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| Mont Blanc and La Mer de Glace as we left |
We left the amazing Alps today—they were shrouded in fog with bright blue skies above. I will always remember these few days—no matter which way we looked, we saw what looked like a National Geographic photo spread. Grindelwald, Switzerland, was my favorite because the Alps were up close and personal there with ribbons of green rolling hills leading up to the hundreds of rocky peaks; however, the sight of Mont Blanc and the peaks around it were breathtaking as well.
Before we left Chamonix, Robin went in search of the German band and found them again. He bought a CD from them to enjoy as we drove.
We hated having Mont Blanc behind us, as we left the area, especially facing the torrential rain almost the entire way to Lyon, France.
We haven’t been here long, but we discovered we’re very close to the central city in a big, old hotel that is clean and neat but in definite need of some remodeling. The room is the worst we’ve had on this trip; it’s very small—both suitcases cannot even be opened in the room. There are two tiny pillows on the bed—more like small throw pillows, not good pillows for reading. Robin asked for another and his request was denied. Since it was raining, we had already decided we would just eat in the hotel restaurant—only there isn’t one. After Robin did some checking, he asked me how I would feel about taking the metro to a restaurant—in a strange city in the rain at night. He knew my answer to that. There was only one restaurant within walking distance, and it was Thai. That’s what we did—and it was fine, just not what we had in mind for France. They had a buffet, which was good, so I didn’t have to commit to something I didn’t like and could choose veggies. As long as there is sushi and Mongolian barbecue or, in this case, a Thai wok, Robin is fine.
Most of our travels today were on main highways—about $30 worth of tolls! (This made the Pennsylvania and Florida Turnpikes look like steals!) We went about 120 km on this roadway (78 miles), mostly listening to the German brass band CD. The French highways have frequent “aires”—rest areas. Some are well equipped; others are minimal, and, until you get inside, you don’t know what you’re getting. Robin and I both discovered the strangest restrooms we’ve ever seen. I opened the stall and, instead of a toilet, I saw what looked like the base of a shower—with a hole in the floor and places for your feet—and no TP. Robin reported the same experience. A whole new take on things!! Luckily, we weren’t far from Lyon at that point.
I’ve had a less-than-positive feeling about Lyon since I heard we were booked here—I love being in the countryside, not the cities. Robin said he booked us in Grindelwald (Switzerland) to “indulge my penchant for heights.” He did a good job with that one for sure. I’m not a city person, but I’m hoping we will find some adventures around here tomorrow. This is wine country, specifically Beaujolais, so maybe we’ll see some pretty countryside and some castles. In all fairness, almost anything would have been a letdown after where we’ve been. I’ll always remember Buzz Aldrin, after he’d been to the moon, saying that he went into a depression because he’d reached his goal of going to the moon and what could top that. I know I can’t compare Switzerland to the moon, and I’m not depressed—but those mountains were right up there on my bucket list, and I’ve checked off that adventure.
Tomorrow, we are heading to Dijon, France. We are definitely staying downtown there, across from the train station. We will be giving up our car there and taking a train to Paris on Wednesday.
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