevilla. One of the great things about travelling by train is that you can get up and walk around, and go and meet a friend for coffee!
The AVE arrives in Sevilla.
The AVE arrives in Sevilla.
We made it! Back in Sevilla again. Sevilla to London and back by train - it can be done!
We made it! Back in Sevilla again. Sevilla to London and back by train – it can be done!

Paris => Girona

Gare de Lyon, main station for TGVs going south
Gare de Lyon, main station for TGVs going south.
Departures board at Gare de Lyon
The departures board at Gare de Lyon. There were *two* trains: one terminating at Perpignan and another going all the way to Barcelona. Although the station staff said they were the same train, actually they were separate, but ran one in front of the other. We had separate tickets booked to Perpignan and then to Girona, so consequently at Perpignan we had to get off and run to change trains, along with an octogenarian couple!
Stairs to first class
The stairs to first class. The view may be great from the top but you have to carry your luggage up the steps! Although you can also leave it in standard class if there’s space.
Train #1 to Perpignan
First train, to Perpignan, followed by a mad dash for the train in front to Girona!
Back in Spain!
Back in Spain! At the Hotel URH in Girona.

Return journey: London => Paris

Trains to Paris depart from St Pancras International in the northern part of the centre of London.

Eurostar departures board
Eurostar departures board. London to Paris direct centre to centre in 2h25m!
The Eurostar departure lounge
The Eurostar departure lounge
Escalator to platform
Escalator up to the platform.
It's a long train!
It’s a long train! We are in coach 17 of 18.
Eurostar
We make one short stop at Ashford International, just before entering the tunnel under the channel. We spend about 20 minutes under the sea.
Inside Eurostar
Inside Eurostar. The train is full with people travelling for the holidays but there’s room for everyone. No power sockets in standard class, except in the toilet!
In Paris
In Paris, next to the Seine! We’ve come a long way.

Next stop London

Gare du Nord
Gare du Nord, where we catch Eurostar to London.
Check in
Because Britain didn’t sign the Schengen Agreement, you have to check in and go through passport control.
On board Eurostar
On board Eurostar. Not too roomy but no worse than Ryanair! 🙂
Buffet car
The buffet car. Decent coffee if expensive!
Eurostar Paris => London
Non-stop Paris => London
Eurostar
Eurostar
The Eurostar terminal at St Pancras
The Eurostar terminal at St Pancras

Destination Paris

Figueres Vilafant Station, where we catch the TGV to Paris. As of tomorrow, though, TGV services connect through all the way to Barcelona!
Figueres Vilafant Station, where we catch the TGV to Paris. As of tomorrow, though, TGV services connect through all the way to Barcelona!
Destination Paris!
Destination Paris!
The TGV
The TGV – Train a Grande Vitesse. This one is a double decker, and we have seats on the top floor!
TGV!
TGV!
On board the TGV
On board the TGV, top deck (first class!).
The restaurant car
The restaurant car. Everything appears to be organic, and the waiter spoke at least four languages!
Montparnasse station
Montparnasse station, Paris. We made it!

We’re off!

Here we go! We’re about to set off from Sevilla Santa Justa, on the AVE, Spain’s wonderful high speed train. In about five and a half hours we arrive at Barcelona Sants. Time to read a book…

Arrived at  Santa Justa on time!
Arrived at Santa Justa on time!
Sevilla Santa Justa Station, constructed for Expo 92
Sevilla Santa Justa Station, constructed for Expo 92
The AVE
The AVE
On board the AVE
On board the AVE

Why go by train?

As the title of the blog suggests, tomorrow my wife and I begin our journey to London from Sevilla – by train! When we told friends we were making this journey, and how we were making it, we received a variety of reactions: “how cool!”, “wow, that must take ages!”, “isn’t that really expensive?”. Almost everyone asked us why we didn’t take the plane – it’s much cheaper and takes a lot less time. Hey, I have a friend who flew to London with Ryanair the other week for next to nothing. Are you crazy? Why are you getting the train? No one, without exception, hit on the real reason for the journey: the environment, and climate change.

Travelling by train produces as little as one tenth the carbon emissions as travelling by plane, per capita. If we are to tackle climate change, we cannot continue to travel by plane. We have to change our habits.

But why should we travel by train? Everyone else takes the plane, so our little trip is not going to make a difference. So why bother? And anyway, sorting out climate change is the responsibility of governments, not us. They need to come to an agreement, over there in Doha or Warsaw or wherever, right?

The first argument can never be a reason not to do something. Just because everyone else does something, doesn’t make it right. And if we were to follow that argument, there would never be any change in the world. The second argument isn’t valid either: governments are in hoc to big business, and the corporate media refuse to report honestly about climate change, its effects, and what is really necessary to deal with it. We need to take matters into our own hands. It starts with us. This is a small step, but if we all take steps like this, together we will change the world for the better.

We plan to update this blog with progress reports of our journey. I also hope to find the time to write background articles about the trip, climate change, and how we can take personal responsibility for dealing with it.

Next stop: Sevilla Santa Justa!