Europe Update, June 3
Jun. 3rd, 2005 07:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eveglassThe time since I last wrote shall henceforth be named "Best Laid Plans Day" (I know it's been more than a day and I don't care), aka: "Roll three times on the Random Encounters Table Day." (God, I'm such a gamer geek!)
This will be another long update. You have been warned.
So. When last I wrote I was planning on taking a train to Pontorson (near Mont St. Michel) on Wednesday night, to avoid the train strike on Thursday. This, indeed, I did. I arrived in Pontorson around 7pm and walked over to the youth hostel. On the way, I met an Austrialian named Melissa who was heading the same way. (Roll #1 on the Random Encounters Table.) We reached the youth hostel: it was full.
Grumbling, we looked at her book and found a 2-star hotel... back the way we'd come. So, back we went. We checked in. It was more expensive than I was planning for (60 euros for a double, making my share 30 euros per night). At least the beds were amazing.
We went out, had a mediocre dinner, and decided that since we were her to see Mont St. Michel, we'd go out at see it. By this point, it was about 9 pm. We got to the bus station and discovered that the last bus to or from Mont St. Michel was at 8 pm. [explitives deleted]
So, we decided to try to walk it. I mean, how far could it be? It's a 13 minute bus ride. We started walking, got just outside Pontorson (about 25 minutes of walking) and saw a sign saying "Mont St. Michel, 8 km). Now, I would have been up for walking that one-way. I'd even have been up for doing a round-trip walk if I had a break in between walking there and walking back. But an 8 km walk, at night, only getting back to the hotel at around 1:30 was not something that pleased me. We decided to go back to the hotel and wait until the morning.
We got back, and I decided to scope out the area, finding out where a laudromat was and what time the next bus was in the morning. It turns out the laundromat was back the way we'd come on the road to Mont St. Michel. Sigh. The bus station was at the other end of town. I got yelled at by some drunken guys in a car and still have no idea what they were saying. No matter.
I got back to the hotel at around 10:30. The reception, which had been open a half-hour earlier, was closed. I did not have the key, because I'd given it to Melissa to get into the room. The key would have allowed me access to the hotel. I had no way to get in. Cursing, I saw a sign on the door with the phone number for the night receptionist. Thank God!
I remembered seeing a pay phone at the TI (Tourist Information) near our hotel, so I went there and called. The woman was very appologetic: she hadn't realized I'd gone out again and was coming to open the door. I hung up and realized that I hadn't mentioned I was on a pay phone (as opposed to, say, a cell phone outside the door). Lest she think I'd disappeared, I ran back to the hotel, reached the door just as the woman opened it, and went inside.
Thus ended my Wednesday night.
Thursday morning, we caught the 9 am bus to Mont St. Michel. Wow. Chalk another site up on the "amazing European sites" list. It was amazing! Beautiful and masterfully engineered!
We got there early enough to avoid most of the tourists and were done touring by about 10:45. Then, because we felt that we wanted to do more, we walked around on the mud-flats outside Mont St. Michel (don't worry -- it was a short walk and the tide was out).
We walked back to a tiny town about 2 km back from Mont St. Michel. Meanwhile, we walked past a flock of sheep threatening to cross the road and shot a lot of pictures (Melissa is also a shutterbug). The next bus back to Pontorson wasn't until 1 pm, and it was only noon, so we decided to get lunch.
Wow! That meal ranks among the best ones I've had all trip. It wasn't even expensive! I had a wonderful fruit cocktail (apple, pear, and strawberry juices), a smoked salmon entree, lamb (a local specialty), and apple-and-Calvados sorbet (yes, Calvados is alcohol). It was VERY tasty. And only 20 euros, even leaving a 2-euro tip. (I know tip is included, but I didn't want to wait for my change.)
We got back to Pontorson around 2:15. Melissa wasn't feeling well so lay down, and I did laundry. (Exciting, I know.) I wound up chatting for a half-hour with a French woman whose washing machine had broken and needed to use the laundromat. My spoken French is getting much better because of these chance conversations. (No, this is not roll #2 on the Random Encounters Table.)
I got back a while later, spent some time in the room, and decided that I still wanted to see Mont St. Michel some more. So I caught the 6:15 pm bus and got there around 6:30. For about 15 minutes I wandered the back-streets of Mont St. Michel (yes, they exist!) and found a relatively quiet spot with a view of both the Abbey and the bay. I sat there for an hour, taking time-lapse pictures of the bay receding, and generally just getting a feel of the place. It is very powerful. You can feel the thousand+ years of history as you sit there.
I caught the last bus back at 8. For half of it, I chatted with an Austrialian couple (in English), and for the other half, I chatted with the bus driver (in French), because I was the only person on the bus.
Got back to the hotel, took a shower, and relaxed for the rest of the night. Thus ended my Thursday.
Friday Melissa and I woke up, checked out of the hotel, and made our way to the train station. You knoow that train strike I'd mentioned, the one that I'd avoided on Thursday? Well, that was still going on today. I had 4 trains to catch today. This was a Bad Thing.
The first train I had to catch (9:37 to Rennes at 10:35) was cancelled and replaced by a bus, leaving at 10:15 and arriving at 11:20. My next train (to Le Mans) was supposed to leave at 11:05. Notice the problem.
Thankfully, I suspected I may have problems. When I prepared this itinerary, I wrote down time for the next train in each station, just in case. It turned out it was good to do so. I confirmed with the info guy at the Pontorson station that all of these "alternates" were in fact running today, so I would at least make it to Amboise eventually.
While waiting for the bus (it turned out to be the one Melissa needed to take, too), we met up with some American backpackers heading the same way. (Roll #2 on the Random Encounters Table.) They were backpacking Europe, their next stop was Madrid. They needed to get to Paris. So did Melissa. We all hopped on the bus together and wound up chatting for an hour and a half.
We reached Rennes. It turns out that Le Mans (where I was going) was a stop on their train to Paris. What I didn't know what that the train was a TGV (Train de Grande Vitesse). This means that, despite my rail pass, I needed a reservation. I did not have a reservation. There were 10 minutes until the train left. I decided to board without a reservation.
I spoke to the conductor outside the train. He said I could get a reservation on-board, and to wait for him at the bar. I quickly waved goodbye to everyone I'd met so far and headed over to the bar. The conductor eventually came by and explained that normally the reservation would be 1 euro 50, but since I was on the train it would be 4 euros. I was about to pull out my wallet when he waved me off and said, essentially, not to worry about it. Yay! Money saved for me!
There, I met two guys, both named Vincent. (Roll #3 on the Random Encounters Table.) It turns out they're both in the military, working as computer programmers, and going home for the weekend. One Vincent was going to Paris, the other was going to Tours -- taking the same connecting train as I was!
I wound up speaking with Sgt. Vincent (the one going to Tours) for the whole trip, about an hour and a half. Since we had an hour-and-a-half stop-over, I suggested we have lunch together and he thought that was a pretty good idea. At lunch, we were met by Vincent's cousin who happens to live in Le Mans. It was great. Vincent actually bought me lunch. Yay random encounters!
We then boarded the train to Tours and I started falling asleep to the sound of the train and the rolling countryside. I asked Vincent a few questions, he asked me a few, but mostly we were just falling asleep. Eventually we reached Tours (about 4 pm).
I waited around, caught my last train to Amboise, and debarked around 5 pm. I found the youth hostel here and lucked in -- I got the last bed! I've got a room to myself AND I don't have to change rooms for all 3 nights I'm here! AND it's only 9 euros a night! Score for me!
I checked in at the tourist office and got some information, then headed over to the internet cafe. I've been here for an hour and a half and don't care. I figure that internet is one of the few luxuries I will splurge on. It actually isn't that expensive here: about 3 euros per hour, or 1 per 15 minutes. I don't mind spending that, especially with the cheap room and my paid-for lunch.
So now I'm here. The hostel here doesn't seem to have the same camraderie as the one in Bayeux, but that's okay. I'll manage. I'm here until Monday morning. Here's my plan, such as it is (remember that it's Best Laid Plans Day):
- Tomorrow: tour Leonardo's house and the Amboise castle, bike down to Chenanceaux castle.
- Sunday: go to Blois, see the castle there, and take a minibus tour of Chambord and Cheverny.
Monday, I'm off to Sarlat in the Dordogne Valley. There will probably be at least one more email update before then.
So... I've gone on long enough. I send many hugs to everyone back home. Be well! I'm having a great time here, especially meeting random people. I love that my French is good enough to speak to people for extended conversations (Vincent and I chatted in French for about 4 hours!). I'm loving France and really enjoying myself, despite the little hiccups in plans.
HUGS! And more HUGS!
Julie
This will be another long update. You have been warned.
So. When last I wrote I was planning on taking a train to Pontorson (near Mont St. Michel) on Wednesday night, to avoid the train strike on Thursday. This, indeed, I did. I arrived in Pontorson around 7pm and walked over to the youth hostel. On the way, I met an Austrialian named Melissa who was heading the same way. (Roll #1 on the Random Encounters Table.) We reached the youth hostel: it was full.
Grumbling, we looked at her book and found a 2-star hotel... back the way we'd come. So, back we went. We checked in. It was more expensive than I was planning for (60 euros for a double, making my share 30 euros per night). At least the beds were amazing.
We went out, had a mediocre dinner, and decided that since we were her to see Mont St. Michel, we'd go out at see it. By this point, it was about 9 pm. We got to the bus station and discovered that the last bus to or from Mont St. Michel was at 8 pm. [explitives deleted]
So, we decided to try to walk it. I mean, how far could it be? It's a 13 minute bus ride. We started walking, got just outside Pontorson (about 25 minutes of walking) and saw a sign saying "Mont St. Michel, 8 km). Now, I would have been up for walking that one-way. I'd even have been up for doing a round-trip walk if I had a break in between walking there and walking back. But an 8 km walk, at night, only getting back to the hotel at around 1:30 was not something that pleased me. We decided to go back to the hotel and wait until the morning.
We got back, and I decided to scope out the area, finding out where a laudromat was and what time the next bus was in the morning. It turns out the laundromat was back the way we'd come on the road to Mont St. Michel. Sigh. The bus station was at the other end of town. I got yelled at by some drunken guys in a car and still have no idea what they were saying. No matter.
I got back to the hotel at around 10:30. The reception, which had been open a half-hour earlier, was closed. I did not have the key, because I'd given it to Melissa to get into the room. The key would have allowed me access to the hotel. I had no way to get in. Cursing, I saw a sign on the door with the phone number for the night receptionist. Thank God!
I remembered seeing a pay phone at the TI (Tourist Information) near our hotel, so I went there and called. The woman was very appologetic: she hadn't realized I'd gone out again and was coming to open the door. I hung up and realized that I hadn't mentioned I was on a pay phone (as opposed to, say, a cell phone outside the door). Lest she think I'd disappeared, I ran back to the hotel, reached the door just as the woman opened it, and went inside.
Thus ended my Wednesday night.
Thursday morning, we caught the 9 am bus to Mont St. Michel. Wow. Chalk another site up on the "amazing European sites" list. It was amazing! Beautiful and masterfully engineered!
We got there early enough to avoid most of the tourists and were done touring by about 10:45. Then, because we felt that we wanted to do more, we walked around on the mud-flats outside Mont St. Michel (don't worry -- it was a short walk and the tide was out).
We walked back to a tiny town about 2 km back from Mont St. Michel. Meanwhile, we walked past a flock of sheep threatening to cross the road and shot a lot of pictures (Melissa is also a shutterbug). The next bus back to Pontorson wasn't until 1 pm, and it was only noon, so we decided to get lunch.
Wow! That meal ranks among the best ones I've had all trip. It wasn't even expensive! I had a wonderful fruit cocktail (apple, pear, and strawberry juices), a smoked salmon entree, lamb (a local specialty), and apple-and-Calvados sorbet (yes, Calvados is alcohol). It was VERY tasty. And only 20 euros, even leaving a 2-euro tip. (I know tip is included, but I didn't want to wait for my change.)
We got back to Pontorson around 2:15. Melissa wasn't feeling well so lay down, and I did laundry. (Exciting, I know.) I wound up chatting for a half-hour with a French woman whose washing machine had broken and needed to use the laundromat. My spoken French is getting much better because of these chance conversations. (No, this is not roll #2 on the Random Encounters Table.)
I got back a while later, spent some time in the room, and decided that I still wanted to see Mont St. Michel some more. So I caught the 6:15 pm bus and got there around 6:30. For about 15 minutes I wandered the back-streets of Mont St. Michel (yes, they exist!) and found a relatively quiet spot with a view of both the Abbey and the bay. I sat there for an hour, taking time-lapse pictures of the bay receding, and generally just getting a feel of the place. It is very powerful. You can feel the thousand+ years of history as you sit there.
I caught the last bus back at 8. For half of it, I chatted with an Austrialian couple (in English), and for the other half, I chatted with the bus driver (in French), because I was the only person on the bus.
Got back to the hotel, took a shower, and relaxed for the rest of the night. Thus ended my Thursday.
Friday Melissa and I woke up, checked out of the hotel, and made our way to the train station. You knoow that train strike I'd mentioned, the one that I'd avoided on Thursday? Well, that was still going on today. I had 4 trains to catch today. This was a Bad Thing.
The first train I had to catch (9:37 to Rennes at 10:35) was cancelled and replaced by a bus, leaving at 10:15 and arriving at 11:20. My next train (to Le Mans) was supposed to leave at 11:05. Notice the problem.
Thankfully, I suspected I may have problems. When I prepared this itinerary, I wrote down time for the next train in each station, just in case. It turned out it was good to do so. I confirmed with the info guy at the Pontorson station that all of these "alternates" were in fact running today, so I would at least make it to Amboise eventually.
While waiting for the bus (it turned out to be the one Melissa needed to take, too), we met up with some American backpackers heading the same way. (Roll #2 on the Random Encounters Table.) They were backpacking Europe, their next stop was Madrid. They needed to get to Paris. So did Melissa. We all hopped on the bus together and wound up chatting for an hour and a half.
We reached Rennes. It turns out that Le Mans (where I was going) was a stop on their train to Paris. What I didn't know what that the train was a TGV (Train de Grande Vitesse). This means that, despite my rail pass, I needed a reservation. I did not have a reservation. There were 10 minutes until the train left. I decided to board without a reservation.
I spoke to the conductor outside the train. He said I could get a reservation on-board, and to wait for him at the bar. I quickly waved goodbye to everyone I'd met so far and headed over to the bar. The conductor eventually came by and explained that normally the reservation would be 1 euro 50, but since I was on the train it would be 4 euros. I was about to pull out my wallet when he waved me off and said, essentially, not to worry about it. Yay! Money saved for me!
There, I met two guys, both named Vincent. (Roll #3 on the Random Encounters Table.) It turns out they're both in the military, working as computer programmers, and going home for the weekend. One Vincent was going to Paris, the other was going to Tours -- taking the same connecting train as I was!
I wound up speaking with Sgt. Vincent (the one going to Tours) for the whole trip, about an hour and a half. Since we had an hour-and-a-half stop-over, I suggested we have lunch together and he thought that was a pretty good idea. At lunch, we were met by Vincent's cousin who happens to live in Le Mans. It was great. Vincent actually bought me lunch. Yay random encounters!
We then boarded the train to Tours and I started falling asleep to the sound of the train and the rolling countryside. I asked Vincent a few questions, he asked me a few, but mostly we were just falling asleep. Eventually we reached Tours (about 4 pm).
I waited around, caught my last train to Amboise, and debarked around 5 pm. I found the youth hostel here and lucked in -- I got the last bed! I've got a room to myself AND I don't have to change rooms for all 3 nights I'm here! AND it's only 9 euros a night! Score for me!
I checked in at the tourist office and got some information, then headed over to the internet cafe. I've been here for an hour and a half and don't care. I figure that internet is one of the few luxuries I will splurge on. It actually isn't that expensive here: about 3 euros per hour, or 1 per 15 minutes. I don't mind spending that, especially with the cheap room and my paid-for lunch.
So now I'm here. The hostel here doesn't seem to have the same camraderie as the one in Bayeux, but that's okay. I'll manage. I'm here until Monday morning. Here's my plan, such as it is (remember that it's Best Laid Plans Day):
- Tomorrow: tour Leonardo's house and the Amboise castle, bike down to Chenanceaux castle.
- Sunday: go to Blois, see the castle there, and take a minibus tour of Chambord and Cheverny.
Monday, I'm off to Sarlat in the Dordogne Valley. There will probably be at least one more email update before then.
So... I've gone on long enough. I send many hugs to everyone back home. Be well! I'm having a great time here, especially meeting random people. I love that my French is good enough to speak to people for extended conversations (Vincent and I chatted in French for about 4 hours!). I'm loving France and really enjoying myself, despite the little hiccups in plans.
HUGS! And more HUGS!
Julie
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Date: 2005-06-04 11:49 pm (UTC)wow!!
Date: 2005-06-05 11:19 pm (UTC)enjoy the sites :) and take LOTS of pics