Today I had just a tiny taste of what's in store during my walk across the northern shore of Lake Geneva (c. 80 kilometres), which I'm hoping to do over four days in the last week of March when the winter haze should have fully lifted. I took the train just a little way east of Lausanne to Pully, then walked down to Lutry, a medieval village on the lake shore. Above this part of Lake Geneva are steep hillsides planted with wine grapes.
From Lutry I walked back to Ouchy, which is like Lausanne's toe in the lake. It's so beautiful: swans on the water, the French Alps just across the way, lots of dogs out for walks, wonderful buildings. I'm fully aware of how lucky I am to be spending time in this beautiful part of the world. If only I could speak French...!
The end of the last couple of months of intense work pressure is in sight, and so to celebrate I'm going to Paris for five days at the end of next week. I got my train tickets today. I'm booked into a hotel in the Latin Quarter that has associations with the Beat poets.
I love the Latin Quarter in Paris, it's so amazing to just walk around and see all the history jammed together with life as it goes on daily. Have a great time!
ReplyDeleteAnd even if you spoke French, the Parisians wouldn't speak it with you. Unlike other countries, where people appreciate the few words of their language that I know, in Paris, forget it. They refused to speak with me except in English. Was I really mangling their lovely language that badly!?