We’re just back from France, where we took a TGV down to Provence and back.

Two things to note about this:

1. First class was relatively cheap. About £99 return for a 700 mile journey.
2. The trains were fast, smooth, and efficient, and the staff spoke more than just one language.

Compare this to the experiences we’ve had since we got back on Sunday night.

First, the tube line we needed to take when we arrived back in London was closed, so we had to take a taxi. Despite the fact that we were trying to pick one up at St Pancras, the station that’s home to the Eurostar, and thus the first experience many visitors have of the country, it took us 35 minutes to get to the front of the queue. Then we got stuck in traffic. For ages.

Monday morning, back on the train in to London, delays due to an emergency speed restriction. And on the way home, delays because the train in front of us had a problem with one of its doors.

And then tonight: more delays because of signal problems at Romford.

Utterly hopeless, and all the more depressing when you’ve got something to compare it to.