Hiking the GR10 - Pyrenees

Our Etihad flight to Paris via Abu Dhabi, departs Saturday June 17th and is due to arrive in Paris at 2.35pm Sunday June 18th.  This year, we’ve bought Reisenthel Tote bags so we can carry our backpacks and most of our gear in the cabin.  The sharps and walking poles will go in checked-in luggage in a small overnight bag.   We’ll have a few hours in Paris to do a bit of sight seeing on Sunday afternoon before walking to the Gare d’Austerlitz TGV Station on the south side of Paris.  Our plan is to get the overnight TGV from Gare Austerlitz to Pau in a sleeping cabin and I’ve already booked a 2nd Class 6 berth cabin.  

This all sounds good and that was the plan that was not to be.  We were going standby business class but the plane was full on Sunday - even economy, so we after 4hrs at Brisbane International airport we organised a Uber ride home.  But of course we’d emptied the fridge so Ian had a beer with some date scones that I had forgotten to give Bonnie in the left overs bag and I had a scotch with jazz and butter -  all the cheese went to Bonnie as well.  Bonnie had warned us that mid June was a bit too late to go standby because the week before the school holidays, everyone wants to leave before the holidays start, thinking they would be leaving before everyone else - and she was right. A plane packed full of families trying to avoid the holiday rush.

PLAN B.  Back to the airport on Sunday night with a mental mindset to go economy if we needed to.  And we needed to.  But the economy  seats were OK.  Seats 44H and 44K were the last 2 seats at the back of the plane, because of the narrowing curve towards the tail, there was a 60cm gap between us and the window where a 3rd seat would have been had there been room.  Before I had even sat down and buckled up, I had decided this would be a good spot to lay down on the floor. 

The Etihad flight left on time at 10.35pm anda  few movies and a simple but nice meal of lamb later, and I’m on the floor stretched out and Ian is spread across two seats.  This all worked very well until the host came and explained that sleeping on the floor was not allowed - as if I didn’t already know but feigned ignorance. 

At 6.15am we arrive in Abu Dhabi where we head to the transfer desk to register for standby on the Paris leg.  We already know there’s no business class but there’s 30 economy seats spare so it will be ok.  I immediately re-book our TGV from Paris for the following night and add another night to our Hotel in Pau.  Not much lost in the scheme of things and on the Monday night the 1st class TGV cost not much more than 2nd class couchettes.  The lost night in the Pau Hotel would also come in handy, as we could check into our room when we arrive in Pau at 8am in the morning.