France Trip journal

Karen’s first time traveling overseas alone! Will she survive?

For images go to Karen’s trip to France album

I caught an Air France flight from Montreal to Charles de Gaulle on June 19 2004. We were very early (of course) and I waited for a long time before I could board the plane. The flight went quite well and the plane was well equipped. Each seat had an individual TV screen and game controller and we had a choice of about 5 different movies. I was able to sleep a bit, except for the guy who sat behind me who always pushed on my seat and rang his bell about every hour. We had a nice supper and breakfast. We flew over the coast of France as the sun was rising and I tried to take pictures but they did not turn out too well. We arrived at 6:15 AM and I caught my connecting flight at 8:15 AM. We were supposed to fly from Terminal 2E but because it collapsed about a month before, it was closed. We went out of 2B, caught a shuttle, and took a very small plane from the tarmac beside 2E. I was very certain that my luggage had not made it this far and was pleasantly surprised when I saw it in the Clermont-Ferrand terminal.

I caught a taxi to the hotel (Holiday Inn Garden Court on Boul Francois Mitterand) Even though it was only 10:30 AM the concierge let me check in early. I had a shower, slept for three hours, then got ready and went out to try and find something to eat. It was raining and cold and because it was Sunday nothing was open, not even the restaurant in the hotel. I walked around a bit, came back to the hotel and asked where I could eat, and found a kebab place by the cathedral and ate my first meal in 12 hours! I also managed to get some very bad blisters. I went to the conference registration at Hotel Mercure just down the road from my hotel. Came back and slept a lot!

On June 21 I attended the first day of the conference at Centre Diocesan in Montferrand. We had a 2 hour lunch. It was very nice but with so many people it took a very long time to be served! More sessions in the afternoon. During the poster session I tried to visit a few posters but it was so crowded that I gave up. We were supposed to have a buffer supper at the conference centre but again it was very crowded. I decided I would eat on my own and go sightseeing. I walked around Montferrand. It was very lovely and had some very old medieval houses on the main street. I took some photos and then a man came by and told me not to take them, but I didn’t understand what else he said so I kept walking and took some more. Then I walked from there to downtown Clermont. I thought it was far on the map I was given, but it only took about 30 minutes and was a very nice walk. Unfortunately there was construction on the road so I couldn’t take any nice pictures! I walked past a cemetery.

It was “Fete de la Musique” that evening, which was a national festival all over France. Everyone was either 1) making music on the street or 2) selling sandwiches/alcohol or 3) watching the show while eating and drinking alcohol. It was fun, but most of the music wasn?t that great I must admit! I went to a Vietnamese restaurant for supper, and it wasn’t very good. The ice cream for desert was nice, though.

On the morning of June 22 I did some sightseeing around Clermont. I walked thought the central gardens (which are just across the street from my hotel) and then through downtown. However, nothing opened until 10 AM and I was out by 8:30 so I had some time to kill. I stopped for a coffee and wrote some post cards to my parents. I found the post office (I could not find any drop boxes for the mail). I visited the cathedral at 10 AM and looked around at the carvings, paintings and windows. Most if it was made in the 12th century but some was added in the 17th. I climbed the tower and took many pictures of Clermont from there. There were 251 steps and the door to the stairs was very old an the man working at the cathedral opened it with a large brass key. After this I went to Notre Dame du Port church that was fairly close to the cathedral. It was older and smaller than the cathedral. It had some very nice carvings and paintings but there was some cheesy music playing.

After this I went to the cemetery on the road between Clermont and Montferrand and sat in the shade of a shelter for a while. It was quite hot and I got a bit of a sun burn. I went for Japanese for lunch and the miso soup was interesting because it contained potato instead of tofu.

After attending the conference in the afternoon we went to a reception at city hall. The mayor and some other people talked for a very long time. They served us champagne and pastries. Afterwards I went out for supper with two of the people who work in R&D in France and two scientist from Italy. We saw a couple dancing the tango in a square on the way to dinner! I had an escargot salad … this was the first time I tried escargot and it was good with a creamy garlic sauce.

By June 23 I had some very bad blisters on my feet from all the walking I did yesterday, but it was worth it! After attending seminars in the morning and lunch I went to Notre Dame de Montferrand church. They did not have any postcards for sale and I was only able to take one picture. The entire inside of the cathedral was painted, including each nook alongside of the main sanctuary and up to the roof.

After afternoon lectures we went to a lovely banquet at an institution for special needs people about half and hour by bus outside of Clermont. There wer e some musicians playing outside while we waited to go into the building for supper, playing the acordian, French bagpipes and two odd medieval instruments with stops like an acordian but powered by a turn handle on the right (I think they are called a “hudry-gurdy”). The people who lived at the institution served us a lovely meal consisting of pate, cheese, stuffed duck leg and desert. We left at midnight. Not much sleep that night!

On June 24 I got up at 5:30 to get ready, pack, have breakfast and check out. Got to the Auvergne airport just in time and then waited at Charles de Gaulle for about 1 and a half hours in terminal 2F which is very similar to 2E. Unfortunately we were just overtop of a smoking lounge so the air quality wasn?t too good. Finally we “boarded the flight” i.e. we took a shuttle to the plane. There was a lot of disorganization and we had to wait on the shuttle bus for 10 minutes before we could board.
About halfway into the flight I went to the washroom an accidentally walked into one that was occupied … they forgot to lock the door!

Caught a taxi home because it was St. Jean Baptiste day and therefore limited bus service.

the end