Ridin' the Rails

It was hard* saying goodbye to Natalie, Christie and the rest of Sancerre this morning, but I was excited to move on to my next destination- Chamonix, a small town on the far eastern edge of France, just across the border from Italy and at the base of Mont Blanc.

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.

Le Mariage

Natalie’s younger sister Lara is going to have a tough act to follow when she plans her wedding, as Natalie’s wedding really could not have been more perfect.

The day started with a trip to the local salon for the bridesmaids to get their hair done. When Natalie asked me last month if I wanted to get my hair done too, I considered the expense, but then also considered that I wouldn’t have a curling iron or possibly even a hair drier with me, and the hair appointment seemed like a pretty wise idea.  

Brilliant idea, actually, I looooooved the way my hair turned out.

The three women working at the salon were extremely talented and worked quickly, despite the language barriers. Natalie and one of the bridesmaids, Anjuli, were able to provide some translation, but for the most part hand gestures and head nods seem to do the trick.  The stylists got quite a kick out of all of us too. When bridesmaid Jessie took out the bottle of champagne and started mixing it with raspberry sorbet, one of them smiled and said (in French) “little early in the morning to be drinking, no?”. Anjuli heard her and commented that of course it wasn't, this was a wedding! Then she asked what French bridesmaids do, and the woman explained that in France, they don’t have bridesmaids. The bride might have a few little girls stand up with her, but otherwise, the wedding isn’t that big of a deal. She doesn’t even usually get her hair done for it, and she certainly doesn’t have an entourage of 7 more women getting their hair done as well. Anjuli told her that in America, it’s like a long party all day long for the bride and the bridesmaids, and the stylist just shrugged and said she thought we were British.

The wedding was scheduled to start at 5, so after some lunch and relaxation time, we all got ready, and made our way to the venue. The ceremony was taking place at what was essentially a large patio outside of one of the town’s government buildings, overlooking the hillside below. It was gorgeous. I mean, like, the kind of setting that you’d see in a movie and think no way does anyone in real life ever get married at a place like that. 

Oh, I should also mention that by this time, the weather in France had  returned to normal temperatures capable of supporting human life, so in addition to having an impossibly gorgeous setting, Natalie and Joe got an impossibly gorgeous day too.

Natalie & Joe exchanging rings under the chuppah.

Me & Natalie after the wedding- finally got to wear the black sparkly dress!!!

After the wedding there were pictures and a French tradition called a champagne toast*, and then it was time for dinner. We walked a few blocks, back to the square near where we were staying, and went to the restaurant, Sacripanti. It was a good thing those few blocks of walking were included, because we were about to partake in one of the most gluttonous meals of our lives.

Wine: white

First course: gazpacho soup- cold and refreshing, with little bits of cheese, delicious

Second course: salad**

Bread: of course there was bread, it’s France, there’s always bread

Wine: switched here to red

Main course: candied duck leg- prepared like roasted chicken but even more tasty; potato something- incredible, could have licked plate; green beans- is important to have vegetables; mixed mushrooms- tasty but was starting to get full

Um…next course: fruit salad- blackberries (yum), strawberries (yum), blueberries (skipped those), and unknown small red berries that looked like big pomegranate seeds, but lighter red in color and very tart (yum)

Cheese plate: of course there was a cheese plate, it’s France, there’s always a cheese plate

Dessert: macarons cake with sparklers on top- see below

Bonus Dessert: variety of tarts, I selected some sort of custard variety  and it was phenomenal

Natalie & Joe’s wedding “cake” was six tiers of brightly-colored macarons, topped with three giant sparklers, that, when the restaurant dimmed the lights and delivered it to the bride and groom, really brought the house down.

The meal lasted 4 and a half delicious hours.

Following dinner, the party moved out to the square so the dancing could begin. Neither Natalie nor Joe fell off their chairs when they were lifted up for the chair dance, though Natalie’s grandma did get a little carried away during the Hava and crashed into one of the barricades***.

I don’t recall what song Natalie & Joe are dancing here to for their first dance, but I definitely know what song Natalie used for her father-daughter dance. Bonus points if you can guess too. Marea- I know you can get this one.

The day and the night were both magical, and at several points I found myself saying, “I can’t believe this is real.” It was such an honor to get to celebrate with Natalie, and I hope she enjoyed the day as much as I and all of the other guests did.

Good luck Lara.

*Exactly what it sounds like.

**Honestly don’t really remember much about this course.

***She is the coolest Grandma ever, just brushed it off and was totally fine.

Belle's Village

All leading up to this trip, I was joking that Sancerre, the village where Natalie's wedding would take place, looked like the inspiration for the village where Belle grew up in Beauty and the Beast.

The joke was real.

This is Belle's village.

View from the tower, looking out over the village and the vineyards beyond. I am staying in the white house just left of the center.

Christie and I took the train from Paris to Sancerre this morning, and arrived in the village shortly after noon. After hugs with Natalie, we met up with some of the other wedding guests for a wine tour. The guide took us to their facility in town, told us a little about their wines, and then we went down two floors to the cave (pronounced caaaav), where saw their oak barrel storage and sampled a few wines.

Yes I like winery tours almost as much as I like brewery tours.

After the tour I had some free time to walk around the village and look for Belle, Maurice, Gaston, etc*.

The village square.

Cute side street in village. Could be any street. They are all this cute.

Belle's house?!?!

Yes, this is a real place. Not EPCOT.

Oh, you know, just your average chateau and gardens on the edge of town.

We finished up the day with the wedding rehearsal**, a delicious pizza rehearsal dinner, and drinks & live music at Martine's bar, down the street.

Natalie in her casual white dress, walking to the rehearsal.

Check out Natalie's parents dancing on the left. So adorable. 

Tomorrow is the big day! Can't wait!!!

*Obviously did not find any of them since Belle & Maurice have moved on to live at the Beast's beautiful and secluded castle, and Gaston had that unfortunate roof accident.

**I have been asked to be the official usher/bouncer/musical director/DJ Jazzy Beth. Very excited.

The Hottest Women in Paris

I know it is wrong to complain about a trip to Europe in any way, so please note that I am not complaining and rather only stating a fact- it is still very, very hot*.

I was fortunate to start my day today with a familiar face. Natalie's friend Christie arrived in Paris this morning, and we'd made plans for her to come to the apartment and spend the night, so we could travel to the wedding together the next day. Christie arrived around 9am, and since she was a little tired from her flights, she stayed back to rest and shower while I headed out.

My first stop was Notre Dame cathedral, a short walk from the apartment. For 10 euros they let you climb a steep, tight, stone spiral staircase to the top, and then walk out across the walkway at the front of the building. The stairs were challenging, but the view was well worth it:

One of the tower's famous gargoyles; can you see the Eiffel Tower in the background?

View in the other direction. The building I'm staying in is one of the ones on the island behind me. (Selfie assessment: meh. I'm sorta making a face, but hopefully the amazing view behind me distracts from this fact, and also that the view is crooked.)

One of the gigantic bells in the bell tower. (Selfie assessment: wish I could have taken this at an angle which actually captured the size of the bell, instead of just highlighting my very sweaty face.)

After walking across the walkway, people were corralled and released in groups. It took me a moment to figure out what the hold up was. It was not to limit the number of people going down at a time, but rather to limit the people going up. As in, where we were standing on the walkway, we were only halfway up.

I was feeling pretty winded and maybe** a little dehydrated, so I briefly considered skipping this and just going down, but when am I going to get this opportunity again?! So, huffing and puffing, I went. I'm glad I did and I wish I had taken some better pictures from the top to share, but sadly you'll just have to take my word for it that it was awesome.

After the morning's ascent I felt that I probably owed myself a little treat, and also was quite thirsty, so it was convenient that I had a lunch reservation to get to. On the fantastic advice of my sister-in-law, I'd be dining at Angelina, a restaurant that opened in 1903, and which is known for its hot chocolate. Spoiler alert- it was much too hot for hot chocolate. Luckily everything else on their menu was equally delicious. I had quiche lorraine and their signature dessert, the Mont Blanc-

The brown stuff on the outside tasted a little weird, but the white creamy buttery goodness on the inside was to die for.

Next on the schedule was another ascent, but thankfully this one had an elevator. Thanks to my diligence of waking up in the middle of the night not once but twice a few months ago, I had a 1:30pm ticket to the Eiffel Tower summit.

View of Eiffel Tower from...hmm...I'm going to go with Champ de Mars, though I cannot be 100% certain.

Getting to the top of the tower requires two separate (hot, sweaty & jam-packed) elevator rides, which I kind of remember from 1994. What I don't remember from 1994, possibly because it wasn't there and possibly because I was underage, was the champagne bar at the top. So I felt like I should partake in that, you know, just to get the full experience.

(Selfie assessment: dare I say- I actually like this one? Smiling- check, looking at camera- check, champagne glass visible- check, background scenery straight- ...sigh)

It was time for a little break and some water, so I made my way back to the apartment. Christie had gotten settled in and then gone out to do a little exploring of her own, so together we reviewed our mornings and remarked on the temperature. Not ones to let a little minor heatstroke slow us down, we pressed on.

Next stop was Sainte Chappelle, which I gather was the former personal chapel of King Louie some-number-or-other. I am not the history buff in the family, I am the photography buff in the family, and yet my skills don't begin to do justice to this breathtakingly beautiful space.

I mean like literally, breathtaking. I walked in and just whispered "whoa" and then my jaw fell open.

The one other thing I really wanted to see in Paris, which I had not seen previously, was the Sacre Couer cathedral in the Montmartre district. Though nothing in Paris is terribly far, Montmartre is a bit out of the center of the city. Scare Couer is one of Paris's "newer" cathedrals, having been completed in 1919.

Montmartre is known to be quite hilly, and in fact the site for the Sacre Couer was selected so it could be seen above the other points in Paris. We walked uphill for a few blocks, and then blessedly rode the funicular up the rest of the way, because I'd had enough climbing for one day. You can climb to the top of the Sacre Couer's dome, which is 300 steps up and is supposed to have a fabulous view of the city, but frankly, how many fabulous views did I need in one day? My legs were exhausted; they needed some sitting. I told Christie I'd wait for her if she wanted to do it, but somehow she resisted the urge as well.

Instead, we joined several of the locals in sitting on the steps in front, and just looked out over the city, and chatted, and watched the world go by. We were in the shade and getting a little breeze, and, along with all the Parisians sitting nearby, it seemed like the perfect thing to do.

(Selfie assessment: again pretty good, so chances are Christie took this one.)

When we got hungry we walked back down the hill and found a cafe for dinner. Well, dinner and a show. At all of the outdoor cafes in Paris, the seats at the tables are not across from each other, but rather next to each other, and facing the street, so you can see and be seen***. It was a quintessential Parisian experience, right down to the people smoking behind us and the waiter suggesting the snails as an appetizer. We skipped the smoking but I'm proud to say we tried the snails!

The snails had the consistency of mushrooms and were smothered in garlic butter. Would eat again.

Last stop on the whirlwind day in Paris- back to the Eiffel Tower, to see it all lit up for the evening. This time we went to the Place du Trocadero, which afforded us these incredible views:

As the sun was setting****

When they turned the sparkle lights on

And with that, our long, hot day has ended, now it's time to get some sleep before we travel to Sancerre tomorrow!

*Like, the kind of hot where you're walking around the city, sweating, and thinking you'd do anything for a bubbler, but the French don't seem to believe in this basic city infrastructure, so instead you'd pay upwards of 5 euros- okay make it 10- for a bottle of water, and yet none of the enterprising souls who were out last night trying to sell you one are anywhere to be found. So you think, oh good, I need to take the Metro next, it will be cooler underground. And it is...until you get in the subway car, with hundreds of other sweltering Parisians and tourists and saxophone players, and you're smashed so tightly you're not sure if the bead of sweat on your arm came from you or the next guy. Ew. And then you get out and walk up 5 flights of stairs to your super-cute apartment and remember the bottle of water in your mini-fridge, and you smile through the heavy breathing because you know that everything will be fine after all.

**Definitely

***Not like I was in any condition to be seen.

****Picture was snapped at 10:24pm. Feel like I was pretty lucky to be there on one of the longest days of the year.

Too tired for clever title.

I'm exhausted.

It was a long and busy day. The plane ride went well, I even managed to sleep for almost 2 hours. Dinner and breakfast selections were great, movie options were great*; only thing not great was the woman in the seat in front of me who, on more than one occasion, forcefully snapped her chair back into the fully reclined position with no notice, causing my carefully arranged tray table items to go flying.

After landing I took a train into the city, and got on one of the Hop-On, Hop-Off tour buses. If you are unfamiliar with the hop-on, hop-off concept, I would love to fill you in sometime, because I am a big fan. But I'm tired, so please ask me later. I figured this would not only be a great way to see a lot of the sights and get a feel for the layout of the city. Additionally, it would be an activity which required minimal participation or movement on my part (I didn't know how tired I'd be after the flight) and, more importantly, that I could do with my luggage on my lap.

As it turned out, it was also nice to ride around and catch at least a bit of a breeze while the bus was moving. It is 1,000 degrees in Paris. I'm not sure what the converts to in Celsius, but let me assure you, it is HOT**. As long as the bus was moving, it was bearable, but when we were stopped in traffic you could definitely feel it. It was also very sunny and, sorry to sully your wedding pictures this weekend Natalie, but I might have gotten a bit of a farmer tan from my t-shirt.

We saw a number of famous landmarks on the tour, and I got to take the first of what I'm sure will be a whole trip's worth of remarkably bad selfies***.

The Moulin Rouge

The Louvre (selfie assessment: face is not bad but I clearly struggled finding a good angle)

One of approximately 23 pictures I took of the Opera House, inspiration for "The Phantom of the Opera". Note the Hop-On, Hop-Off tour bus conveniently posing in the picture, though not, obviously, the particular bus I was riding on.

Bottom of the obelisk (?) at the Place de la Concorde, with the Champs Elysées and the Arc de Triomphe in the background. There were a bunch of barricades up in the Place de la Concorde, and workers were setting up seating all along the Champs Elysées. Though I don't know enough French to ask anyone what the set up was for, I suspect it might be spectator seating and TV equipment for the finish of the Tour de France!

Closer view of the Arc de Triomphe (selfie assessment: looking very unfamiliar with the photography process, Arc not centered behind me, picture really is not very good)

After the bus tour I made my way to my apartment. It is awesome!!! The location is perfect and it's cute and just the right amount of space and feels very Parisian. Yes, finding it did involve walking up 5 flights of stairs with 40 pounds of backpack, discovering I was in the wrong building, walking down 5 flights of stairs with 40 pounds of backpack, walking up 5 different flights of stairs with 40 pounds of backpack, and then nearly passing out from heatstroke because it is 1,000 degrees here, but that is all part of the adventure, right?

The last thing on my to-do list for the day was to visit the Musée de Orsay. As part of Paris's Féte de la Musique, the museum was holding a free orchestra concert in its main hall. It was so cool. The musicians, all professional, were extremely talented, and the setting was beautiful.

I know I'm not in Kansas anymore because there's no way the fire marshall in Kansas would allow this sort of seating free-for-all.

That's all for today. Time for some much needed sleep, laying on top of the covers and directly in front of the fan, and dreaming about cooler tomorrows.




*I watched a lovely animated film called Vaiana. It was about a Polynesian girl who must leave her island to save her island, and featured all of the actors and hit songs from this other film about a Polynesian girl who much leave her island to save her island.  Moana- maybe you've heard of it? But oddly enough, in this movie they called her Vaiana the whole time.  And it wasn't in French and subtitled.  Not, it was in English and the Rock was saying "Vaiana". Super weird.

**I'll take the heat over the rain any day, however. My luck in getting clear skies and sunshine is not lost on me.

***I even practiced before coming here but it has become apparent that I am appallingly bad at taking selfies.

Please stand by...

...we seem to be having some technical difficulties this evening.

So a longer recap will need to come later.

Bonsoir.

My view from the Metro station as I walked home this evening. The land on the left is a small island in the Seine; I am staying on an apartment in the middle. Of the island. Not the Seine.

Bonjour!

The world's least exciting travel blog is back for another edition!

I have inexplicably been running ahead of schedule for most of the last 24 hours.  The Packing Fairy arrived on time for once, and in another small miracle, everything fit.  We didn't hit any traffic on the way to the airport.  I waltzed right on up to check my luggage, and then stood in the security check line for all of two people.  There were so few people there I had the entire baggage-scanner-rolling-belt-thingy to myself.

All of which is to say, I have some time to kill here at the gate.

(Hmm, should have brought a fidget spinner...all the kids in this French school group next to me seem to have one...)

So, in just two short hours, it's off to France!  I've only been to France once before, in 1994.  I was 14, traveling with Mom and Emily, who was 6 at the time.  

Couple of things:

• My hair. Whoa. We give Emily a hard time about her hair back in the day but...yeesh...
• Could I possibly have tucked that t-shirt in any more?
• I hope the camera around the neck look is still in fashion.

 

Oh, and also I was wearing black sneakers with black socks. It is truly remarkable that neither of us were discovered by any Parisian modeling agencies during the trip.

We finished our day in Paris with a river cruise on the Seine, and then in true Rohde girls style, spent the next day at EuroDisney.

I am now somewhat regretting my choice not to make time for a day at Disney on this trip.

Nah, not really. Between sight-seeing and the wedding, I think I'll be pretty busy and thoroughly entertained. 

And now it's almost time to board! Hopefully one of these kids will let me borrow their fidget spinner.