Jim & Happy : Do you know what this is?

Bloody bloody bloody!!!!!!

It is a fine for ticket evasion – can you believe it?

The story is today we went to catch the train into Nice. The ticket machine was not operational which, is a common occurrence we have been told. Obviously we have been lucky up till now we have been able to buy our tickets without any problems.

No worries, we will buy our tickets from the conductor on the train that is what our German friend from last weeks train trip to the market told us.

We have been on the train only a few minutes when Jim catches the eye of the conductor. He asks for two return tickets and extends his hand to her with the 10.40 Euros ($15) fare whilst explaining the ticket machine wasn’t working. She looks down on us dismissing Jim’s offer of cash and says that will be 35 Euros ($50) each because we boarded the train without a ticket.

Jim tries to explain again about the machine and us buying a ticket now. The stoic good looking blonde is as hard as nails and relentless in demanding 70 Euros ($100) from us.

Jim explains we were told we could buy the ticket from the conductor – she says yes that is correct but you have to approach the conductor on the platform before you board the train.

What !@?** you are kidding me – how are we to know this.

The technicality being buy the ticket before you get on the train as the sign says BUT the sign is on the inside of the train as she also points out to us.

I said to Jim thinking back our German friend from last week may have mentioned this & we have both seen the notice in regards to travelling without a ticket but nothing about having to purchase the ticket prior to boarding the train - too late to piece it all together after the event and lacking confidence to find that sign to prove a point.

I was so upset I felt like crying but I thought I wouldn’t cry in front of this robotic blonde. I was feeling so good up till then with my new smart looking haircut and blow wave from the hairdressers visit earlier that morning.

Now that I have come to terms with our loss of money and the unfairness of the situation I will tell you about the hairdresser. It is common in France for hairdressers to do home visits so we asked Nicola if she knew of one and she gave us Meri’s number. Meri was lovely, an American about our age who has been living in France for the past 14 years.

Jim had a hair and beard trim and looks very neat again. He was looking very woolly. I had a trim and she blow waved my hair straight. It looks good for a few days till I wash it again and it goes into it’s normal state of every which way.