'We bought the game on purpose': Faced with delays at Morlaix station, these Belgian holidaymakers play cards

There are not a thousand ways to kill time when you have to wait for your train, which was delayed the day after a major sabotage that affected the SNCF network and severely affected traffic in northwestern France. On Saturday, July 27, 2024, inside Morlaix station, Alban, Théophile and Lou, three Belgian friends, are playing Skyjo®. Very similar to Uno®, it is “a simple but precise card game and terribly addictive!”, according to its inventors. “We bought it deliberately to wait, it’s brand new,” says Lou, 20, with a smile. On a two-week vacation in Roscoff and then Plougasnou, the three Belgians are due back today.

“We want to go home”

Their train to Paris-Montparnasse, initially scheduled for 11:48 a.m., was 50 minutes late at the end of the morning. “If there were no further delays, we would then have to take the bus to reach Brussels in 3 hours and 40 minutes,” adds 21-year-old Théophile. On the other hand, if the delay worsens, the group already has a backup plan: “If we miss our bus, we didn’t plan it but… maybe we’ll go to see the Olympics!” concludes 21-year-old Alban.

Outside, in the station square. The family who came from Nancy on holiday to discover the country of Morlaix have their noses in the books. Their return flight to Lorraine has been cancelled, forcing the couple and their two children to disrupt their plans. “So we're going to spend the weekend in Rennes,” whispers the mother. Next to him, the father is a little reluctant about the Olympics. “We really don't want to go there, all we want is to go home.”