An attempt to really not catch up at all.
Jul. 11th, 2003 06:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
darcydodoSince I'm currently paying for 20 minutes of computer time and didn't have any more e-mail, and I have a whole 13 minutes left, I thought I'd try and put my first entry into the computer.
June 30, 2003
I left Paris today. We were supposed to get going a little after breakfast time; instead, my parents didn't even show up until nearly noon because my mom had managed to leave her backpack on the airport shuttlebus (or something).
My French seems to trip over itself more when my parents are around, maybe because they keep trying to "help" (I'm in favor of this argument) or maybe because I'm simply more self-conscious in front of them (I'm sure they'd argue for this possibility).
We got to Orly airport and picked up the rental car, then headed for Amboise, a medium-sized town near Tours. At least we tried to do so, but there were several false starts and false middles, as well. French motorway signs are very confusing — actualyl, make that most all French signs. They have this horrible habit of putting the signs right before an exit, and stacking masses all together as well so that one can't read them as they flash by. But we eventually got the hang of it, especially after my dad stopped screaming that we were going the wrong way. Sadly, I don't officially get to drive the car, as Budget doesn't like under-25 drivers. So I'm navigator, which suits me so long as I'm allowed to accomplish my task in peace.
Amboise is a nice town with lots of château-y bits around and the Loire river running through it. Nearby there are troglodyte caves. We've got our bikes and we're making an early start tomorrow, heading for Loches, to the south. Over the next few days we'll gradually cycle around to Saumur, then catch a train back to Amboise and head off up to Normandy.
Sleep time.
So as it happens, I've been not nearly keeping up with my entries. This means that I've got some, got others partially written, and will have to try and reconstitute still others at some point. This is what comes of being navigator and not having any time to do anything while I'm in the car except keep us on the correct road, while my father snoozes in the back and my mom drives. Not that either of us would trust my dad to navigate!
Anyway, probably no more updates until I'm in Oxford, unless there's an internet café in Alsace and I randomly haven't got anything I want to do.
Paris is stupidly, stupidly hot. And humid.
June 30, 2003
I left Paris today. We were supposed to get going a little after breakfast time; instead, my parents didn't even show up until nearly noon because my mom had managed to leave her backpack on the airport shuttlebus (or something).
My French seems to trip over itself more when my parents are around, maybe because they keep trying to "help" (I'm in favor of this argument) or maybe because I'm simply more self-conscious in front of them (I'm sure they'd argue for this possibility).
We got to Orly airport and picked up the rental car, then headed for Amboise, a medium-sized town near Tours. At least we tried to do so, but there were several false starts and false middles, as well. French motorway signs are very confusing — actualyl, make that most all French signs. They have this horrible habit of putting the signs right before an exit, and stacking masses all together as well so that one can't read them as they flash by. But we eventually got the hang of it, especially after my dad stopped screaming that we were going the wrong way. Sadly, I don't officially get to drive the car, as Budget doesn't like under-25 drivers. So I'm navigator, which suits me so long as I'm allowed to accomplish my task in peace.
Amboise is a nice town with lots of château-y bits around and the Loire river running through it. Nearby there are troglodyte caves. We've got our bikes and we're making an early start tomorrow, heading for Loches, to the south. Over the next few days we'll gradually cycle around to Saumur, then catch a train back to Amboise and head off up to Normandy.
Sleep time.
So as it happens, I've been not nearly keeping up with my entries. This means that I've got some, got others partially written, and will have to try and reconstitute still others at some point. This is what comes of being navigator and not having any time to do anything while I'm in the car except keep us on the correct road, while my father snoozes in the back and my mom drives. Not that either of us would trust my dad to navigate!
Anyway, probably no more updates until I'm in Oxford, unless there's an internet café in Alsace and I randomly haven't got anything I want to do.
Paris is stupidly, stupidly hot. And humid.
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no subject
Date: 2003-07-11 09:57 am (UTC)You HAVE to share some pictures with us, by the way.
And the heat? Take it like a woman. & ;-) It was 36°C in Vienna...and still we were exploring it.
Have safe trips!
Cheers,
M.