MEHER BABA'S

SUD EXPRESS

Paris-Orleans Night Express

PARIS to IRUN ( SPAIN )

Bridge crossing near Irun, Spain. Image coloured by Anthony Zois.

This is how Meher Baba would have looked like during his visit to Madrid. The photo was taken at Sakkara, Egypt in Dec 1932. Image rendered by Anthony Zois.

In Brief

There are no images of Meher Baba taken in France or Spain on his visit.

This was Meher Baba's 6th visit to the West when he visited France and Spain in October-November 1933.

After visiting London, Meher Baba decided to visit Spain. He departed London at Victoria Station on the Golden Arrow Service to Dover. He took the Conte D'Azur ferry to Calais then Le Bleu to Paris. After he arrived in Paris, he and his small group departed from the Gare d'Orsay railway station travelling on the Paris-Orleans Night Express to the Spanish border town of Irun.

The rail distance then was approximately 750–800 kilometers (around 465–500 miles).

Meher Baba spent a short time, possibly an hour at Irun railway station. He and his group were changing trains for the Madrid-Hendaye line to Avila, then later to Madrid.

This was the only time he was to visit Spain.

* Meher Baba spent 10 days touring Spain from 23rd October to 2nd November, 1933.

Tha Paris to Irun train route ( Sud Express ). Map graphics by A. Zois.

Map shows the train route from London to Paris, then to Irun, Spain.

These are the main towns on the train line from Paris to Irun, Spain.

PARIS ( in order )

ORLEANS

BLOIS

TOURS

POITIERS

ANGOULEME

BORDEAUX

BAYONNE

-----------------------

IRUN, SPAIN

PARIS

Sunday, 22 October 1933

At Victoria Station, a crowd of about 30 was there to see him off at about midday, despite the fact that his departure was being kept strictly private.

Anita, Norina, Minta, Herbert and Quentin were accompanying Baba and the mandali, along with Tom Sharpley, who went as far as Dover to see them off at the ferry.

It was a foggy and cold crossing of the English Channel, yet the sea was not rough. They arrived in Calais and traveled on the Continental Express train to Paris, where they arrived at six that evening.

Anita left the group in Paris, since it had been previously decided by Baba that she be sent to Zurich to study art at Otto Haas-Heye's design school.

The rest of the group boarded the Paris-Orleans Night Express at 8:40 P.M. from the Gare d'Orsay station in Paris.

Their journey was comfortable in the two compartments they occupied exclusively. The Pickford travel agents had done a fine job and handled all the tour details by having their agents meet them along the way. Baba and the group arrived in Irun, Spain, on the morning of 23 October at 8am, and thereafter changed trains for Avila. There was some mix-up regarding their seating which left Chanji, Adi Jr. and Quentin having to stand for the rest of the journey to Avila in Spain.

* The railway route between Irun - Avila & Madrid was called the Madrid-Hendaye railway

Gare d'Orsay station, Paris

The following is the railway station order from Paris to Irun

ORLEANS

BLOIS

TOURS

POITIERS

ANGOULEME

BORDEAUX

BAYONNE

IRUN, SPAIN

Irun Railway Station, 1920s. Image rendition by Anthony Zois.

Meher Baba's rail journey through France to the coastal Spanish town of Irun was followed by 10 days visiting several cities from 23rd October to 2nd November, 1933.

To read these accounts, click on the following links. They are in sequence of the visits.