after florence: France/ Chamonix and Mont Blanc

I was talking with one of my professors last week about blogging. We were required to journal our trip and responses to lectures/ field trips. I remarked that I was logging most of this content on my blog. He told me that he did not blog because it was a slow means of recording...trying to write an engaging and clear piece and keep the grammar etc straight at the same time. Writing for the world..however small or large the audience..is much different than recording ponderings in my black Moleskin...but I am on an exciting journey and am willing to risk appearing sloppy for the sake of sharing.

I left Paris yesterday and arrived in Chamonix early this morning.The French countryside is more lovely down here than it was as I viewed it a few days ago from the air when I flew in from Pisa.  Chamonix is east of Geneva and a charming community with the dominating presence of Mont Blanc as a backdrop. Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in Europe and draws trekkers and tourists.

This evening I did laundry and took a walk down the winding streets of Chamonix. I picked a sidewalk cafe among many choices...this one had frites...I normally do not eat french fries, but in France, French fries seem to be the order of the day...a cheap dinner (1.90 euros).  I engaged the man behind the counter asking if he had been up to Mont Blanc. He laughingly told me "no"...just the easy way...in an airplane. He, in turn, asked me if I was going up. I told him that I was thinking about embracing the challenge tomorrow....I told him "scary" and he asked how long it would take.  I said 20 minutes and he looked at me puzzled. The language differences make these dialogues foggy. I took my frites and continued my slow walk back to the hotel.

As I walked eating my frites (much like McDonalds only thicker), I pondered our conversation and laughed out loud when it hit me that he thought I was trekking up the mountain, not riding a gondola.

Unfortunately, "Do you speak English" is my constant refrain in Europe. It feels selfish to expect others to figure out what I am needing. Not knowing the language aborts many engagements that might otherwise be enriching and creates a degree of isolation.

Today as I was showering, I used the upsidedown bottle of "Fusion"...a practical and wonderful combination of body and facial wash as well as shampoo. I think I may begin to photograph these kinds of notable differences in the two parts of the world....I am staying another night in Chamonix and then on to the eastern coast of France...