A bunch of updates while I have 15 minutes

---

I have learned the true difference between vacationing and touring. I can barely walk my legs are so sore. My feet sting with pain, and my ankles each have matching bleeding blisters from my most comfortable boots! I took a minute to understand why and mapped out what I walked today (a typical day thus far) it's somewhere between 12 and 15 miles, plus standing around in lines, churches and museums. I'm on my feet at least 12 hour/day. Ouch! I feel a lot better now, I can clear my camera memory which was stressing me out. My laptop's back working, and everything's going to be ok.

Where did I leave off? After writing you I went back to my room to change my socks, I'm going through 2 pairs a day. I reluctantly left my room considering the pain I am in from my thighs down, and went back into the main part of town. I walked along the main shopping areas, bumped into a group of students from CA who were just arrived to study French here. I took pictures of people: small children on the carrousel, young lovers, old men, etc. Then looked for a place to eat. tonight I treated myself considering I haven't had a "nice"meal yet. I stopped at a brassiere and had a great salad, a steak bujoloise. There was a little miscommunication, the waiter asked if I wanted the steak medium, I said "medium rare" he asked "red?" I said "half way
" which I meant medium rare, but he took to mean half way to rare. So it was black and blue )the top and bottom seared, and the middle, even on the outside, raw. It was good non the less, and a creme brule. I also ordered a glass of the Bujolaise wine. I ordered a large glass seeing how small their glasses were. Again miscommunication, a large glass = at least .5L. (6 full glasses) I ate and drank for nearly 2 hours with wine still remaining. I couldn't drink anymore which led me to finally find a use for the dictionary. It had the phrase "take remainder of meal to go" to which I added "vin." They looked at me cross eyed and returned with my first souvenir from the rip . . . a glass that reads Teisseire, which I take to mean orange juice by the two halves of oranges below the word. I'm still working on the wine now.

Since I'm in my room there's time for a little reflection:
1) Hostels are the way to go
2) I haven't seen a pair of pants hanging half way down to the knees yet, That's refreshing!
3) I Can't believe the art and resources that went into these churches and cathedrals! It shows the incredible devotion of times past.
4) WWII in particular devastated London. I can't imagine a city enduring the plague that killed a huge percent of the population, Then a fire that burned down 20% of the city, the multiple wars, bombing etc. And, it's still around to recount it.

I found a place that rents scooters and motorcycles. I'm going to try to make it out to the vinyards tomorrow, then it's off to Anecy. Love you all!
-Steve


I was woken up this morning at 5:30 by the screams out my window of an American woman yelling for someone to get away and begging for someone to call the police. I felt so helpless, I didn't know what to do! It finally stopped after about 5 minutes, but I never heard any sirens, so hopefully it worked out. The weren't screams of blood or pain, just annoyance and fear. I finally got up around 8 am went down for the french version of cafe con leche e tostada, and thinking quick, grabbed some ziplock bags out of my backpack to load up with an apple, an orange, two small croissants, a few chunks of French bread, some cheese, and thought about, but voted down ham. I filled my water bottle and headed off to see if I could get a bike. Unfortunately (or fortunately as it turned out) the store was again closed. I quickly referred to my itinerary to see what else that I wanted to do, and planned on so I jumping on the tramway up to see the silk looms. At this point I also realized that my train left 2 and a half hours earlier than I thought! Good thing I didn't take off to see the wine country. On the way up to Silk area, I saw a storefront that had a bunch of brochures, thinking it was a travel agency of some sort, I popped in to ask a few questions. Dumb question, but I thought I'd ask . . . was the train station in the center of town the only station? No. The main station was out the other way. Ok which one would have the train to Annecy? Well probably the main station, but the small one does do the local trains, you'll have to go out and check. Ugh. I'll just leave an hour cushion and if I end up at the wrong station, I'll transfer and be fine.
So off I go to the Maison des Canuts (the silk place). I get off at the right stop and there's a huge farmers market. Distracted, I walked through, a guy selling hard salami gives me a taste of his most expensive one. Nice, not very strong flavored, until the after taste of rotten meat . . . eeewww. After consulting the map I realize I've been walking blocks down boulevard cruix blah blah rather that rue cruix blah blah, an easy mistake since both have signs reading cruix blah blah. I figure out where I am, and where I'm supposed to be and walk the mile there. still can't find what I'm looking for, but half an hour late, I head back to the tram to go back to the hotel to get my bags and get to the train station, hopefully I'll get the right one first. There's another street market on the way to the tram and I stop to buy a tomato to have with my bread, fruit, and cheese. The guy weighs it out says something in French, I look back at him inquisitively; he says some thing else. I take the ziplock bag that operates as my change purse for the parts of Euros I have accumulated, and offer it to him. He pushes it away and says "no no," offering me the tomato. With a surprised look on my face I returned "merci! merci beaucup!!"
I navigated the trams through three transfers to get back to my hotel, got my stuff and was off to the train station. I made great time and arrives 45 minutes early, found out where my train would be grabbed a fanta and walked onto the train parked in the gate. The train to who knows where. Something possessed be to ask "Annecy?" to a fellow passenger who returned a confused look, eyes popping out of my head I jumped off the train with all my stuff and asked a conductor, "Annecy?" pointing to the train. He says "no." After a long pause surely enjoying the shocked, terrified look on my face he says, "suivant," making a gesture meaning next. Whew. Now I'm sitting in the first class car having just eaten the lunch that I collected earlier in the day (who says there's no such thing as a free lunch!) The train attendant (conductor?) just came buy to check my ticket, I handed him my pass. The dates still blanks. He pointed to the dates, I guess they're supposed to be filled in at the station, thought for a second, then shook it off, said "thank you" and moved on. It would have been more work than it was worth to try to communicate with me. So, I guess I have a free pass if I want to take a detour in the future!

Lesson for the day: Ask questions . . . ask lots of questions . . . ask dumb questions, they may not be so dumb!

---