IN NICE, FRANCE
WHAT started out as a dream work assignment/vacation to the south of France, is quickly turning into a nightmare - because it just won’t end.
I should be at home in Singapore now. But I am instead trapped in Nice, all alone, with cash running low and little fresh laundry and toiletries left. That my “prison” happens to be one of France’s most picturesque coastal cities is scant consolation.
Over the last few days, my days have been spent shuttling to train stations and fighting off crowds. As if things could not get any worse, train workers have also decided to go on strike – adding to the already chaotic situation caused by the giant volcanic ash cloud that hangs over parts of Europe.
Both my flights, from Nice to Paris, then from Paris to Singapore, have been cancelled.
Even though countries have slowly started to reopen their airspace, the threat of a second ash plume may brings things back to square one. Poland, as it were, decided to close its airspace again.
So, I have to resorted to exploring other ways – but the problem is, I am not alone.
At the Gare SCNF train station, where I have been haunting for the past few days, it had been a messy picture with travellers fighting to find their way home via rail transport.
But just as trains were proving to be a reprieve for frustrated and tired travellers, rail workers decided to go on strike over the weekend. This most untimely strike meant that thousands were left with no option, save for other, pricier options such as taking a taxi or renting a car. The strike thankfully ended on Monday.
But as one could imagine, the reopening of the train network caused even more of a mess as there was now a backlog from the weekend traffic. Travellers, trudging along huge backpacks and trolley bags, swarmed the station, trying to grab the limited seats on the trains back home. Queues snaked at the ticket counters, while the information desk and even the tourism centre in Nice were overwhelmed with enquiries.
For everyone, it has become a game of finding various alternate routes back home or to airports that are still open. News of flights making it out of Europe gave many, including me, hope.
But at the Nice Cote d’azur airport, I fared little better. The flight departure and arrival boards were full of cancellations, and travellers wandered about, looking lost.
But at least I had free coffee and biscuits, which the airport offered to everyone.
The few flights that were operating, seem to be all full, with people creating a big rush at the check-in counters. That the airport is operating on a day-to-day basis adds to the uncertainty.
With a lack of options, tourists have been forced to remain in the city. At my hotel, a chat with the receptionist revealed that guests have been returning to extend their stays, after being turned away at the airport.
At internet cafes, I spotted people frantically trying to book flights at terminals. I too, am doing the same, checking out which flights, even those at ungodly timings, are available, just so I can finally come home.
Stranded tourists are everywhere. A British girl I struck up a conversation with during a day trip out of Nice, told me she was stranded here for at least another three days. Like what everyone else is doing, she had booked a train to Paris, where she is taking the EuroStar, a high speed rail network connecting Britain and France, back home to London.
But it does not help that Europe is an expensive place to be stranded in, for a Singaporean at least. Phone calls home cost a bomb and there are no $2 chicken rice in sight. A simple sandwich will already set you back about $6. My stash of euro, which is dwindling, would have to be stretched, so I survive on baguettes and biscuits. Of equal concern is my supply of fresh clothes and toiletries, which I have to make last, as well.
The reopening of the airspace is encouraging. But given the thousands of stranded passengers, it will probably be days before I can even think of making it home.