Chamonix: Where I Officially Became a Rockstar

Hey folks.

So sad we can't post pictures this round, because there are some amazing ones, but we're once again pressed for time.

Heidi and I are currently in Chamonix, which is a little French town nestled in a green valley and surrounded on all sides by the French Alps-- Mont Blanc being one of them. We wake up, look out the window of our hostel chalet and see mountain mountain mountains mountains mountains, which are gorgeous!!

Here's a pic just off the internet:



Phil from England is our hostel manager dude, and has been very informal and friendly with us-- dropping us off in town, and making us breakfast, and inviting us out to bars... More on that later...

Have met a mom and daughter from Michigan who are hilarious and great travel buddies. It's just the four of us at the chalet-- lots of eating, touristing, and imbibing together. :) The girl is studying in Paris after this, so we'll get to meet up with her again there during the last week of our vacation!

Yesterday, took a gondola up to the top of the Mt. Blanc, 12,000+ feet. Higher than the paragliders, higher than the clouds-- felt like heaven, honestly.

I accidently dropped my pink water bottle off the top though. Whoops. Caused a small avalanche. It was a good way to go though, if you're a water bottle. RIP water bottle.

Yesterday evening in the garden, us girls were all eating bread, cheese, fruit, and drinking wine, and I was playing guitar for everyone. Phil came out to hang out and listen, and asked me if I wanted to play in town. "What?" I asked.
"Sure, there's a Canadian pub in town-- cool guy named Gary runs it, and they have live music every night. You could play with them."

What.

AND THAT IS WHAT I DID.

AND I PLAYED ELECTRIC. I PLAYED ELECTRIC GUITAR FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE IN A PUB IN CHAMONIX, FRANCE.

And everyone liked it! I played "I Need to Find Me a Man Like Captain Jack Sparrow," because it was one the rest of the band could easily ramp up-- oh sorry, did I forget to say the band backed me up?-- and it went well with the electric guitar and throaty vocals. Then tried a cover of "You Say Nothing At All," because the band requested I do one that people know-- that one didn't go off as well-- but then after that, someone just requested a song about Chamonix, so I made one up on the spot, and the band went with that too!

I'll be honest: I felt like a total badass!

There's pictures-- which will definitely be some of the first posted when we get a chance!

Tonight is the Fete de la Musique, which is a party all across France-- musicians of every type and color play out in the streets, and everyone else goes out all night to dance and party. Should be a good time-- the four of us, yes, the mama too, are definitely planning a fun night on the town!!

Tomorrow we go to Interlaken, in Switzerland-- love to all!

What We Argue About:

- Whose underwear belongs to whom.
- Making sure we each get EXACTLY HALF of the dessert.
- Who's fault it was that *someone* drank over half a bottle of wine last night and was very, very tipsy... Like, hilariously so.

Off to Chamonix tomorrow, requires a million train transfers to get there. Please pray for timely trains.

Oh, and I can get money now!!!

All Good News

Hey friends!!

No more free internet for us, which means less blogs and shorter ones, but yay yay yay for all of the below:

-We are in Arles right now, and absolutely love it. Our hotel is a dream and will probably be the nicest place we stay this whole trip! Our first day walking through Arles was gasp after gasp because it is SO darling, SO picturesque, and most of the people here are wonderful. We've befriended the patisserie lady-- her name is Denise, and we visit her several times a day!! :)
- Went to Avignon yesterday-- these are all in Provence-- and from Avignon caught a bus tour to see Lavender fields and two other unbelievably adorable towns. Almost didn't because it was spendy, but SO glad we did-- the 30 euro was definitely woth it! At one stop, an abbey fronted by a giant lavender field, I took off my glasses for a picture (stupid vain girl) and forgot them in a lavender bush. I panicked when I realized my screw up when we were in the next town-- but the darling French tour guide who I had made friends with asked her manager Pascal if there was any way we could go back to the abbey... Pascal took Heidi and I back to the abbey in his own car, and we found my glasses!!! I WAS SO HAPPY. I chatted with Pascal the whole way there and back in French-- I'm stumbling, but I'm doing it!! At the end of the ride, Pascal gave us both French style kisses, one of each cheek. Tres bien!!
-These last two days have been heaven sent. We have had so much fun. Truly-- no reservations about saying that. THIS feels like France!!

ALSO:
- I think my dad fixed my ATM issues. Will be testing it out immediately after this blog!
- We met two adorable Irish girls in Nice, from Cork Ireland, who invited us to come stay with them in Cork. Ryanair flies there for super cheap-- so we're now planning a jaunt to Ireland! What??
- Excuse the typos-- typing on a sticky French keyboard where the letters are all rearranged est tres difficile!!

Basically-- the last two days have been perfect. Yesterday, lunch was a fresh baguette, fresh soft cheese, and a fresh pear. Life is grand in Provence. Je l'aime!

Logistics Shmogistics

Hey all.

Today has been a day of complications. Heidi and I both woke up sick, Heidi with a sore throat and me with crazy intestinal crap. We also have realized the necessity of booking our hostels far in advance, as France in the summer time gets booked up QUICKLY. Additionally, many of the towns we're interested in (smaller, more provincial ones) are difficult to get to-- an impossible train schedule prevented us from going to Cinque Terre as planned, and we're now intending to go there after our trip into Switzerland.

Essentially, we spent a lot of time trying to plan the rest of our trip today...

We had a lovely afternoon-- met some sweet Irish girls from Cork and went with them to the beach. Saw plenty of man thongs and naked boobies. Going with the same girls to an Irish pub tonight to watch rugby. Gooooo.... rugby team!!

On the way back from the beach-- more logistic hell-- I discovered through 4 out of 4 ATM withdrawal attempts that my bank is not approving my withdrawals. As Heidi and I went out of our way to notify our bank of our Europe trip beforehand, this was extreeeeemely frustrating. Pray and cross your fingers that my email to their customer service dept. gets answered QUICKLY!

Not sure of what our internet access will be after this point, so may not be able to blog as long or as often. Please please please send us emails though--- they are the medicine we're surviving on through these rough points!!

Ne demandez jamais la truite.

Pronounced: neh deh-man-day jah-may lah tweet.
Means: Never order the trout.

In the restaurant:
Greta: Oh no.
Heidi: Ohhh noooo. I saw fish being served whole yesterday. I was afraid it would come like this.
Greta: Why didn't you stop me??
Heidi: I thought you knew what you were doing!
Greta: I was picturing a nice little filet!
Heidi: Can you take the skin off? (Squeezes lemon vehemently over the whole thing.)
Greta: This smells. So bad. ...I knew not to order fish in the middle of the country because it wouldn't be fresh, but Nice is a sea-side town! I thought it would be good, fresh fish!
Heidi: (Grimly) Too fresh.
Greta: (Takes a bite.) Oh man. Oh man. This is real bad.
Heidi: (Takes a bite. Nods grimly.)
Greta: I'm not going to be able to eat it without gagging.
Heidi: We have to eat it. It's what we ordered. (Takes another bite with an air of great sacrifice.) You know how they cooked this, don't you? (Greta shakes her head apprehensively.) They ripped out its guts and threw it in the fryer.
Greta: It would look so rude if we left all this. (Takes a bite and gags.) I can't eat it. I can't.
Heidi: (Wraps a bite in a thick piece of bread, and chews it.)
Greta: That's what we do for dogs.
Heidi: (Gags. Repeatedly.)
Greta: Are you okay??
Heidi: (Swallows and gasps.) You know what this is? (Taps taps taps fish with her fork.) Its spine.
Greta: Let's just... Take it apart and spread the pieces all around, like we did when we were little.
Heidi: Like YOU did. (Pokes at salad.) I wish I could do tomatoes better. They make me vom too.

(For a dialogue of what transpired during dessert, refer to Heidi's.)

The day before La Truite Degoutant:
We took a day trip to Monaco today, which was sort of like being in the country of Harrods-- in other words, everything was crazy ritzy. We walked to the palace from the train station, which was on top of a cliff and sported some gorgeous views.


Found the cathedral next- where Grace Kelley is buried. Lit a candle for Nora (see previous post), and prayed that she somehow is being taken care of or found her way home.

Then bought tickets to check out the adjacent acquarium. Apparently, the prince who created it was a huge fan of Jacques Cousteau, and subsequently built this fabulous, cliff-side acquarium that Cousteau oversaw for some time.

We enjoyed ourselves checking out the fish, and even sang the jelly-fish our classic Heidi/Greta original composition, "Slimy, Sticky, and Icky." (If you know what this refers to: feel informed.)

After the acquarium, we took a bus to the famous Monte Carlo casino, where Daniel Craig saved the world in Casino Royale. Didn't go in, as there was a spendy entry fee, but did plenty of gawking at the amazing cars parked outside and felt intimidated by the fancy dress.

We're planning a relaxing afternoon, as we're both tired and Heidi's a little sick on top of that. (Not just from the trout, unfortunately.) Naps, showers (this fille NEEDS ONE), and some journal time at a cafe.

Off to Cinque Terre tomorrow.

We're honestly both a little home-sick, surprisingly enough. We were hoping to make more friends at our hostel, but our adventure with poor Nora last night didn't provide a chance to mingle in the courtyard area where people seem to be interacting the most, as we'd hoped to do. Taking on these world famous cities as a duo is creating good solidarity between us, but easily leaves us feeling alone outside of that. Our heads are still wrapped a bit around the stressful situations we left at home, as well.

However, we are so impressed with some of the unique things that we're seeing here, and definitely looking forward to Cinque Terre. And when I'm really feeling stressed out, I do something that feels especially Greta-- like taking a pensive walk through a fountain. A tiny bit of silliness does wonders for my outlook.

Love to all--
Greta

Nora from Dublin

It's been a very dicouraging, worrisome, exhausting night. I don't have time to post a blog about why, but Heidi did.

The main thing going through my head right now is, "Why couldn't we have found it? Why didn't that help come through?"

Mes pieds sont mal

Pronounced: may peed sone maal
Means: My feet hurt

-Woke up at 10am; got ready in the dark as dorm-mates were sleeping, and squabbled in whispers. Met the friendly blue-eyed hostel man, who assured me that he did not hate Americans. 'They are my beez-nees! Eef I 'ate Amereecans...I go out of monee!' Ate a delicious petit-dejeuner (breakfast) at a nearby cafe and went out walking. Oh-- et voila: the previously mentioned sex shop JUST across the street from our hostel. It wasn't open. C'est domage.

-Found the beach. What a nice beach. Get it... NICE... Oh and I didn't even MEAN to do that... Ross, be proud.

-Near the beach, we spotted a series of stone stairs leading high up yonder, so we climbed them. Not only did we see gorgeous panoramic views of the city, but we also found the SWEETEST ACCORDIAN PLAYER MAN THAT WILL HITHERTO BE MY ACCORDIAN MAN FRIEND. He gave us his card, and asked us to send us this picture when we get home:

-At the top of the stairs was this fabulous series of parks, waterfalls, ancient cemetaries, and ruins. So pleased with our accidental find.

-Heidi made me do silly things.

-Went down into the Old Town: classic small alleyways, brightly painted shutters, little markets, clothes hanging from the lines, motorcycles roaring through and scaring small children. Er, tourists.

-Interessant: I'm doing fairly well communicating with people in french, but Heidi's actually better than me at understanding what people are saying. I think I get flustered and am trying so hard to listen for what exactly they're saying...That I miss it altogether. Heidi on the other hand, takes the few key words combined with the gestures... And explains it to me. What. I must improve. Or else listen after one or two glasses of wine.

-Oh, we had WINE LAST NIGHT AND IT WAS FANTASTIC. Annie: I thought of you.

-Both of us feeling self concious about our clothing. There is an H&M here. Might be adding a few more Frenchish things to my already packed pack.

Click on Heidi's blog in the side-bar for her take on the morning, and some pictures.

We're having fun. :)

Nous avons arrive!

Pronounced: nooz ah-von ah-ree-vay
Means: WE HAVE ARRIVED!

Bullet points since we have limited internet time:
- The trip was gloriously boring. No delays, no lost bags, no annoying adjacent passengers, no turbuloso turbulence... Thanks to all who prayed for travel mercies-- it was wonderfully uneventful!

-...Except when I accidentally entered the country in London during our layover, which meant Heidi had to enter it too, which meant we had to go BACK through security, but not before getting hopelessly lost in the mad maze that is Heathrow. So much for being the experienced traveller. Whoops!

- Heidi drank, YES DRANK (SPU lifestyle expectations are NO MORE!!) a mini bottle of wine on the plane! And was adorably dizzy afterwards. Ma francais mission: help her grow her tolerance just a teeny bit.

- Our hostel is clean and the people are friendly. It is also across the street from a sex shop, called 'No Taboo.' Heidi and I intend to give it a thorough going-over tomorrow.

- Supposed to rain tomorrow- awesome. But whatever-- we're in Europe, so we will be rained on in fabulous french phrases.

Thanks to all who are commenting-- I think that will be the easiest way to keep in contact with folks, through the posting and commenting, so please keep it up! :)

A Demain...

Pronounced: Ah dey-mon
Means: Tomorrow

Yeah, so by the way...

The trip begins tomorrow with a 2:00pm plane departure. Heidi and I have had, collectively, one of the most stressful weekends of our lives. Some of that's been for the same reason, some of it's been for different reasons. We are starting this quite tired, quite emotional, quite stressed, but very excited nonetheless. I'll do my best to post updates from the trip on this blog, and will make every effort to be consise, anecdotal, and fiercely entertaining. Expect blurbs like this:

Today, a tiny old wrinkled man hit my leg with a cane and demanded that I find him some cheese. I didn't understand what he wanted at first, so he just kept hitting my leg, and eventually my foot as he tired. When I finally appeased his demand for cheese, he was quite generous with sharing and even gave me a flower that he picked from a hanging basket as thanks. Who knew that you could transform a curmudgeon into such a gentleman with only a block of brie??

For some reason, whenever I picture our time in France, I picture flower baskets, lots of wine, lots of cheese, lots of pastries, and little old men in straw hats. I'll let you know if these sights are consistent with the actual thing.

Pray for safe travels, or cross your fingers- whichever tactic you find most reliable. :) And if you want a postcard, provide your address in a comment. For all the internet's stalkers to see.

Au revoir amis!

The Now

I'm sitting at a Tully's cafe right now, attempting to post some pictures on Facebook with a teeth-gratingly-slow internet connection. This was supposed to take ten minutes; instead, I'm already 30 in. I'm sitting here, thinking about all the things that I could be doing instead. There are people I could see, preparations I could be making, errands I could be running.

Instead I just stare at my computer.

And I wait. I wait. I think about all the things I have to do next.

And I wait.

And I think about Now.

I struggle with the Now. So much, I struggle with it. I often tell people that I should have been born a century ago; I am enamored with past centuries and stories and eras. I indulge in nostalgia the way other people do in wine, or chocolate. I drag up past selves, and converse with them, advise them, sit with them and remember-- I call ahead to future me's and implore them to answer my heart-felt questions. I look ahead too-- I've already made firm plans to be an eccentric old lady, and have planned future 80-year-old outfits with outrageous hats and pom-pommed shoes. One of my most fervent hopes for Heaven is that I will get answers-- that I will have all the questions answered, that I will KNOW where everything goes, and where it comes from. I want that knowledge now.

But Now?

Is a slippery beast.

It's fog, and pot-holes-- it's a mirage, and a wide open field. It can be as simple as I want it to be, but inevitably I make it more complicated. Eve ate the forbidden fruit because she wanted to KNOW, and I admit, I might have easily given into the same temptation. I want the knowledge that isn't mine to possess.

How do I let that yearning go? I don't honestly know. Earlier this year, I remember feeling like life had put me in a river up to my chest, and I was being pushed by the strong current. I felt like the rocks were turning beneath my feet, and the clouds above me were racing to unknown destinations beyond my view. I wanted to CLUTCH the world, and hold it still until I had attained full comprehension. Instead, it pushed and pulled at me, dragging me forward with its force. My efforts to control this wild world were as effective as halting a roaring river. I wanted to hold water in my fists after it had already run through them.

The Now is this table before me. It is the water beside my laptop, and it is the crumbs from my scone in a small paper bag. The Now is boots on my feet, and Caedmon's Call in my ears. The Now is a bolstering email from a dear friend. The Now is lots of information to process from my grad school director, and some particular information to process from someone who has recently become important to me. The Now is Tuesday. It is just. Tuesday.

I'm not in France yet. I'm not in grad school yet. I'm past work. I'm past a fun weekend. I'm past the girl that was silly a week ago. I'm not yet the woman that faces the world with trust and peace, regardless of what it throws at me.

I am just this girl, in this moment. And I don't know. I don't know what that means tomorrow. I don't know how Now was influenced by yesterday. I really don't know.

I went for a walk earlier this year, and at one point walked up a hill with bright, glaring sunshine right in my eyes. I closed them, and continued to walk forward blindly, trusting that I would find the next step on the sidewalk ahead of me; trusting myself to walk essentially straight ahead. And I did.

Is that what living Now is? That may be the closest thing I can think of. I remember walking with my eyes closed, and thinking that that's maybe how God wants us to move forward with Him-- to be so blinded by Light that we have to shut our eyes to follow it. Blind trust isn't such a bad thing if we have a trustworthy guide.

I do have a trustworthy guide. And He will take care of tomorrow, and He is with me in these slippery Now moments. He never goes away; He hems me in, behind and before. Praise the Lord for that.

Now is posted pictures, and a finished blog. And Now is getting going. Pray for how I deal with Now after that.