Premiere Classe Epinal

... and work, me from doing nothing but eating subway.  We had a nice Sunday lunch with Marion's extended family and I think I coped okay. 40% of the people there spoke some English. I had to count how many places to set in French in front of everyone and out loud and I smashed it to pieces. We spoke of Australian actors and animals over lunch, I even got to say "G'day" a couple of times.  Marion's Grandfather is a big deal over there. He is an artist who has worked for the ...

... in our disposal; our thumbs. That's right, we hitchhiked! Well sort of, we payed and it was pre-arranged but it was a strange driver in a strange car driving us from Paris to Nancy, so I'm chalking it up!  We were picked up from a tube station at the edge of town and were met by our driver. He was wearing a matching tracksuit and didn't speak English. Of this I was glad, he didn't have much going on upstairs. Because ...

Like Robert Redford was Africa, I am Italy. I must say it is a little bit of a relief. The Italians are not like me, they are loud and for the most part, a little bit obnoxious. I am back in France staying with Marion's family in Epinal. We had a lovely dinner, perhaps a couple too many glasses of wine. I'm feeling a little bit crook! But don't tell the hosts, they are very welcoming; they even had an Australian flag in the doorway for my arrival! So the last day in Como changed my ...

... to see a nest of baby Bergeronets in the wall of the swimming pool and get a great photo of them with their mouths wide open waiting for dinner. There are also a few cows in fields and I loved the special Vosges cows which are black and white with a large white saddle across their backs. Francois & Gisele drove us around the area, to Hohneck near the Col de la Schlucht (alt.1,362 metres) and up to the top of the mountain range at La Grande ...

... set and we sat down and had a 3 course meal. After the delicious stuffed artichoke entree (which I just realised I forgot to get the recipe for) I was given a portion of pasta roughly the size of my own head. I'd eaten on the train, and would have been quite happy without the artichoke, but the pasta was ridiculous. I ...

... the outdoor tables that the restaurants always have setup. It's a drastic change from a few weekends ago when I was walking around on a Sunday, and I swore I was in the movie 28 Days Later or something. It was a complete ghost town. Anyways, hit up this little bar called Le Wellington. They had a karaoke night going on so it was interesting to hear all these girls belting out French songs. The one thing that sucks about ...

So we took a little day trip to the town Gerardmer which is about 45km away. It's situated around a lake up in the hills so it's a 'pretty' place to visit. There's paddle boats, kayaks, and canoes that you can rent and there's also little beach areas to hang out. It seems to be pretty popular with the locals. There was a little camping/RV lot where tons of ...

... in our workout clothes. I cut my hair really short before coming over here because I figured I wouldn't get to cut it. Anyways, one of the girls thought we were military! Off on a little tangent, but the guys here are pretty weak overall. There's this little gym called Samourai and it's like someones garage.. but anyways, Adam and I are probably the two strongest guys there. It's pretty sad... Back to the Japanese place... the girl ...

So... the company has us put up in the Kyriad Hotel which is a 2-star hotel, whatever that means. It has a really narrow entry-way into the really small garage. Driving the Peugeot in there requires a few three point turns. My room is pretty nice; it's a little suite. The front room has a foldout couch which takes up the entire room when it is folded out, then there's the hallway with the ...

... 90 and 110 km/hr to it wasn't too bad. In the Peugeot though, you really have to plan ahead when you want to pass. I've been spoiled with the Nissan and the Evo where you drop a gear or two, and floor it and it takes off. This Peugeot only has about 207hp and it's about the size of camary. Needless to say, you have to get a running start to make a pass on a car. Anyways, eventually hit some normal 2-lane each ...