Coming back from Cannes Lions 2015 I was booked on the train from Nice - not only was there a huge French railways strike but the taxis were blockading Nice and not allowing anybody into the town, station or airport.

Fortunately national trains were still running. But, unable to get a taxi anyway, the manager of my hotel kindly drove me himself to Cannes station where the train stopped.

In Paris, not only were taxis striking but the Metro had two hour long queues. A fat man offered to drive me to the Gare du Nord to get Eurostar. I discovered he was on a motorbike. I had to don a helmet and with luggage strapped precariously on the back we zoomed off at 100 KPH, at 45 degrees around cars. "If the taxi drivers see us they will first kill me, then you" he said.

I wasn't keen on motor bikes when I was younger but at 70 I very nearly fell off several times. But we did reach the Gare du Nord. He charged me 60 Euros (three times normal taxi rates).

At the station I was charged 250 Euros for a new ticket (I'd been due to catch it the next day).

But at least I got home in one piece, shaken, stirred but safe and sound.