Had the usual palava trying to get home for Christmas. Thanks to a general strike in Belgium today there were no Eurostar trains running from Brussels, so had to rely on a friend to drive us to Lille, where we were able to catch a train (where they were all now starting) from there.
Actually, it wasn't really that much of a hassle. More of an irritation. I think this must be the 4th or 5th time, I've lost track, I or we, have experienced some sort of disruption trying to get home. Travelling around Christmas time should always be avoided where possible.
The strike itself was in protest against government plans to reform public sector pensions. However, even though the strike was scheduled for today, public transport had been affected since Tuesday, with wildcat, impromptu strikes, bringing parts of the network to a standstill for about four days.
Luckily, I was able to get to work on the Tuesday, but wasn't so lucky yesterday, with all train services in Wallonia being cancelled. I'm really not sure you'd be able to get away with wildcat strikes in England. Not the first time I've been on the receiving end.
The Eurostar train itself was virtually empty, with most people, I guess, opting to travel tomorrow.
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