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Here we are at the Gare de Paris Montparnasse. Also known as the Montparnasse
train station. It is a very busy place.
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This is me (second from right) with three of my co-workers. Yes we have
billets in out pockets. You buy these at the corner shop under the blue sign.
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And here's the other co-worker who took the picture with me in it. We were
all too tired to think to ask someone else to take the picture of us all.
Billets are tickets.
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Am I allowed to take pictures of the trains?, I ask. Of course. Why not.
In the United States we have entirely too many laws. So you never know.
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Leaving Montparnasse and the huge amount of infrastructure is evident. We
pick up speed rather rapidly on the TGV.
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When you pass another TGV, the air pressure between the two trains is so
enormous, you can feel it push your train sideways. Nice French reflection.
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We whiz past the much slower local commuter trains. I think those are eggs
painted on the side, but don't know.
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Time for lunch in Poitiers, France. This is where you catch a taxi.
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And a view from the Gare Poitiers platform.
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The French did it right. The trains fit the gauge. There is little or no
side to side movement of the cars. It makes for an excellent ride.