Pam wanted to go back downtown in Aix, so we had a good breakfast at the Novotel
hotel, a decent chain in Europe. Bread and cheese are common staples at
all meals, including breakfast.
Pam wanted to go back downtown in Aix, so we had a good breakfast at the Novotel
hotel, a decent chain in Europe. Bread and cheese are common staples at
all meals, including breakfast.
Probably because space is at a premium in the center of this city, built 122
B.C., many of the shops are narrow. You often can see the wiring strung
outside the shop, coursing it's way over doorways.
We left Aix and headed north to through the French Alps which are breathtakingly
beautiful, and this was on a cloudy day. Our intent was to meet a
paraglider who offered to take us on tandem rides. We had intended to get
to Courcheval, a tiny village near Switzerland, the day before but things didn't
work out as planned. In Courcheval, we planned to meet our pilot, but the
further north we traveled, the gloomier it looked outside.
We had read about these toilets in our tour books but it was still a bit of a
shock to turn the corner to go into the bathroom at a rest area. Rumor has
it that they are somewhat temperamental and can go off like a geyser at
unpredictable times. Glad I'm a male.
Some of these villages were like rural North Dakota communities, located at
least an hour away from a place where stores are open 24 hours a day. But,
oh what scenery!
By the time we got to Albertville, purchased a local phone card [Reed's cell
phone ran out of minutes], and called our pilot, it had begun to drizzle.
He told us it was not a good day for flying and the next day looked bad also.
Bummer.
One can always find something to console oneself with.
While the others shopped [Reed bought three--count 'em--three pairs of shoes], I
found a pub that served a light ale.
We ate an unremarkable dinner and decided to drive hard to Turin, Italy on the
other side of the Alps. En route, we passed through the Frejus Tunnel, at
12.8 km, the 15th longest in the world.