I got to Paris around 1pm, and had a little time before my next train at 3pm. I briefly considered dropping off my luggage and heading into the city one last time, but instead decided it would be wiser to stick around the train station. And it's not like I was slumming it at the train station:
Gare de Lyon, French for "Wow that's a fancy train station", or so I assume.
I had lunch at the French equivalent of Tim Horton's, where my sandwich came with a drink and an eclair!
It can't be duck confit for every meal, but this was pretty good too.
Luckily nothing too exciting happened** on any of the three following train rides. The weather was good and the scenery was gorgeous.
My view as we were at a stop near the entry of the Chamonix valley***.
I finally arrived in Chamonix a little before 9pm. It is fantastic. Everything you'd think a little French alpine ski village should be, it is. I walked through a bit of town on my way to the hotel, and there is a river running right down the middle, and cute, quaint little shops, and flowers everywhere.
Yes this is a real place!!!
The sun was just setting, and there were people out walking around and sitting down for drinks or dinner at all of the restaurants and outdoor cafes. I made my way quickly to the hotel so I could get back out and join everyone!
Front of my hotel, the Park Hotel Suisse.
Panoramic shot out my hotel room window. I guess this will suffice.
I found a restaurant right on the main street, and ordered French Onion Soup (just onion soup in France), and what I thought was a pint of raspberry beer. I mean, there were 3 different sizes listed on the menu, but they were all in mL or some crazy measuring unit we don't use in America, and I asked the waiter- who spoke English very well and so must have just seen an opportunity to mess with me- which size was about a pint, because I didn't want one of those little wine glasses, you know? So he pointed to the middle size, and I said okay, and then next thing I know, a gallon of beer was being delivered to my table.
It is hard to tell in the picture, but I had to use both hands to lift the glass and yes, the people at the table across the way did laugh at me.
The beer was basically both my appetizer and my dessert.
The forecast for tomorrow looks good in the morning, but then there's potential for storms in the afternoon, so I need to get to bed and get up an at 'em early!
*No, like actually, it was hard. I'm not going to get into it here, but if not for the pair of friendly German wedding guests taking me on a little detour as they tried to leave for Frankfort, I would still be in Sancerre.
**Not that there wasn't potential for something exciting. And disastrous. When switching trains at Bellegarde, I went to the correct track, and somehow had the presence of mind to confirm my train with one of the staff people standing nearby. (When I say confirm, I mean, point at my ticket and point at the train and say "oui?") I did not have an assigned seat on this train, so I would have just gotten on the first car, had the person not steered me further back. Apparently the trains COME APART while you are riding, and if I'd gotten into the first car I would have gone to a completely different place. Tricky!
***Probably is not called Chamonix valley. Probably is Mont Blanc valley, or, really, I don't know.
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