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Summary Hollande headed off on vacation by train not plane in a break with his flashy predecessor Sarkozy.
Frugally-minded Hollande, who promised during springs presidential campaign to save money by catching trains, took high-speed rail on Thursday from Paris with his girlfriend, Valerie Trierweiler.Theyre headed for the Fort de Bregancon, an official retreat in southeastern France.They travelled first class. But its a stark contrast from the unpopular Sarkozy, who was criticized for vacationing using a Dassault Falcon 7X jet and an Airbus dubbed Air Sarko One.Hollande has carefully cultivated a Mr Normal image.He says traveling by train is an important symbol at a time when many French want to go on vacation and cant.
