Chamonix!

Chamonix was amazing! We rented a little chalet located below Mont Blanc and its Bossons Glacier. The chalet was a 15 minute hike from the train station but the air was fresh and the views were awesome. We spent a week hiking in the valley and taking in the Alps. For Stevie’s birthday I made him a Chocolate Fondant cake (from a box of course) and it was delicious! We didn’t realize that fondant is that kind of cake that is supposed to be gooey in the middle so at first we thought I didn’t cook it enough. We got out the computer and googled a bit and found this cake is supposed to be like that- then we ate it - hahahah! I got him a bottle of wine and an ice axe pen, he also bought himself a Millet climbing shirt (thanks Grandma Oliver). We thought we would do a day trip to Switzerland for his big day...we did get there, but not very far. We took the French train into Switzerland and had to switch trains at a station that was closed. The Swiss conductor said “You have cash money?” and we said “yes!” and we got on. Just before the train took off he came to sell us our tickets and said “50 euro” and we said “What?! 50 Euro? No way!” And then we jumped off the train and ran back to our French one. We didn’t realize this half hour ride would cost that much! If we were going to see the Matterhorn or something really interesting it may have been a different result, but the town we were going to only had a St. Bernard museum...we spent the day in Chamonix.

On anther occasion we went on hike to Lake Vert. The trails in Chamonix are well maintained and well marked. This one led up a green valley tightly squeezed between the mountains and the fields were dotted with houses that looked like coo coo clocks. It was a great hike with a fair amount of elevation gain, when we reached the lake we were shocked to see people walking around eating gelato, and then a large parking lot full of cars, motorbikes, and a tour bus! Turns out there is a paved road all the way up to the lake AND restaurant! It wasn’t a secluded little lake like we had imagined but more like Stanley Park- still enjoyed the adventure.

We were too early in the season for the chair lifts to be open for hikers and mountain bikers- there was still too much snow at 2000 meters. On our last day in Chamonix, we took the gondola up to the “Aguille de Midi” and reached 3842 meters!! The first half of the ride was speedy and every time we hit a pylon the cart would sway and rattle, as we approached the midway station at a speed I didn’t know gondola’s could even move at, we hit a pylon that was just too exciting and I let out a yelp- sometimes you just can’t contain the fear and excitement! We got off the cart and were at 2315 meters- 1.5 kms to go- vertically. Gulp. A load of ‘hell’s angles - holland’ got off the cart and I tried to get some stealth photo’s- I don’t know why...perhaps I was meant to be a spy :) Steve said the ones who wear the jackets are not the ones to worry about...but I figure its good spy practice anyways. The second gondola was much slower but much more vertical. As we approached the top it felt as though we had landed on another planet. It was icey, rocky and completely barren. The wind whistled like mad as we approached. We were struck by the cold as the doors slid open and the gondola swayed in the wind. We literally had to time our departure off the gondola due to the movement from the wind. We explored the many platforms to take in the extensive views of the alps. Some peaks were poking into the clouds and the Matterhorn was just out of site. The wind would occasionally die down and give us a reprieve, but when it was blowing it was so intense we were choking on our own words - same feeling as sticking your head out of a car window while cruising down the highway. And it was cold. Very cold. We kept ourselves tucked into our hoods and hands in pockets. We took an elevator through the rock to the final viewing platform. We could see mountaineers training on the glaciers, para-sailers below us in the valley, and the high risk skiers not willing to quit for the season. This is interesting too, skiing here is your own risk- there is no big news report when someone dies because they chose to take a risk. There are no investigations and there is zero threat to close lifts or restrict areas. Our host told us “50 people die every year here skiing.” Anyway, I got as many photo’s as I could but then the camera died! AGH!! I was really upset by this. The battery light had flashed at the bottom, but usually we have a good amount of time before it dies- I think the cold sped the process up. Steve tried to cheer me up and solve the problem by warming the battery in his armpit- but apparently there is no negotiating with lithium. Still an amazing day!

It was really a nice change to stay in the chalet and cook for ourselves. I loved strolling through the grocery store and buying local stuff. Not like I’m big into cooking or great in the kitchen (Something I want to change) but being on the road this long and not cooking or creating is getting to me. Steve is the opposite- he loves going out and hasn’t become tired of it. One night we went to a restaurant which from the outside appeared to be something like a burger stand. I ordered a skewer of meat that came with some rice and couscous salad. Steve wanted salmon. When the chef (who was also the waiter) took Steve’s order he rambled off a quick sentence filled with excitement and Steve just beamed and replied “Oui!!” The chef hurried off. I looked at my husband who was grinning away- “did he just say ‘Salmon Tar-tar...as in tar tar raw?”...Steve’s grin faded and he said “ all I heard was salmon.” He decided to go with it, be adventurous and not run after the waiter. I began to think that maybe I heard wrong- but when our orders came to the table Steve was served a raw hunk of salmon on salad- with caviar on top. Oh, and little piles of red and black caviar all around the plate. Steve describes the meal as “a good french experience, but I wouldn’t order it again.” The caviars were like fish flavored salt bombs. I felt bad for him for not getting any warm food for dinner and gave him most of my meat and half my delicious rice.

There is an 11km long highway tunneled through Mount Blanc connecting France to Italy. We took a bus through this tunnel and made our way to Milan.

La Rochelle to Lyon

We went to a giite in the West of France for our second “helping” project. We were in an isolated hamlet, population: 4. There were many projects to work on but we focused most of our energy on tearing down an old outhouse that was half concrete and paving a path in its place, clearing a space of land and planting a vegetable garden, and general weeding/clearing land. Steve spent some time working on mechanical things too. Our hosts were kind and shared plenty of wine and cheese and good meals with us. We took a train to the west coast for a weekend, staying in a town called La Rochelle. It was a long weekend and there was a redbull cliff diving competition taking place so finding a room took some time and effort. We went to one hotel only to find that they too were full, Steve asked to use the washroom and the service lady was reluctant but gave in (must have been his charm) as he was in the washroom, the lady found a room that had been reserved but the party hadn’t shown up- so we got the room! I was relieved! Good Karma strikes again. Steve discovered a new sandwich in La Rochelle- the “Super American” and from french we translated it to be a steak sandwich with sauce and fries. We were right, but the set up was unexpected as the fries were literally stuffed into the sandwich! Steve loved it. We finished up at the giite and caught a train to Lyon. We arrived at Lyon at 8pm, every hotel we went to in a two and a half hour time frame was ‘complet’- FULL!! It wasn’t a long weekend, but a week of spring break! Agh! I was secretly scoping out places to take cover for the night (under trees, stairwells, parking lots) and later Steve told me he was doing the same thing. Luckily, we struck gold! We got a room that was a bit pricey, but it came with a little kitchenette, so we were able to save money by not eating out much. We didn’t find a whole lot of things to see or do in Lyon (although just wandering the streets was interesting) so we followed the guide book and it recommended we see a famous antique coo coo clock in a local cathedral. We walked across the city to find the cathedral and found a small gathering of eager tourists around the clock in one of the chapels. The clock was massive and intricately designed with astrological signs and pagan symbols on the sides and front. At the top were figurines like Mary, Angels and probably Saints. We took a seat and waited. Four o’clock finally struck and the chapel went quiet as the clock started to coo coo. I wasn’t expecting fireworks or anything but it turned out to be a twenty second event with noisy untuned bells and barely any movement. At the end everyone sort of sat there as if that was just the warm up and the real show was about to begin. But nothing happened. Someone started clapping, so we all joined in with clapping and laughter.

Next stop: Chamonix!

New photos

We did not realize that all our photo albums were not public... Now they are!!!

Here is the web addy again, so grab an other drink and take a look at all the photos-there's a lot!!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/steveandbjoliver

Rouen

We decide to travel to Northern France where we visit Rouen and Dieppe. Rouen is a small city primarily known for its associations with Joan of Arc. An elderly French gentleman chats with Steve on the train ride to Rouen (I can’t talk because that would require me to look sideways which makes me too nauseated) and says “Now you will see why the French hate the English!” Referring to Joan of Arc being burnt at the stake for heresy. Today the French claim her to be a Saint- so in a nutshell, they have a six hundred year old grudge against the English for burning their patron saint. 

We get off the train in Rouen and it starts raining. We scurry around looking for a room and find one that is listed in our travel book (I should clarify, its no longer a travel book- for the sake of space and weight, its a bunch of papers carefully extracted out of the travel book with an exacto knife.) The hotel is old but warm and comfortable- we even get our own bathroom complete with a hair dryer! We have started to appreciate such comforts and refer to them as “luxury items”- sometimes its an extra pillow, sometimes its hangers in the closet. We walk through the old streets of Rouen which are now home to trendy boutiques and cafes. We buy an umbrella which proves to be invaluable as we get poured on daily- needless to say, we’ve mastered the two-man/one umbrella position. Joan of Arc memorabilia is everywhere! I find it interesting that a Saint appears to have achieved celebrity status- you can buy anything with Joan of Arc plastered on it. There were also streets, churches, cafes, and even bars named after her. To get out of one of the rain storms, we visited the Joan of Arc wax museum- it was cheap and dorky but probably high tech in the ’70’s, but we had a good time anyway. We also went to the tower where Joan was held prisoner during her trial and then to the site where she was burnt at the stake.  

Traces of WW2 can be seen in Rouen- older buildings and the Cathedral have bullet and shrapnel damage to the stone. To prevent the Cathedral from collapsing, scaffolding and braces were erected and sand bags replaced the stained glass windows in the church. It worked, and only part of the building had to be replaced.

Because of all the train rides causing my stomach to spin, Steve suggested I go to the pharmacy and get something to help that wouldn’t make me tired. I went in, and to my complete surprise, they had anti-nausea pressure point bracelets. I wasn’t sure if they would work but Steve said is was worth trying. Turns out, they do work for me!! Since getting them, train rides have been much more enjoyable! I can read and even look out the windows!

Euro Disney

Since planning our trip, Steve has been adamant that we visit Euro Disney and after spending so much time at monuments and in museums it sounded like a good idea to do something lighthearted. The park is outside the city, to get there we took the train. Little did we know, you have to buy a different kind of ticket to get through the gates at the train stop at Disneyland. We just got on with our normal metro tickets and when we arrived at the other end, we couldn’t get through the gates! We were stuck, until Steve suddenly took off and flung himself between two gates after a woman went through. He yelled “BEEJ! BEEJ!” and I went running in too- it was funny how the gates were squishing him. At first I was paranoid that we had broken into Disney land- but really we had just unknowingly scammed the metro.

We had a blast at the park! In all our ten years of bliss we had yet to visit a theme park! I don’t handle rides very well and I found out after the first roller coaster that neither does Steve! We managed three big rides and then hung out on the non-spinning kiddy rides. Since leaving home Steve has gone through hot dog withdrawals- he got his fix with a foot long Dijon laden weenie- boiled- just how he likes it!! We never ran into Mickey or any princesses or any characters in the park- I was a little disappointed! We only saw them when we watched the daily Disney parade and I have to say it was strange to see Mickey Mouse speaking and singing in French! 

J'adore Paris!

A sleepless ride on the overnight train to Paris and I have my first fumble. The train first. We board and have seats that face two other passengers. Turns out there are a lot of North American travelers in this cabin and we spend the evening chatting. I venture off to find the food cabin- hunger is setting in and I know it will be a long night with no food. The train is moving fast, I am struggling to keep my balance as I make my way through each cabin. The cabins are sleeper cabins so at least I’m not falling on to strangers laps :) Sixteen cabins later and I find food! Woohoo! Now I have to make my way back to report to Steve that there is food, take his order, and get some money. I trek the sixteen cabins back. Steve doesn’t want food so I get my money and one of the girls from the cabin joins me. We get some food and return to the cabin-  total of 64 cabins for me...I’m wobbly but its pitch black out and I think that helps lessen the queasiness. I settle back to my seat and end up sharing my grilled cheese with Steve who suddenly gets hungry when he smells food. We settle in for the night but I barely sleep- its just not that comfortable. We finally roll into Paris at 9am. Here is where I fumble. Most people know how good I am at losing my phone (still missing by the way if any of you find one with a butterfly on it) or misplacing my keys...so we are entering the station and I realize I have no purse- which more importantly means no passports! EEEEK! Steve takes my pack and I sprint (well, my version of sprinting) back to the cabin. Sure enough my purse is tucked in between the seat and the train wall- out of sight out of mind. Thankfully it was the end of the line and the train was still there-Phew! We have no map, no hotel, and no idea where to go. A man approaches us to help us find a hotel- we decline- its a beautiful morning and we have all day. We get a map from the train station and decide to cross the Seine and look for a room. It all goes smoothly... we find a hotel and discuss prices en francais and check out a room (we save money by having only a shower and no toilet). We are eager and excited and go up with our packs- not knowing it is seven stories up- no elevator. The Room is sorta dingy, but we are anxious to go see the city and decide to take it. We go back downstairs to pay- with our packs on- then up again with our packs- great training for the mountains! We shower and head out. We stop at a cafe and this is where we meet a pastry chef named Vincent. He gives us a metro map, advice, and tips for visiting France. We buy some baguette sandwiches and yogurts and drinks. We are all giddy and excited to be in Paris!! We walk along the Seine, stop for lunch and pass many sites (Notre Dame, The Louvre) but we are going straight to the Eiffel tower. Turns out you can see the Eiffel tower for a long ways before you actually get to it! Our walk was approximately 5kms. The tower is super fantastic! Its huge and interesting and just plain iconic! We buy tickets to take the stairs to the second platform- only 40 stories up! The views are amazing! The city spreads out as far as we can see. We had a wonderful time up there! Next we take the metro to the Arc de Triumph which is also very cool! Every street in Paris seems to have something interesting on it. Before setting out each morning we would visit Vincent in his cafe. He made the most delicious quiches and tarts...I was flattered when Vincent offered me his quiche recipe! The louvre was neat too- we went to see Mona Lisa, and must admit I felt there was some unnecessary hype over it. She was in a large room and we had to push our way through a crowd just to catch a glimpse and take a photo. The remainder of the Louvre was packed with paintings, statues, and ancient artifacts from all over the world- after five hours in there we were exhausted. 

Trying to find authentic french food was somewhat of a challenge! I saw people eating crepes from street vendors so I thought I should try one out. I ordered a nutella one (like most of the french customers) and watched the crepe man go to work. He spread out the batter and when it was cooked he scooped maybe 1/4 of a cup of nutella on it and spread it out. He wrapped it up, handed it to me and said “voila!” It was good at first, but the bottom of the crepe felt like a water balloon about to burst with nutella! We tried to ring it out a little, but it was in the folds of the crepe...anyways, I haven’t had nutella since but I have tried other types of crepes which are yummy!

It was in Paris that I realized Steve either didn’t pay attention in French class or has forgotten most of what was taught. He thinks both. He was peeved at our second hotel when the owner accused him of “not liking the french, you hate the french, I can see it in your face- you hate the french!” because Steve couldn’t speak french...hmmm....

One afternoon Steve took me to a designer boutique where french movie stars shop. The clothes were mostly runway samples. We went in the little boutique- Steve read a magazine while I fondled the most expensive articles of clothing I’ve ever seen. Fur coats priced at 5000 euro, blouses for 500 euro, and crazy looking couture articles that I don’t know if any would actually ever wear! The owner was a nice lady- I’m sure she saw tourists like us on a regular basis and knew we were there just for the experience. The only thing I bought in Paris was Yves Rocher hand lotion and a tiny Eiffel tower for the Christmas tree! 

I loved the eiffel tower at night, wandering around Notre Dame, seeing where Marie Antoinette was beheaded, and riding bikes in the gardens at Versailles. We enjoyed Paris immensely! It is a beautiful city full of history, baguettes, berets and french fashionista’s.  I hope we can go back someday! 

Barcelona

 With no tickets left for second class we bought first class from Seville to Barcelona but when we boarded the train we realized our seats weren’t beside each other- in fact we weren’t even in the same cabin! ai-eeee! Occasionally Steve would bring me snacks from our bag and come to check on me. Our train ride from took two hours longer than expected...this worked out in our favor when we were credited 50% of the ticket cost for the delay! Steve credits his good karma for this refund as we wouldn’t have got it if the women he traded seats with wouldn’t have told him. It was a very long ride though.  

Our Catalan friends (Joel & Nuria) hooked us up with some of their Catalan friends (Xavi & Sonia) and they were soooo awesome to let us stay with them in their flat. The flat was in a nice part of the city with lots of shops and places to eat, it was also close to the metro and to the touristic area’s of BCN.

Barcelona is a lively and interesting city. We didn’t see all of Gaudi’s work but what we did see was simply spectacular! We visited the Sacred Family church (still a work in progress) where there was an interactive museum- this explained how Gaudi was inspired by nature and how he incorporated it into his architecture. The columns in the cathedral looked like giant trees with the ceiling as a canopy. If I’m still alive when the cathedral is complete I would loooove to go back and check it out! 

We also went to Montserrat, a monastery just outside of BCN. We sat beside an incredibly arrogant, loud, and weird American woman on the train ride there. I’m pretty sure she was poppin some pills that were making her more wacky. She went on and on about Obama, politics, healthcare, etc...ugh. Anyways, I got nauseated on this train ride because I had a sideways sitting seat. We came to our stop and jumped on a cable car to take us to the top. The monastery was located at the top of this massive rock formation. We found cover in a doorway from the pouring rain and had a little picnic. From the monastery we took a funicular up the rock even higher- the weather was nasty but we still had great views and had fun exploring- the thunder was a little too close for comfort! We went to the cathedral to see the black Madonna and the little black baby Jesus on her lap. We had seen replicas of this statue before, but now we were at the real deal. We went to the gift shop to have our little history lesson in the tourist books and learned the statue is black due to the varnish used and hundreds of years of being exposed to black smoke from candles. Believers make pilgrimages to see her. When you get to her you put your hand on one part (it looks like a pine cone) and kiss a sphere she is holding. I imagine you also say a prayer while you do this. So we got in line and went to see her- she is kept in an ornate little room that overlooks the entire cathedral, the statue is kept in a glass container except for the parts you are allowed to touch. I got a stealth picture of her -I wasn’t sure it was appropriate or permitted to take photos and there was a priest behind me in the line- I touched the pine cone and said a prayer, but under all this pressure I hesitated and didn’t kiss the sphere. Steve didn’t kiss the sphere either- he grabbed it with his bare hand. I suggested we both get back in line and go do it properly, but we were on a mission for cheese. Sonia asked us to pick up some “Mato” cheese- she explained its the best when its from Montserrat. We went to the information counter and Steve asked the employee where we get the Mato. The lady smiled and replied “Mato?”- as if she was asking how we knew of their fabulous cheese- she directed us to go down the street to the left. We went and sure enough there were a dozen cheese vendors lined up. The mato looked something similar to cottage cheese- only firmer and drier. Sonia showed us that they eat the mato with honey on it- and it tasted pretty darn good! She also made us a typical Catalan soup made with vegetables, sausage, noodles and a pig foot for flavor. Delicious! Xavi introduced Steve to nutella and I’m sure we will be buying it when we get home! He also took us to an amazing kebab place...we love kebab. I thought the food in BCN was great- lots of variety and it was everywhere! Each time we walked by the market on the Ramblas I bought fresh fruit salad (I was overjoyed) and Steve got fresh fruit smoothies- but we passed on buying the saran wrapped sheep heads... 

This being our last city in Spain and our only time in Catalan, we had to make Joel proud so we bought some Manchego cheese as he suggested (it was super) and a very typical and special Catalan Christmas decoration.