THIS IS MOSTLY JUST THE TEXT RIGHT NOW; PIX NEED FOLDING IN...
Weds 21st
Up 7:30 preceded by rumbles on the cobbled streets. Sun! Get myself going and kiss M; to cath which appears shut so to car and repack. This isn't hard; sac is mostly done select clothes and... it fits, just. 8 am bells ring and other cath door open so quietly in. No one else. Stash pac and wander. Appears empty at first but no; glass and gravestones and side chapels. M appears. Admire outside briefly then cherche b'fast but hotel on sq not till 10:30. DE arrive, mill, M finds cafe I do food bag and we all converge at les Chenizelles. Which does cafe but their viennoiserie hasn't arrived today so M kindly to nearby patisserie.
Whew. I have train to catch so say our goodbyes and hugs and drink up and off. Down long staircase and gare at bottom. Look up to town on hill and cath. Gare, like Briancon, is vast and mostly empty.
Muse on passing of time; Laon is fading. Once, you could get b'fast at many small cafes at any time of morning.
Train pulls out into the flatlands. Some lovely bits between Soissons and Villers-Cotterets. Screaming infants and loud krauts mysteriously don't disturb me. G du N monumental. To Gare du Nord. One of the statues is Laon. Really these are modern caths. Allonge in Terminus Nord so I can appreciate it.
Then walk to Orsay.
Orsay: v good. Densest collection of quality I've seen. Esp vanG (like stained glass) and T-L (never realised he was so good). Now in cafe du pont neuf with v correctly waist coated but most disdainful and unshaven waiter ever.
To Musee d’Orsay which is, as MED told me, excellent. Never have I seen so dense a collection of quality. Endless pix taken. Kinda finish, and they close, at 5:30. So mooch slowly to Bercy via ND and several cafes. ND is coming along nicely and there's a viewing deck at front so you can see over barriers.
Bercy as sky goes pink 9:15 ish; repack bag; loo; and discover Cham is a mere step on the way to Milan. Off 10.
Thurs 22nd
Night journey is tolerable. I'm not sure I slept much but comfort improved after Dijon when some got off and I got two seats to self.
Arrive on time at 7, with some light and mountais from 6:30. Where… find centre and the Isabel and have b’fast: €16 but worth it: good buffet. Somehow Ch is not quite the shape I thought it was. Linger, but then time to go. Decide… to buy food and head up via les Houches.
1:30 walk, initially quite green - Vert Lodge and little hotel and ecole d’escalade and lakes. Then more road-y - I didn't try to find a path instead - but always views up to snow: Dome du Gouter?
LesH 10:30 la Chavane cafe croiss orange pressé.
Wx is sun, and I think I’m not in a hurry: I want to get up to TeteR by end of day. But I need to avoid the bloke that checks reservations.
Hang around Bellevue or rather la Chalette, sadly Bv itself is only open in the winter. Try several times to get drink but defeated by q and eventually realise I don't need one.
Discover Salle Hors Sac (its at the top of the telepherique) has two power points so charge phone and headtorch. Read more Burke but he's kinda ranting on the unjust usurpation of clergy property. Realise that I could do with more water... realise there's probably an empty bottle in the bin... there is!
Try to phone TeteR but need to top up giff gaff credit, and then TeteR doesn't answer. Oh well back to plan A: sneak. Decide that heading round via Plan de l'Are is subtlest, I will go up to NidA via the back way.
Off 3 rest in shade in Plat 3:30 I have time to kill. Nice place. Above - v straight above - can see crane at work and indeed signs said stuff about works up there. I did see Gouter hut at one point but not now; snow is aig du Bionassy I think.
Up the “difficult” path, which has a welcome stream. At end, sneak round NidA at 6:45, harder because of travaux. Not sure if this is necessary. Head up, always nervous anyone I meet might be the check chap. Though I'm assuming they don't work this late. And so up around sunset and for irony points bivvy in their little kiosk which has sympa wooden platform.
Fri 23rd
Overnight sleep / doze ok. A bit windy and a bit chilly but I'm fine inside sac. There is a headlight on the route up, oddly. Around minuit a vast white light briefly confuses me before I realise its the moon rising. A party comes past, brief torches, gone. Stars not so crisp, perhaps v thin haze.
Up 2 pack to Ref quiet. Water and bread and cheese. A bit confusing because upside down; boots and acs is upstairs. Leave 3. Follow tracks at first annoyingly in hard snow then rock then couloir. Slow party of 4 first across then I pass them. But I am feeling yesterday.
To RefG 5:45 slooww oh dear and I really feel it. Boots off then go upstairs a bit but salle not open so just sit on broad stairs. Note one tops out at old ref but then there's icky traverse to get to new: better to put crampons on and go over hard snow. Oddly quite a few parties coming down.
Just sit around 1h then salle opens 7 and sit there. Decide that I'll go on at 8 and see where I get to. First a bowl of coffee. While I've been dozing dawn has come.
11: to Vallot. Views on the way gorgeous. Wx sun and some wind but less than last time. But I'm empty. Time to stop rest and then desc. Ah well. In theory I have perhaps 5 hours in hand because descent will be quick and only ~400 m to do but it would be such a slog I can't bear the thought.
Add: kit used and thoughts.
Desc back to G is indeed quick; sit inside over coffee and doze for an hour before daring the GC desc. Manage not to forget skistick. Rocks in GC during desc but not when I cross.
Options are desc, to valley or bivvy in Plan, or… ask if they have a place? They do. Good. Sit and watch mountains all afternoon. Read AC By the pricking nice lightweight tosh. Move to dortoir Bonatti, great view big windows, people trying to sleep v early like 6 pm.
TR: it's ok. But it's €58 a night or €53 with card, and 19 for b’fast, which the traffic will bear - indeed they're constantly full - but they're a monopoly. Salle has lovely picture window s and terrasse has stupendous view of glacier and GC for pm rockfall. Lack of water for washing grates: I’ve been two nights without and a long day. But then again my light greasiness is tolerable.
Sat 24th
Sleep well which is unsurprising after two rough nights. Up 7 b’fast and net access in this corner. Linger. Update diary.
10: down to NidA 1:30 not rushing. Cafe. Chantier round the corner.
12: down to Bellevue la Chalette. Allonge. Even a little place like this lets you pay on carte.
Experimentally take tele down, €18. Well it works. Now what? Bus to Cham. I find I don't have a plan… and all the hotels I want (Isabel, Chamonix, Lacs) are full. I think the place is full of UTMBers. And, it's hot. Buy oj yog melon and find small shade in centre to eat and plan.
Decide: it's seaside time: Argeles. Trains weirdly thin on ground so BlaBlaCar bus to Lyon. It's ok but Flix was better: weak a/c, no usb power, toilet not op. Hotel des Savoies is ok - small room but meh. Shower. Little evening stroll but still over warm; biere.
Sun 25th
Catch 11:06 to Montpellier with 6 mins to spare, whew. All was well under control until I walked into a giant concrete cul de sac and found that LPD isn't the same as Gare LPD. Cue 10 min forced march. And when I'm there finding platform L isn't easy.
Before that: alarm 7 snooze up :10 DuoL etc b’fast good off 8:30. To cath. Which? Umm… first turns out to be St George, orange-green glass a bold experiment and produces stunning warm light at this hour but perhaps a little sickly? Up, more than I expected, to Basilisque which is massive and striking ~1870, Empire style? Mosaics. Service in prog so be respectful. Down find the “real” cath but it's a bit heavy and undeco. Vieux Lyon is the place to be not Perrache. And so to station over rivers.
Train to Montpellier is fine. 20 mins there so walk round little park; then TGV to Narbonne chosen cos unknown. And cath “complex” is great, stunning; see pix. Also on Canal du Midi: should I walk some of it?
TER to Portbou goes via Argeles. And so I arrive. Busier than before; it's still August. Walk - fail to find bikes - to seafront and checkin and shower. Room ok; Maritime was better. Wander. Busy.
Mon 26th
Sleep well up 8 DuoL b’fast decent. Now what? Not a lot is the plan. Stroll. Coffee and watch the sea before it gets too hot.
Realise I can send stuff home. Comedy finding bureau de poste since old building is gutted. Then pack up boots crampons down coat gloves new skistick and then have looong session where poor madame has to fill in customs form and I have to give a Fr address (use hotel). Cost: €35, not cheap but makes life much easier.
Pm: I ought to plan return. Would be nice to see E. So… oh. Who could have guessed trains from S Fr would be so full at end Aug? But end up with plan alas no sleeper. Takes ~1h.
Rest of day quiet: lunch supermarket walk to port crepe and citron presse. Stomach a bit upset? Perhaps need more real food.
Tues 27th
NB has noted that POB is buried in Collioure and I lacking in clear plans fall in with this… so after morning 5k and b’fast head to port for navette to C, leaving 10. I'm forced to choose a return time so pick 14:35 as leaving time. Day is sun, trip is sparkling, head up and discover that New Cim is further than I thought about 2k out. Oh well. With Maps, find it, and grave. Pix. It is simple. No deep thoughts arise; I leave him a flower.
And so down, on a path that appears. I have 2+h to bum around and do, getting a biere, wandering streets, wondering why no-one sells a t-shirt I want. And then, back.
Afternoon: quiet. Little swim.
Soir: also quiet. Apart from my guts: diarrhea continues which isn't nice. Hmm.
Wed 28th
Last morning here. Shower, B’fast-n-web, pack and head off. Sticking to shadows the walk is ok. Via church: maybe ok but full of proles and doesn't fit my mood. Station.
The coastal lakes from Fitou to Narbonne look worth exploring in a cooler season. Looong delay :30+ at Port-la-Nouvelle because Narbonne is full. And so to Beziers. Through plateau des poetes to cafe by church for coca; then find but not the entrance of Basilisque; then to cath; fairly plain most exciting feature: you can climb tower.
And so back to gare. Overall Beziers mildly disappoints: good old bones but lacking flesh. But the gare cafe is a/c and has fresh pressed orange. Now I get to sit for a bit before heading out.
Round the back of the gare: the tedious bit. To canal and big ecluse / basin. Over river on aqueduct, nice. Then in shade of ?cypress? or like, good. To “sept ecluses” which are nice but annoying because the ecluse-ile forces you to a stupid path so cross back, then find they rather block you from getting too close. 1h / 3.5k: stop for eau gazeuse at top and watch the gin palaces float by. Meanwhile Swann is deeply tediously in love with Odette and I skip page after page.
2:30 to Colombieres. Last few km badly overgrown on towpath and eventually switch to road.
Malpas tunnel: fun. Swap sides.
Stop before 9 at bridge, 2k before Poilhes. Quick dip but not swim in canal to get rid of the stickiness. Bit o’ food. Stretch carry mat in flat bit in angle of bridge and hope for peace.
Thurs 29th
Alarm 6 snooze up :30 off :40 cool early morning. Slept well faint plopping noises suggested ?something fishing? Distant grinding of combine harvesters. Through Poilhes nothing terribly interesting. Past various moorings and to Capestang just before 9. This may be my destination: I could go further but there's nothing obvious before Argelieres 20+k off.
Cafe de la Paix in sq containing the absurd archeveque’s palace. Drag that out rather pleasantly for much of 2h; go look at the church / palace: v good. Has been truncated so now is absurdly tall and square. To campsite, partly as recce but also in case… yes… I can sneak in - recep is ferme during the day - and have a shower. Better! A cycle-touring guy turns up. To Lidl (juice, fruit, yog, choc) then return to main sq; admire ch again. Nearly 2 now.
And so, quietly, the afternoon. Kinda sitting around, on a bench eating lunch then in le Paix again, until 5, face on to the ch, with the shade of the planes. There are a few cyclists coming through so not all is indolence. But I see no signs of other walkers.
Move all of 0.5k to the canal side resto, which is at least trying to look posher. It is still hot; I’m not striding out for an hour or so. Mineralwasser. Quiet on the canal: a few boats pass gently.
Poilhes, 8pm. Sun now declining, more shade. They are planting lots of trees so should be better in 5+ years.
To “my” bridge :30 but there is noise from moorwd boat 100m off. Perhaps sleep next to unoccupied house? They have a nice flat marble path.
Fri 30th
Slept better on blowup. Ag noises at 6 up :20 off :40 having taken pix. And so back; through tunnel and so on.
9:to Sept Ecluses, and a seat. There are few seats along most of the way.
10 ish: to gare, after somewhat circuitous route over vieux pont: there is no good way. In cafe a/c and allonge, then fine loo allows me to restore self to largely non sweaty state.
1:55 catch TGV to gdL. Trip goes painlessly, I have a big seat since I was forced to pay premier just to get a place. But I can almost feel wtf, why not, it is but money. And then recall I bivvied out two nights on the CdM for… hard to write down reasons. Habit? Dislike of booking? Love of the stars. Certainly, it was beautiful.
Face confusion of metro, inc buying a ticket, it seems they aren't up to London ‘s just-use-phone. End up going roughly the right way to St D Pleyet, from which its a 1h walk to St D universitaire, but I have time and to spare, and I go past and briefly in St D. Then to what turns out to be bus station with 1:30 to spare. Fine; there's a Flixbus sign. Go off in search of cafe / loo, have to go ~500m and then its a bit rough. But they serve a decent espresso. Then back, kill some time, and bus “in association with Flixbus” turns up, hmm, not quite the full Flix quality.
Sat 31st
Bus is ok, but yeah not up to full quality: no wifi, suspension and general quality not so good. And my neighbour snores even when awake. At Calais, move to a vacant seat pair. Long wait for ferry but I sleep; passports urgh as usual. Ferry ok some sleep and then just the drive to London.
Out 7 have coffee by Buck house. Realise museums don't open till 10 so… meh, let's go home. Back around 10, hello, shower.
Weigh stuff: Sac: 7.7. Box: 3.7. Me: 65.5!
Black and net: 1.3. Really should get that lighter.
Here ends the lesson.
