Hi Shereen
do you know who is going on strike we are due to get the ferry back on the 7th
the last time we were stuck in a french blockade it was diabolical .they are like velcro balls THEY STICK TOGETHER TIGHTLY plan if you can but be prepared to be flexible MOS xx
sit down with a cupa and the urge will subside
Hi MOS
I saw the mention of a strike on the Trip Advisor forum. This is the only English web link I've got to hand an this little pooter: http://www.easytravelreport.com/ (France is a third of the way down the first column.
http://www.ratp.info/touristes/index.php?langue=en are affected and SNCF are voting next week.
I've asked in a few online places and will pass on any useful info I get.
Some more info:
"The thing is we never know beforehand how serious the strike will be. Sometimes they are announced as a serious strike and everything works normally, other days on a supposedly small strike the train stations are simply closed down!
If you're coming during the big demonstrations of September 7, avoid all the big plazas (Bastille, Nation, République) and avenues. Perfect occasion for a stroll in the Marais for instance!
I say, as long as you've thought about the cab service, you'll be good, but it might be a bit more expensive if the cab gets caught in a traffic jam."
And this is the Google translation of the relevant Union webpage.
And finally: TripAdvisor
Shereen,
The unions are having meeting today to decide if they go on strike and which unions will go on strike. They are objecting to the governments plans to change pensions. If it happens there will not be much notice. Should know more this week.
If the trains go on strike then the trains just won't work. If all the unions come out (which I don't think will happen) then the whole of France will be closed shut.
As some have mentioned, it is difficult to predict how big/small the strike will be; but this one is a general strike so teachers, all govt employees, sncf, etc could be on strike. It is a protest about lengthening of retirement age and pensions I believe. Sorry if this is vague, but the last one was predicted to be huge and was really not that big. I think it probably depends how much people want to miss work just after the Rentr2e (return to school)
Merci Forumites.
I've booked a shuttle taxi via the hotel for our Tuesday trip, and if needs be we'll travel with carry on luggage only.
I've also set up a Google News alert and am keeping an eye on the Tripadvisor forums.
The lady I spoke to at the hotel was lovely - I could almost hear her shrug as she said "eh, every year it is the same thing and we never know how it will be." 🙂
Hi guys. Sorry I've been quiet online here in recent days. Work days were longer than usual as I needed to get everything done before my week off. I'm not a fan of the 8am to 6pm working day, but will suffer it for a while for a good cause.
Any online time I've had has been spent addictively reading Tripadvisor forums and translating le Monde and le Figaro articles through the magic of Google Translate.
It's looking like some of the air traffic controllers' unions may be involved and that could impact our flights. There will be restrictions on number of flights allowed in French airspace. At the minute Air France is saying they'll run the majority of their flights. We'll be prepared for delays at either airport as best we can.
If this trip was just G and I it would be easier. The fact it's DadTrip 2010 and he's been highlighting exciting bits in his guide book for weeks, means I worry more.
MOS - I've found nothing mentioning any of the ports yet. If they do I'll post it here.
I'm meant to be on a plane landing at CDG airport around now but the flight was canceled this morning due to the strike. Boo.
Thankfully I'd been stalking the CDG and Belfast airport flight status webpages and got wind of it really early on. We've re-arranged the flights and hotels[1] and hopefully the holiday will kick off as planned, just a day later. Yay!
One learning point from all this - always give Easyjet a mobile contact number for bookings. I got a text from them at 10:22 telling me about the cancellation. Admittedly this was long after the CDG webpage flagged it up, and a bit after my EJ account page updated. But it was still much earlier than their email update. That didn't arrive in until 14:09 - three quarters of an hour before the flight was due to leave.
Keep your fingers crossed for me for tomorrow. Ta!
[1] in an insane hour and a half of phone calls, emails and webforms.
Cheers folks.
I honestly believe our re-arranging went so smoothly because I'd been checking the flight status webpages every 10-15 minutes this morning.
I've raided the freezer for dinner and we're about to have a glass of wine and try and get over the weird feeling that we're at home when we're not supposed to be
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