Paris
14h45: finally going. bought a ticket: Paris, Lausanne, Venezia. leaves at 18h05, arrives in venice 7h30 the next day. the man at the ticket booth was incredible friendly and helpful. had to pay 50 euro bc I'm taking an overnite train (in a bed!!) expensive but exciting. dropped my wallet a minute ago and didn't notice. someone picked it up and gave it back to me. things aren't as horrible as I sometimes
16h20 - to do: call venice hostel. cancel for tonite. don't add another night. worry about that upon arrival.
look @ train schedules from venice
relax. eat french fries. buy bread. buy water. ps. the promenade plantée does right by the gare de lyon. i'm there now. it's beautiful. all the flowers are blooming. parts of it are like walking through a tunnel of green old french ladies walk along gossiping couples, tourists, families, teenagers. etc. beautiful. everyone is freinds. "ah, vous prenez des photos!" "la route.... elle est longue..." (?) crazy old femmes.
WE PRAY BY NOT PRAYING.
WE FULFULL THE LAW BY TRANSGRESSING IT.
-JS FOER EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED
19h15 - somewher ein the french countryside. some of these towns are so beautiful I want to cry. I have never been anywhere like this before. so quiet, comfortable, rustic, filled with character... and it's so green!
20h20 beautiful sunset. rolling hills.
but the sun: neon red-pink, half hidden in haze, not at all painful to look at , except in its beauty
20h40: we're higher up now. looking down on tiny villages., lights beginning to flicker on, steeply pitched deep red roofs... pink glow in the sky to my right..
(now: a tunnel!)
are these mountains? Alps??!?
how beautiful...
21h: in Switzerland. brushing faisal hair off my affairs... (21 Apr - in venice - doing the same)
22h: about to pull into Lausanne (for
23h35: on a train on my way to venice in a miniscule compartment with a squat old woman who grunts when shoe moves. the compartment is hot and she got the iwndow seat. I should start drinking, but I don't know wher the bathroom is... I am so excited through!! in the mañana I will be in venice! Italy! wee!
I just hope she doesn't die in the night. old Italian woman, she says there's no toilet, and if I have to "faire pipi" in the night, that she has a little container to use, and then to dump it in our little sink here. hmm. I imagine there must be bathrooms out on the train somewhere...
logistics and notes:
phone numbers that I brought:
calling card #
Ariela, Faisal, Simon (to get in touch w. F), my cell, Roopali, our aparment, Paul
rough plan:
leave paris wednesday april 19. be back in paris monday, may 1 in time for class.
eurail use summary, week 1:
19 april
Paris-Lausanne: 18h04-21h58 (5 euro)
Lausanne-Venezia: 23h20-07h36 (45 euro)
22 april
Venezia-Ljubljana: 09h-13h14 (8.50 euro)
24 april
Ljubljana-Zagreb: 02h35-04h56
Zagreb-Rijeka: 06h50-10h21
No comments:
Post a Comment