Another Reason to Appreciate French Trains

I love the romance of train stations, the rush of people dashing for departing cars, the embraces on arrival. I like the lofty iron canopies of the old stations and the sleek glass walls of the new ones. But in winter and during the holidays with everyone on the move, standing in crowds and drafts? Not so much. So I was happy to find this very nifty site put up by SNCF, Gare en Mouvement, a virtual station that lets you check on possible delays before you head for the station. There's all kinds of useful info.  You can check arrivals and departures, whether the station has WiFi, the location of parking around the station, train connections -- and you can do it for stations all over the country in five languages.  (Drawing from the charming Paris Sketchbook of British animation artist Matt Jones)