Cross post from backroom: Travel advice in France

Hello to all my Frontroom friends. Sorry for the cross-post with the backroom, but I know there's folks that visit one and not the other, and I need your help, in a hurry.....

So, I know NOTHING about train service in Europe. Zilch. Nada. Nyet.

And I have to find a way to get from Rennes to Bordeaux one night. I've heard trains are the way to go for such regional travel, but the TGV, the SCNF and the RailEurope sites all seem to want me to travel by way of Paris, which appears to add substantial time and distance. The first two have the unfortunate habit of reverting to French if the orgination and destination are both within France.

Any assistance tendered will be most graciously praised and appreciated, si vouz plait.

Also, as a native English, somewhat Spanish speaker with little to no French in my vocabulary, I'm terrified. Can somebody tell me how gauche it is to be seen carrying a phrasebook around? If I start now, do I have any hope of being 'presentable' in 2 weeks?

As I said, I'll be in Rennes and Bordeaux, not Paris directly (other than a brief change of planes in DeGaulles).

Thanks for the help/advice.

Merci.

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Originally Posted by Don Corleone

Hello to all my Frontroom friends. Sorry for the cross-post with the backroom, but I know there's folks that visit one and not the other, and I need your help, in a hurry.....

So, I know NOTHING about train service in Europe. Zilch. Nada. Nyet.

And I have to find a way to get from Rennes to Bordeaux one night. I've heard trains are the way to go for such regional travel, but the TGV, the SCNF and the RailEurope sites all seem to want me to travel by way of Paris, which appears to add substantial time and distance. The first two have the unfortunate habit of reverting to French if the orgination and destination are both within France.

Any assistance tendered will be most graciously praised and appreciated, si vouz plait.

Also, as a native English, somewhat Spanish speaker with little to no French in my vocabulary, I'm terrified. Can somebody tell me how gauche it is to be seen carrying a phrasebook around? If I start now, do I have any hope of being 'presentable' in 2 weeks?

As I said, I'll be in Rennes and Bordeaux, not Paris directly (other than a brief change of planes in DeGaulles).

Thanks for the help/advice.

Merci.

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Well though I'm not hunderd procent familiar with the French train system (I have only i-used it to go to Paris, but then again all railways lead to Paris in France). Well I can't say what line to take but I can have a check. You should use the normal train site, not the TGV or so site. As that is for international and big city travelling only. Are you going on a weekday or during the weekend? Usually there are fewer trains at the weekends.
Also of course a French will always like it if you can speak French. But if you don't they're usually very happy to help you if you try. Nobody knows every language perfect, but trying to talk it is always very postively accepted. Even if it remains with just a few words as merci beaucoup, or bonjour and stuff.
Of course it's hard to estimate if your presentable. It depens to who you present yourself too.

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Originally Posted by Moros

Well though I'm not hunderd procent familiar with the French train system (I have only i-used it to go to Paris, but then again all railways lead to Paris in France). Well I can't say what line to take but I can have a check. You should use the normal train site, not the TGV or so site. As that is for international and big city travelling only. Are you going on a weekday or during the weekend? Usually there are fewer trains at the weekends.
Also of course a French will always like it if you can speak French. But if you don't they're usually very happy to help you if you try. Nobody knows every language perfect, but trying to talk it is always very postively accepted. Even if it remains with just a few words as merci beaucoup, or bonjour and stuff.
Of course it's hard to estimate if your presentable. It depens to who you present yourself too.

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Thank you sir. Starting to look more and more as though a rental car would be the way to go though.

De rien monsieur, je t' aide avec plaisir.

If you do that you migt want to take a quick look over the traffic regulations and laws. I've heard that most European ones differ with US's quite a bit. Though I might be mistaken. Also don't you go driven left, that's British.

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Originally Posted by Don Corleone

Thank you sir. Starting to look more and more as though a rental car would be the way to go though.

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If you do decide to drive stay off the toll roads. The 'A' roads are pretty good and you will save a fortune. I hadn't spoken French since I left school in 1976 but I managed to get through to the locals, without resorting to shouting at the top of my voice and waving my arms about, I might add. ~;) :driver:

Right. Some of that was meant as humor. In truth, I imagine the French, like the Chinese and many other nations will speak English, most likely more happily if I at least make an attempt to be polite and learn a few phrases to show some respect. But for the love of God, don't ask me to spell anything. I've never figured out what the different accents mean, let alone when to use them. At least in Spanish, they only have one and it always means the same thing, it alters the grammatical rules of which syllable to stress.