If any owners of chipless-and-pinless credit cards are reading this, you can still pick up train tickets in France, just go to a ticket window instead of the machine. Or I understand SNCF has storefronts in Paris.

Thanks Adrienne I know you are right but I was attending a travel expo this morning and wanted to have most of my facts before I attended just in case there were any deals worth taking. It was pretty good, we managed to get 10% of car hire in the UK but Eurail Pass prices were not availabe. Apparently none of the literature for them turned up on time. But I think we will buy point to point tickets on-line and perhaps a German Eurail Pass as TimS has suggested.

Don't worry I am sure I will come up with more queries if you can stand it.

Thanks again everyone for your help. Sorry for being so annoying.