Having a cheap and cheerful lunch in Venice reminded me of a day out in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence some five years ago. If you like a good train journey and a cheap lunch, read on Macduff.
Most likely you will start out from Nice. Be sure to go to Gare de Nice CP, not Gare de Nice-Ville which is the main station some 400 metres away. Frankly you will be disappointed by this small modern station opened in 1991. Nor will the small train thrill you especially, although it does have big windows. The narrow gauge railway may excite you a little and the three and a half hour journey up through the foothills of the Alps is the main attraction. There are lots of stops and you could extend the journey by getting off to explore. We didn’t; after a climb of 3,356 feet we arrived at Digne les Bains at lunchtime. There should have been time to explore the Roman town and have lunch but fate intervened.
The train conductor bobbed into the station cafe and we followed him for an aperitif before exploring. It became clear that an excellent lunch could be had and it seemed pointless to look elsewhere. We had a table outside and went within to replenish our plates and wine – both were ad lib and the bill was circa Euros 20. I saw rather less of the scenery on the return journey.
The Train des Pignes is run by the Chemins de Fer de Provence. It’s high time I reprised the journey.