Quel Dommage

My son lives in Aberystwyth which is not as bad as trying to say Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Aber means mouth of (river Ystwyth). Don’t mock. Welsh - Brythonic - is the oldest language in Europe. It’s where we get Briton from. Anyway. He was due to arrive on Friday to spend time with us in Amboise. He booked the only bus from Aber to London. It arrives at 16.00. He managed to get connections to us via Bla Bla Bus but they changed 7 times not a misprint and have now cancelld. We are all gutted.

Oh no! What a pity :frowning:

merci bien - c’est la vie !!!:confused:

I never realized the English find Aberystwyth difficult, although they usually pronounce it wrong (rist instead of rust). How are you on Machynlleth?
Shame about the coach. I believe bla bla bus is the sncf coach service? My daughter had bad experiences with them under their previous name. She found eurolines and megabus better.

I have friends in Machynlleth, lovely place, fabulous welshcakes from that baker near the Arts centre :heart:

That must be frustrating and very disappointing for you. Sorry to hear things didn’t work out.

And also the splendid Centre For Alternative Technology.

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Try getting them to pronounce Ynysmeudwy…where I used to live - much hilarity ensued when I tried to tell the school admin where I lived when I first moved there.

My sadness is not knowing Welsh, but I do study and try hard with the pronunciation. My grandfathers were brothers from a Welsh speaking family in Llanelli. Gt.Grandpa went over to Cornwall for work and married a local girl. He later brought her back to Llanelli to live but the family shunned her for being (as they thought) English and refused to speak the language though they could.

She was made of sterner stuff and swore that her boys (my Grandpas) would not learn Welsh, though they did later. So I wish that they had given me a grounding in the language, but as both moved to England and married ‘proper’ English girls, so only English in both families.

A cousin married a Welshman from Llannfairfechan who had been punished at school if heard speaking Welsh, so was forced to learn English. Later, in retirement they returned to the town and went to night school to learn, and re-learn, Welsh. At their advanced age both found it too difficult and gave up. So sad, but it happened all over Europe back then, Breton, Friesian, Sami (Lapps). We are all more enlightened now (except in China I hear) and even Cornish, once almost dead, is revived somewhat. I even have a Cornish/English dictionary, alongside my Welsh one.

Sorry about your son Pamela, I know the feeling, mine is in Thailand and has not been seen in these parts for years. :frowning:

And the Alternative Energy Centre too.
I am so sorry that your son had such a trying experience.
I have been looking at Bla Bla Cat to go to Munich and their website has changed beyond belief.
You used to be able to look at what was on offer and see which was the more convenient to yhou.
Now you have to put in an exact date and place of departure.
It is all rubbish.

Have you tried flixbus? We’ve used them and found them good.

Fine on Machynlleth. Spent pleasant weekend there visiting said son in Aber. Stayed on a farm. How about Blaenau FFestiniog? Bla Bla was SNCF - OUIbus - Megabus doesn’t go from Aber. We think Bla Bla might be going to the wall. My ex husband had a job in Ynyshir he was asking people directions to Wine Oh Sher. I was brought up in Cardiff. Was in the Urdd Eisteddfod Choir unable to speak one word of Welsh.

Does that go to other countries?
I want to travel to Munch.

Eurolines certainly cover most of Europe although you may have to make some connecting services. National Express used to partner with Eurolines and the service was excellent,however they moved to teaming with ouibus ( now Bla Bla Bus). The biggest advantage is that the coach station is only a short walk from Gare de Lyon/ Gare de Bercy unlike Eurolines. However it is generally not as good as it was

I can go by train from Chalons sur Saone with one connection, but it costs an arm and a leg.
So much for trying to take cars off the road!

Eurolines Paris Lyon did stop at Chalons sur Saone

Did?
Where did it go to from there I wonder?

It’s a few years since I used that particular coach service and we stopped on the way from Paris to Lyon

Flixbus is german…it goes from Chalon to Paris and onward to munich. Or Geneva to Munich with a change in Cologne. Slow, but comfortable.

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I love the coach journeys approach them as part of the holiday and they are great