24/7 - Bayeux
There were also 3 Scottish boys. One was only 17, in his last year of high school. They brought the Scottish flag down to Bayeux with them and one of them draped himself with it and walked around. Later they asked us to sign on their flag, on the same table used for The Distribution of the Keys.
Breakfast that morning at the youth hostel was very good. Someone averred that it was the best complimentary youth hostel breakfast that one could find. There was baguette sections, Nutella, hard boiled eggs, yoghurt, honey, vile juice, coffee, milk, golden honey balls (like Honey Stars but a different shape), cold cuts and croissants (still quite flaky).
Someone in the hostel said that a week before, it had been 42 degrees in Sorento. Wah.
M4A1 Sherman
M10 tank destroyer.
I like the serial: USA 12345678.
Char Churchill Crocodile
The serial was more imaginative: T17325857
Bayeux was the only town in Normandy to be totally spared from damage in the battle.
Place Charles de Gaulle. Where he re-established the republic.
Alain Chartier, poet
woman: popee. wife of rollo, 1st duke of normandy
I saw this symbol on all the streets and pavements. Maybe it was from the tapestry, I was not sure.
There were funny signs in the TV area in the hostel: 'destred (?) for video casettes', 'don't steal' (someone said the latter probably sounded right in French). This was because the videos shelf had a lot of 80s Schwarzenegger movies.
A sign in the hostel said if you helped clean the kitchen you might get a free bed/lunch. Heh.
I saw what must be the cheapest moules et frites in the world - €9. And this included a drink. A pity I didn't have that much time before my train, or I'd have had it.
If the French don't want to pronounce all the letters in their words, why do they include them in the first place? Gah.
Lay's BBQ in France was labelled 'Saveur Barbeque". The packaging was the same colour, but there was a picture of 2 kebabs on a grill.
bfast, lingual, pommes
When I tried to buy a ticket to Brussels, I found that the 2nd class youth tickets were sold out. I had the choice of getting 2nd class normal tickets for €74,50 or 1st class youth tickets for €59, so I obviously pounced for the latter. In all I think I lost a few Euros on my French rail discount card. Pity.
If Eurostar (Paris-London) return tickets can be cheaper than one way tickets, why would anyone buy the one way ones?
The French using the same word ('pommes') for both apples and potatoes is annoying. I bought a pain aux pommes one time and expected a savoury filling, but bit into a sweet filling. I'm sure there're situations when the context won't tell you what they're called - apple chips might be called 'pommes frites', for example. And if they combine apples and potatoes, do you get 'pommes et pommes'?
On the way to the Gare
The date/time of my journey were printed on my Bayeux-Paris train ticket, but on top the words 'Utilisable du 24/07 au 22/09' were printed. Maybe the date/time was printed just for convenience.
'Welcome to our liberators' - sign on the door of a cafe in Bayeux just outside the Gare. Above were the US, UK, Canadian and German flags. Wth.
Half the French trains I took were 5-10 minutes late. But then after Italy, who cares?
French progress - exhibition in Bayeux Gare
In Paris, while I was travelling between train stations, there was a traffic jam, so I got off the bus and walked. I entered the station with <20 minutes to spare and got ripped off at a concessionaire stand because I needed a drink. And the can wasn't even cold, grr. This also meant I had no leisure to browse the magazine racks and make more snide remarks, but I did notice another men's magazine in a price war (€1,95) with FHM (€1,90). Travelling to Brussels by Thalys First Class was an experience. Each seat had a power socket, newspapers (in English!) were provided and we even got dinner.
'Farmhouse' menu: Roast pork, Turnips carrots & leeks, Lentil salad dressed with Herb Vinaigrette, French cheese, Apple tart, Spa mineral water and coffee/tea. I was offered more bread later, but the best part was probably the cote d'or mini bouches. This is (was) the life. Though I'd rather save the difference and have moules et frites.
Once again, I smelled the piss smell in Brussels. And this was summer time too. Uh oh.
The signboards in the Brussels metro are very smart. They show you not only when the next few trains will arrive but which stations they are currently at. Lights also show you when the trains are in the tunnels between the last 2 stations and the current one.
I was very happy to see that my hostel had a fee for sheets. This was because for the second time, I would get to use the sheets that I brought. Unfortunately the fee for sheets was compulsory (deceptive pricing!). !@#$.
The card reader in the lift was also spoilt, so I had to swipe my doorcard 10 times. Stupid security measures. Even more infuriatingly, the lift was only one way - you could take it up, but not down. Presumably they were trying to coerce us into upgrading to their gold class hostel.
Reviewing my options for the next day, there was an interesting-looking city tour. Unfortunately the English speaking guide was on holiday.
I doubt that, past knee length, short skirts are really that much cooler. Summer heats things up in more ways than one.
I doubt that, past knee length, short skirts are really that much cooler. Summer heats things up in more ways than one.
Someone: and anw, short skirts do get cooler the shorter they get, even past knee length hAhAH
nv tried?
MFTTW: they aren't cooler lah. hello. you wear and try. it's annoying to not have anything absorb the sweat from your thighs.
i think the skirt mat3erial makes more differene