Day 307

Day 307 - 07.09.10


Grapes for the garden for dessert.

La vie, elle est pas toujours rose.

Today is the first of what they call "real test days" of the year for the government around here. Of course there have been strikes earlier in the calendar year but there is this notion that the work year actually starts in September, at the same time as the school year. This time the strikes are against the law project (what are those called in proper English? "project de loi"?) about retirement plans. Long story short, I agree with some of the stuff the strikers are saying but there are so many of them who are so ignorant! There are some who are saying "yeah, people will have to work more to pay for my full retirement plan but I don't want to work more so start making people work more later!" I just want to strangle those so much! Socialism is great and all but people have to take responsibility right away. Blah. Right. So this whole "test day" means that there are many strikes going on, most transport systems in large cities are crippled but at least now they're being humane about it. It used to be that during strike days you pretty much had no info on what was going on. You'd show up at the bus/train station in the morning and you'd hope for the best. Most people had the feeling that those who could make the lives of those not on strike (pretty much everyone who does not work in the public sector and quite a few of those who do) a nightmare, they would. [note: many things said in this post are my views and may or, more often than not, may not reflect general views] These days at least you're told that there will only be a third of the usual buses going this way and the metro there is working normally. For SNCF, I could check the train schedules for today starting yesterday morning... sure there are only a quarter of the usual trains but at least I know which trains will be going! The last one leaves Toulon at about 6pm, I really do wonder what the people working late will do. Nevertheless the fear of strikes and SCNF not keeping its promise of providing the trains indicated is still here. There will be three trains this evening and you sure bet I'll do my best to get to the train station for the first train just in case they decide to cancel one or two of them. It's probably not rational at all. Actually the way I feel grateful towards SNCF for even providing those trains can be compared to Stockholm Syndrome... because I have lived through worse and I know it could be worse.

But now on to happy things. See those two artfully shot photos above? Those were taken during my morning commute the other day. When I'm actually in the train I'm always ooohhing and aaahhing over the sea and the trees and the tunnels... and then when I bring my camera along I don't get any good shots. So you'll have to believe me on this one: there are a couple of really beautifully things to be seen on the train ride from Cassis to Toulon.