a good break

That’s me back from my travels. Let me tell you upfront, it was wonderful. I thought spending almost as much time on a train as enjoying Annecy and Paris would detract from the experience, but it did not. I enjoyed my train journeys. I knitted half a sock, listened to a book, gazed out of the window and watched a couple of shows on my iPad.

I left on Friday last week, using the local train to get me to Glasgow Central, then the Avanti West Coast to London, from there the Eurostar to Paris. It was a smooth journey with more food and drink than I could handle. Such is the privilege of travelling first class. I decided I was worth the £76 for a first class four-travel-day InterRail pass. In Paris I spent an evening exploring the neighbourhood around Gare de Nord, and I treated myself to an Aperol Spritz. I was too full to eat after all that catering on the train. On Saturday, I walked partway to Gare de Lyon, then took the metro for the final stretch. From there, the TGV to Annecy. The photos at the top are the few I took in Annecy. Too busy chatting!

My friends Rahel and Ursula were waiting for me. I hadn’t seen them in at least 10 and 8 years respectively. Our apartment was on the fourth floor of a typical townhouse in the old town of Annecy. It was lovely and just perfect. After some catching up we went exploring the old town, then found the local (very crowded beach) for a first swim in Lake Annecy. It was so hot!! I think 32 degrees centigrades. Coming from way up North, this was quite something. The cool lake was very welcome. We spent the rest of the day chatting. On Sunday, we went to the market, stopped at a cafe for breakfast, then walked along the left side of the lake to another local beach for a dip, then we had a delicious lunch in a small local restaurant tucked away in a residential neighbourhood. Then we hopped on a bus that took us further along the lake to a beautiful beach. We spent the rest of the afternoon there, swimming and chatting, before returning to Annecy by bus. We had a late dinner of Fondue, which was delicious. Not your usual summer meal … but good. Although I had some cheese dreams during the night and a heavy stomach. On Monday, we had breakfast at a cafe once more, then did a bit of  window shopping, walked up to a church with a view, then back down to the beach for a final swim. It was still so very hot! Then, sadly it was time to say goodbye. I took the direct train back to Paris and my friends returned to Switzerland. 

I checked-into my hotel, then ventured out for dinner and a wee evening stroll. The next day I went to the Jardin des Plantes, which Richard and I had briefly visited in May. I wanted to explore more but of course the greenhouses were shut, as were the two museums on site. The gardens however were gorgeous (if a bit parched). Instead of exploring the greenhouses, I walked all the way to the Rodin museum. I passed through the open air sculpture garden along the Seine. Some interesting sculptures at the Rodin mueum, too. I particularly liked the studies of hands and feet, in clay mostly and to prepare for the marble or metal works Rodin is known for. The gardens around the museum were stunning and more sculptures were scattered around. I sat for a while, recovering from the heat. Then I leisurely walked back to my hotel, a good hour away and taking in all the sights along the way but avoiding the main thoroughfares. I was pretty tired but after an hour cooling my feet off, I went for dinner, then back to the hotel to chill-out. My final day was busy. I was all ready for it with a brand new umbrella for the only day in August that rain was forecast... I booked tickets to the African wax fabric exhibition at the Musee de l’Homme, which I reached by metro. More on this exhibition another time because it was fascinating and beautiful and worth a separate post. Then I took the metro to Montmartre for a spot of fabric shopping, where there is a dozen or so fabric and haberdashery shops in a small area. I had budgeted for this specially. I explored the coupon shops specifically. These are places where fabric are pre-cut and sold at an excellent price. I found a dark blue linen, a red dobby cotton and a finely textured white cotton. I resisted the silk because I didn’t have a pattern in mind, which I think would be important for a luxury fabric purchase. There were some beautiful dupioni silks…. Another time. Also, buttons, I bought two sets for future shirts. I took the metro back to my hotel, dropped off my shopping and ventured back out to visit the now open greenhouses at the Jardin des Plantes. I love greenhouses! Then I had an early dinner and spent the evening resting up. I watched the Great British Sewing Bee. It was a nice surprise to be able to watch the BBC iPlayer in France. The wonders of VPN. After a good night’s rest, I packed my bag and made my way to the Gare du Nord for my return journey to Glasgow. I left enough time for breakfast before boarding the Eurostar, then the Avanti West Coast, then the local train home. 

For the first time in months I feel rested. Now I have to slowly wear Richard’s resistance down for a longer InterRail trip next summer. It was very easy to book my pass, plan my journey and make seat reservations, all on the InterRail app. It is not cheap once all the mandatory seat reservations are taken into account. Also not fast but I liked the pace of my trip. I found it much less stressful than air travel, for sure. Finally, much more environmentally friendly than air travel. 

I have not visited any blogs, or spent much time on social media while away, so have a bit of catching-up to do. I am not back at work until Monday, so plenty of time. 

Thanks for visiting 😊