TGV or Not to TGV

I picked up my baggage about 40 minutes before my train. On my way getting my bag I tried to return the ,20 to the attendant but he would not have it.

I got my stuff, readjusted, and headed to the information station since my train was not listed. The guy told me that I needed to go upstairs, which is for international trains. This made me nervous but I went. There was a check point, I showed my ticket. The guy looked at it funny (I got it in Italy) and then smiled and let me up. I headed to the board that had a hundred or more people crowded around it. I saw my train was not letting people on yet but that it was a TGV. Now, this again made me worry, way more than before.

Anne-Francoise who I am meeting in Avignon kept asking me “you are getting into Avignon and not Avignon TGV right?” I mean when I looked up the times it was for Avignon and not Avignon TGV. My ticket says Avignon but this is a TGV train! Does that mean that I am going to the TGV station? I have no idea! I asked some girl who was standing around, she spoke very little English. She told me my train was in but not boarding yet (which I knew). I asked her about the station but she did not really understand my question. I got onto my train and the guy sitting next to me was my next best bet. He spoke even less English. I asked about Avignon versus Avignon TGV and he told me I was on the right train according to my ticket so it must be stopping at Avignon. Again, no real help to me. A couple of minutes before the train was about to take off, some girl asks us if she has the right car number. We say yes and she says that I am in her seat!! She goes to find someone and comes back saying she is good and sits in a seat in front of me, but that does not make me feel any better (I know two complete separate issues).

I have Anne-Francoise’s phone number but am kind of worried that she is going to be like I TOLD YOU NO TGV. I told her the train number and car number though and she could have checked. I really am just so lost and hoping that I am not getting off and just going to be standing around looking like an idiot in the middle of somewhere far far away from her. Here is hoping I did not screw this up!!

About 30 minutes into my train ride the conductor came around. She spoke little English, but enough to say that I was going to Avignon Central and not Avignon TGV – yay! I was excited that I did not have to worry anymore and tried to catch a few z’s. The guy next to me had horrid breath and every time he opened his mouth, I gagged a little.

About 7 minutes before my stop I began to get nervous. I am sure that I will enjoy it and like the family but it is the fact that I am getting off somewhere, traveling to some town (that I did not even recall) and being enveloped in someone else’s house. I got to my stop and somehow was the first one off (huh). Nobody was waiting for me at my car, so I waited. The train closed its doors and everyone got off. I began walking to the station and went inside. I turned around and checked again now that everyone was headed inside. Nobody was there. I went downstairs and then upstairs. I realized that Anne-Francoise told me that if she missed me at the train to meet downstairs at the bookstore. There was no bookstore down there. Maybe up here…I walked around. Nothing. I began to get flustered and just stood thinking about how I could contact Anne-Francoise with my no minutes left phone when in walked a frazzled woman and girl.

We quickly knew that we were looking for each other. They had made a sign for me with my name and said that they just came from the other train station. After our kisses hello (I am a pro at this now, I got the right cheek and even the three kisses right, which is a country thing) I asked about her telling me not to go to the TGV. She told me that it did not matter as they were the same distance apart and I felt bad that she had just driven like mad not to miss me here. We walked to the car and were off.