Discussion: Gallic efficiency!

Welcome to France and the accompanying Gallic efficiency. The TGV and Metro systems work well (except when there are strikes, and then chaos reigns), but the district trains (RER and TER) are a real mixed bag and are often subject to disruption. Glad you got to experience Versailles, though!

Weekend shutdowns for works happen everywhere - what I can't work out is why they didn't just direct everyone to get the Metro to Montparnasse and then the N line from there. Would have been much more efficient than what we actually did.

What! Take all the challenge out of it! Perish the thought.

I have been enduring too much of the airport efficiency at Charles de Gaulle airport in recent weeks, with loooong queues at immigration control and security checks. It is generally necessary to allow at least an hour to get through these, and there are often quite a few people who are frantically trying to get to the font of the line so they don’t miss their flights. I just hope they improve this situation in time for the 2024 Olympics!

Glad I didn't have any immigration checks leaving Canberra last night because despite laying around for hours during the afternoon with the people we were staying with and having so much time to spare after packing, I got to the airport to check in just as they were closing the luggage check in for my flight. I got upset after passing through security that they once again picked me for a security check - there were two of us going through and they let the guy in front of me pass by without incident! Telling them your flight's boarding doesn't get you through any faster either.

No that old trick does NOT work.

I've often found the security staff at Canberra to be very thorough - my theory is that they're trying to impress the national security types who go through there. Also trying to impress the national security types at Canberra Airport are the advertisers - you won't find a more impressive array of high-tech weaponry advertised anywhere in the developed world (although I would hope that our defence procurement decisions involve more rigour than "we bought this missile because it looked good on the billboards at the airport").