Belleville, Paris

Travel day- Annecy to Paris on the TGV...arrived starving and ill prepared for Paris; from quiet and organized alpine villages to a cacophony of sounds, sights and masses of people. Paris and New York always assault my senses and send me reeling, and yet I thoroughly enjoy them both.

A tiny hole in the wall Pho place caught my eye and after checking in at my 5th or 6th hostel in Paris, I headed directly to 1 of the vacant seats for hot, steaming Pho. Somehow they managed to cram 18 seats into this little shop.  Tiny by my standards is small, tiny by Parisian standards is miniscule...by the end of the meal I had a new family!

Opted for Belleville this time around. Had spent an afternoon here and was glad to find a hostel not far from the park. Learned that Belleville has quite a history-  before being absorbed into Paris it was a hilltop village known for its vineyards and wine. During the Workers Uprising of the 'Paris Commune' the last barricade to fall was in Belleville. In fact the area is still home to the Parti Communiste Francais and two of the largest trade unions. It also has been home to many waves of immigrants, from Greeks, Jews, Armenians, Tunisians, Algerians, North and Sub-Saharan Africans, Chinese and Vietnamese. You can see the diversity as you oass by stores and shops with signs in varying languages and contents of all types.

And yes a new hostel experience because I have yet to find one in Paris I would return to. Hum, hostel living....it is an experience, on the one hand they all have that hostel-quality...and at the same time they each have their own flavor. This one is new and has very gregarious employees at the reception desk which I apreciate. Nothing worse than bored or apathetic hostel staff.

Someone asked me when I will be to old for a hostel. Not sure it is age that determines whether you can/ should stay at a hostel. I think maybe it is personal preference and state of mind. Things to note about hostels:

1. Hostels are a great place to meet other travelers
2. Hostels often organize activities or offer discounts to local activities
3. Hostels are all about communal living with a propensity for cliqueishness during university holidays
4. Hostels can be super inexpensive or as much as a low range hotel, especially in areas highly frequented by the backpacker set
5. Hostels may have quiet hours or they may encourage an all-night party atmosphere
6. Hostel reviews are like all other "reviews" - hit or miss
7. Wifi is not always free or consistent at a hostel
8. Breakfast of some sort or another is almost always included
9. Cleanliness seems to mirror the societal expectation of cleanliness
10. Bob Marley's music will be played ad nauseum at any hostel on or remotely near a beach
11. Most hostels will accommodate groups and families
12. If you are under 18 you will need to be with an adult in order to stay
13. In order to stay you must show a form of ID, generally a passport but other forms are accepted depending in the location and hostel requirements
14. Open and accessible kitchens can save you time and money, but not evey hostel has them
15. Some hostels allow their countrymen to stay but others do not. I find this to be fascinating.

And on that note i am off to meet the other travelers.

Until tomorrow.

Riding the Day Away

I told someone the other day I never go back. Meaning, forward or straight ahead are my preferred direction. Detours are appreciated and veering off is fine too but going back from where I came generally is not beneficial. Of course there are exceptions to this but they are rare; today such an exception occurred. 

I went for a long leisurely bicycle ride that was to take me around the lake. They have incredible bicycle paths here that take you under trees, behind houses, along the water, and through parks. They are wide enough for multiple bicycles and seem to be well utilized. I had heard it was 40-45 kilometers around the lake but had no map and honestly was not concerned. I figured I had most of the day to enjoy the sunshine and the spectacular views of the lake. 23 kilometers in I stopped to take a break, and eat a bit of food.

As I sat and enjoyed the view I wondered where I was and if the path did indeed go around the lake. I had seen a bicycle path around the lake but there were many paths and not many signs along the way. Then it happened, the worry...it just sort of slipped in there.

Where am I going? Where will this path take me? What if something happens to the bike? Do i know enough French to describe a bicycle problem? What if I am find a map and I am too far or too tired to ride back? What if, what if, what if???

As I am meandering my way through France these worries are as minor as they come.  So as a fairly reasonable person I recognized this AND the response of "well we don't ever go back" as both thoroughly unhelpful and a waste if energy. Rather I decided to continue eating and see how I felt when done.

Wouldn't you know that upon completion I was ready to go? not in the unknown direction but back from whence I came. And not out of worry but out of desire to see what I saw from a different direction. And what I found along the way were items I hadn't seen before and a different perspective of the path.

Sometimes it just makes sense to go back.

Oh what to do?

Ah I know...

Saying Goodbye to the Alps

The 10 day trek is complete, I did not fall off a mountain and my body has shown no signs of revolt as it did a year ago! Success! 

Said goodbye to the beautiful alps this morning and headed away to Annecy. Arrived in freshly (and quite thoroughly) washed clothes with two of my treking pals and we strolled the streets of the old town until one had to depart for the next in a string of French adventures.

One more day here, maybe I will take a bike ride around the lake, or meander through the streets, or sit at cafe to write and people watch.

Stories and pictures to come....do you know how  long it takes to upload 407 photos on a hostel connection?!

WiFi again?!

Another day with wifi, clearly we are in the valley and not high in the mountains. Arpette Switzerland- known for its ski slopes, blueberries and fondue.

Here are a few photos...more to come after the trek.

La Fouly

A few pics from this morning...day 7. We start off in about 20 minutes- 15 ish kilometers of walking in the valleys with a bit of uphill at the end of the day. A light day really, if it were not for the rain which will come in about an hour.

Alpine Adventure update

Arrived in Chamonix with a half day to explore this touristy village at the base of Mont Blanc. It is a cute little place with beautiful views. I explored, ate lunch along the rushing mountain water, and bought a new pair of trekking sticks. Then off to the hostel which I would rate as less than average.

The next morning I set off for Les Houches, the meeting point for the trek. 10 arrived, 9 set off- a French couple, a Danish woman, 3 Australians, myself, 1 French guide, and a mule.

We are on day 6 now and have lost the French couple. We arrived in La Fouly very wet thanks to a mid-day shower. We arrived to find hot showers and wifi access (the first so far)!

More to come after the trek...for now enjoy the photos :) 

Familiar Places

The last 24 hours have been a mix of new and familiar.

New- taking the 4 month old non-stop flight from SFO (11 hrs), sitting in an exit row and being asked "are you prepared to do what needs to get done in the event of a crash, like they did on the asiatic flight (the one that crashed)?", a different room with a new view in Lyon.

Familiar- CDG airport and the SNCF station, having all technology not function or dysfunction, mangling the little French I do know, missing a train, the hostel in Lyon, already repacked my backpack 3 times in 24 hours.

Ok so I am in Lyon for the night and will be on an early train (actually 2) in the am. I probably should go out and enjoy the city but I am tired AND I have to get up early in order to  get to the station! If I weren't going on another epic trek I wouldn't be detered by the exhaustion and early hour...but I have this trek :-)

Oh and for just a moment I feel the need to comment on the flight attendant's question. If she and the airline expect that those in the exit rows will fulfill what she implied were crisis management techniques, such as opening the door and finding an appropriate place for it in the airplane, directing and communicating with highly emotional individuals, working effectively with your exit row seatmates, and staying calm and thoughtful during a possible crisis...then either they should lower their expectations or create some sort of certification which muat be xompleted in order to sit in the exit rows. Seriously. The door in my aircraft was 58 pounds, I am not willing to bet my life that everyone who curently sits in an exit row can lift that.  And shouldnt there be height requirements? The doors are tall! And what about language capacity? Don't you want individuals who speak the local languages or on internation flights the language where the flight originated and its destination? I don't know, I just didn't feel comfortable with her question.

Alrighty thats all I got.

Alpine Adventure

Minutes away now from another adventure in the alps. The weeks leading up have been chaotic;  I had forgotten the challenges of prepping for a trip while still on the job!

All is done now and I am ready to board...au revoir!

Misery Trail

This might be the best and most appropriate name for a trail yet. 1000 feet up in one mile. In the sun. The views were worth it though.

Then there's this guy they call "monkey face" but I am thinking it is more like  "planet-of-the-apes face"...what do you think.

Here are more photos from the hike: