On Friday 5 January, 2007, I took a trip to Romorantin and Gievres which involved an early trip on the Metro to Austerlitz.  The Metro is very clean and they have cleared away those annoying beggars with accordions who “entertained” for money.  All, that is, except for the mad Russian lady who works line three from Sentier.  She gets on and harangues everyone in Russian - if she doesn’t get anything she gives the finger to departing passengers from the platform.  The Metro trains seem to be more frequent than in previous years.

At Austerlitz I caught the 0706 to Les Aubrais, Orleans.  This was hauled by 126072 with a huge train of Corail stock, the train was going to Limoges with a portion splitting for Bourges at Vierzon.

0810 Les Aubrais to Salbris was modern electric stock which rode well and made for a comfortable ride.  We stopped at Lamotte Beuvron where I could just glimpse the Hotel Tatin where the tarte tatin originated.

0853 Salbris to Romorantin. 
I walked out into the yard at Salbris and could hear the train before I picked it out.  The new cars make a lot of noise outside but are relatively quiet inside.  La Ferté Imbaute and Selles St. Denis were both staffed and the stationmistresses came out to give us authority to proceed.  We passed a train at Selles St. Denis where there were a couple of flat cars in the siding.  This was evidence of a lot of work that is going on with the track.  They have relaid many of the curves and replaced most of the switches.  There were no staff at Loreux or Villeherviers which had received a complete new lot of switches.  The crossing protection is activated by axle counters.  La Faubourg d’Orleans had a stationmistress although this is heavily used by the schoolchildren.

I went into the waiting room at Romorantin to buy my onward tickets to Valencay and return to Gievres.  There were two positions at the counter and the lady agent opened the second one and called me forward as someone else was making a complicated transaction at the other spot.  I told her what I wanted to do to which she replied:

“Yes, you have got the timetable right, how can I help you?”

“I would like to buy the tickets”

“I am only information, you will have to go to the other line to buy a ticket.”

It took ages to make the actual transaction.  There were an incredible number of key strokes to get these two simple tickets out of the machine.

Romorantin has not changed much although the sports bar has a new window front.  Gallettes du Roi are big here at this time of year.  The streets are very clean, it looks as if there have been some improvements to the sidewalks.  I had a coffee and a croissant in town and purchased a chocolate sapin and some Romorantin “paving stones” (Paves de Romorantin) which are chocolate with praline which look like paving stones.

Click here to see pictures of Romorantin.

There is still standard gauge trackage at Romorantin even though the last standard gauge freight train left there in the 1980’s.

There was a BA train lady on my train to Valençay who carefully checked the tickets of the five travellers.  The engineer didn’t get on very well with her particularly as she had to give him the authority to proceed from each unstaffed station.  Chabris and Valençay still have stationmistresses – amazing.  One wonders if this is a make work program.

At Valençay the train lady got off to have a five-minute smoke, the engineer loped off into the bushes to have a pee, while the stationmistress looked on.

Click here to see pictures of Valençay.

I received my first setback at Gievres where lunch was finished at La Raboliere.  However, I went along to the Café de la Gare where they served a delightful four course meal.

Pichet of red wine.
Beet, egg and onion salad.
Great slab of roast beef with pasta cooked with cinnamon.
Fromage – Saint Maure, local factory chevre (very good), brie, Bleu d’Auvergne, a washed rind cheese. Excellent.
Custard and meringue (it was put on my place so I had to eat it)

With coffee and a calvados the total was €13 which must be the deal of the vacation.