I Can't get off the Train DUCK! - A travel story

Before I get on with the story...I thought you might like a few pictures of the Tour Eifel. Why take just one picture, when you can take several?

As you can see the weather was just gorgeous the day we went to Paris, beautiful blue skies and a slight breeze.  Yes, there was a travel watch for US citizens, but I have to tell you, there was so much security visible, I felt much more comfortable with the heightened security, than if there were none.

Okay...Im sure you're wondering about the title of this post...so...here's my crazy blonde story.

It's now Monday, we've come back to the UK from Paris and I am due to get on Virgin Trains to visit my friends Gill in Stoke-on-Trent and Liz in Nottingham.

Getting on the train is a breeze...you simply just watch the monitor and when they post your rail number you make a mad dash down to the rail, hop on, sling your luggage into a rack and enjoy a nice comfortable ride on a quiet coach that leans on the curves.......

Typically when you are on airplanes, you're engrained with the phrase "Please keep your seatbelts fastened until we have come to a complete stop and the captain has turned off the seatbelt sign".  So...why should the train be any different right?  - Except you'd expect the announcement to come from the conductor.  Which it does, and it goes something like "We are now approaching Stoke On Trent". (which is also code for get up outta your seat, collect your luggage and make a mad dash for the door).

As the train was coming to a stop, I jumped up, collected my luggage and proceed to the door when I hear "ding ding ding ding" as the door closes......and I press the "open door" button...nothing happens...(can't believe this is happening) and again I push the button, but nothing,  and again and again and the door clicks and it locks and slowly we pull away from the station....and on to the next......and I'm about to panic......as all I could think of is.."I dont want to go to Manchester"...and I gotta phone Gill...and ....and...and....thousands of thoughts are going thru my head.....

I ring my friend Gill in panic "Gill, Gill, I missed the stop, I cant get off the train, I'm still here..."....and she is laughing hysterically......as she says "don't worry duck, I'll find out what to do and ring you back" 

In the meantime, I go to the Train Master..and he says... Well I announced it and I gave you a minute!"  A minute? I thought...what the heck is up with just a minute??   I promise it did not take an entire minute for me to get to the door....and off we went still cruising down the rail at an alarming rate of speed...

He looked at his schedule and then handed me this ticket and told me to get off at the next stop.

So I took a not so lovely ride to Macclesfield...the next stop up the line.  Looking closer at the fine print it reads:

"Linda should have been at the door when the train came to a stop, but she was not, so we left, Bad Linda, Linda is blonde..."

Needless to say, when I got OFF the train in Macclesfield...and back ON the train to Stoke, well....I'll give you one  guess where I stood the entire ride back.  Yep you guessed it - right in front of the door with my luggage.  I did not dare move away from the front of the door, in fact I was so close my luggage was touching it.  There was no way I would miss my stop again. As the door opened, I plunged out.... at my destination, panic relieved and with my friend Gill and her husband John.

That whole fiasco only lasted 30 minutes...and it is funny now...and I haven't lived it down since Ive arrived...but I can tell you that was one of the longest 30 minutes of my life!.......