From Bordeaux with Low-carbon Love!

My journey started at London’s St Pancras Station, where I embarked on the first of a series of train-based adventures, initially embarking on the Eurostar from London to Paris, a much more relaxing, and convenient, as well as sustainable approach to crossing the channel to mainland Europe when compared to flying, and thanks to the coveted Eurostar sale, much cheaper!

I travelled to Paris a few days before the conference with one of my sisters, and we spent the weekend wondering around this truly beautiful city, exploring Montmartre, the plethora of Parisian markets and vintage clothing stores that line the streets, whilst enjoying a myriad of tasty treats, perhaps most notably the seasonal ‘Bigarreau’ cherries, and ‘baguette du ton’ from stores on the wonderful Rue des Martyrs.

Taking advantage of the opportunity train travel provides: exploring places on the journey to one’s destination, rather than just rushing from A to B via plane, I noticed that I was able to settle into the French culture, increasing my confidence in my use of the French language, and enjoying the hustle and bustle of Paris through use of other sustainable transport options, such as the metro.

Travel via train to Bordeaux was comfortable, efficient and a wonderful way to get a glimpse of rural France, watching the grey blocks of Paris flicker away into suburban housing, telephone lines and then miles and miles of fields speckled with auburn cows, horses and farmhouses, as we moved further south, something one misses from the more impersonal experience of flying.

A short two and a half hours later I had arrived in the warm and welcoming city of Bordeaux, and, propelled by the ease and simplicity of my sustainable journey so far, alongside the conference kindly providing free use of public transport, I took the bus to my accommodation, which really emphasized that for sustainable travel options to become a more ubiquitous part of how we explore the world, they need to be convenient, and financially accessible.

Attending PNIRS in Bordeaux enabled me to develop as a junior researcher through presenting and engaging in discussions with senior scientists and researchers from across the globe on my research and career aspirations.

I was also able to explore Bordeaux using public transport in breaks over the four conference days, using the city tram to enjoy lunch at the Marché du Capucins, visit the Cathedral Saint-Andre, Jardin Public, Place de La Bourse and stroll through the central cobbled streets of Rue du Saint Catherine.

My journey home, from Bordeaux to Paris, followed by Paris to London by train was similarly calm, and the slower pace of the train enabled me to wind down, and reflect on the busy four days of research buzz, of course while enjoying some local snacks (roasted noisettes from my earlier market visit).

Prior to embarking on this wonderful adventure, whilst I had always felt sustainability, including in the context of travel, was important, financial and efficiency costs were my priority.

However, thanks to The IGUANA initiative, my experience of travelling to Bordeaux has enabled me to realise that sustainability doesn’t have to be an optional ‘extra’, rather, it can easily be integrated into one’s travel and often enhances one’s journey from both an efficiency and cultural perspective.

Watching the world go by on a train, whilst enjoying products grown from the earth also highlights how sustainable travel enables us to stay more connected to the planet, and so feel a greater sense of appreciation, and responsibility for protecting it through reducing factors such as carbon emissions. Through The IGUANA initiative, I was able to save approximately

346.5Kg of CO2 emissions, and perhaps more importantly, change my mindset towards sustainable travel, so that it will be a central part of my journey for trips to come.