Stunning, just stunning
Good day faithful readers. The weekend just gone was the third weekend in a row that I had left work Friday afternoon and jumped on the nearest plane or train to France. And, I have to say, that of the three weekends it may well have been the best.
The reason that I was in France on this occasion was to watch the
Tour de France, which on Saturday was traveling between the towns of Beziers and Montelimar. In order to get a prime viewing position this meant leaving very early in the morning. Unfortunately it seemed that everyone else in France had the same idea, and it certainly wasn't helped by the long weekend traffic. Nevertheless, we made our way to a nice spot about three quarters of the way along the route, just in time to see the end of the caravan of vehicles that precede the race.
We didn't have to wait too long before the swarm of helicopters overhead indicated that the cyclists weren't too far away. The first to come past was a group of five riders. Given our proximity to finish line we thought that the peleton would be right on their heels, but we had to wait a surprisingly long time. When they did come past Floyd Landis' Phonak team was on the front trying to prevent the yellow jersey slip from their leader's shoulders... then, like a flash they were gone. Such is the nature of the watch cycle racing live. We rushed off to find the nearest TV so that we could see the final results.
On Sunday we headed over to the Alps. Not to see more cycling, but to visit a French exchange student, who had recently returned from my town of origin in Australia, and her family in the beautiful town of Novalaise. When we arrived in the town we momentarily thought that we were lost, but then the sight of a house covered in Australian flags made us realise that we were probably on the right track.
After being treated to a very nice lunch we were given the grand tour of the town. The first stop was Lac d'Aiguebelette, which for me was instantly marked down as one of the most stunning lakes that I had ever seen. As soon as we stepped out of the car and walked down to the water line I had an overwhelming desire to just strip off and jump in the water... and this is from someone who only ever swims in pools, and even that is when I'm training! Beautiful turquoise blue water, stunning mountain backdrops. It's no wonder the population of the town more than quadruples on warm summer days.
After visiting the markets and stopping off for afternoon drinks we headed up a very narrow, very twisty, quite mouth watering road to the top of Col de l'Epine, which acts as a backdrop to the town. All day we had been seeing paragliders floating around above us, but now we were taken for a close up view to where they take off. Apart from on TV I'd never seen paragliders take off before, so I was amazed at how they simply ran toward the edge of a shear drop... and then just gracefully floated off. On such a gorgeous day it was no wonder that there were so many people up in the air.
After that unfortunately it was time for me to head off to the airport and come back to London for another weekend. Be in no doubt though. Next year I'm definitely taking some more time off work to watch the Tour de France in the Alps. And when I do I be dropping past Novalaise to go riding on those fantastic mountain roads and swimming in that beautiful lake.
If you're reading this Fanny. Thanks to yourself and your family for a most wonderful day. Hopefully I'll get to see you all again when I drop past next year.
Climb every mountain...
Good day faithful readers. Do you ever feel small? Do you ever feel really, really small? Not because you've been belittled, but because you're in the presence of something so big that you feel totally insignificant, like a speck of dust. I think that the ultimate way to experience this feeling would be to go into space and look back at the Earth and see how small even that is in comparison with the universe as a whole. For the normal person however I think that the best way to gain this sort of perspective is to go into the mountains, which is exactly what I did on the weekend.
On this particular occasion I went walking in the Pyrenees. After stopping off at the top of the Col de Tourmalet, as every cyclist must for the obligatory photo next to the sign and big statue of the cyclist, I was dropped off down at the bottom of the mountain to begin my walk along the GR10.
The walk started off very well. However, so busy was I taking photos that I didn't notice when the path split and I continued to follow the guy who was walking in front of me. It was only after climbing nearly 300m to a reservoir that I didn't remember being on my route that I realised that I had gone astray! The silver lining was that from my very high vantage point I could clearly see where I was supposed to have gone and as such was easily able to climb back down again and take the correct path.
It took me 4 hours (including the 1hour detour to the reservoir) to reach the highest point of my walk, the Col du Madamete (2,510m). It may have been the altitude, it may have been the lack of fitness, it may have been the fact that I'd climbed an unnecessary 300m already, but whatever the case I can assure you that by the time I got there the "go up" muscles in my legs were certainly starting to complain. I therefore decided that I would take the chance to have some lunch in a spot with views that any restaurant would pay big money for and rest for a bit.
When I got going again I was very happy to know that it was going to be basically downhill all the way to the finish. I was also happy to find that the southern side of the mountain was substantially less rocky than the northern side, and with views down to the lakes far below it made the distance go by quite quickly. Meeting my parents, who had driven around the other side of the mountain and walked up to meet me, and having someone to talk to also made the distance go by quicker. It was something of a let down however when I found that I was still walking an hour after my Dad told me that we were just about at the car! Nevertheless, we made it.
The walk in total took just over 7.5hours, so by the time I got back to the car the "go down" muscles in my legs were also complaining and I was well and truly ready for a good sit down. I don't know why it is, but I seem to always be happiest when I engage myself in activities that cause me to be totally physically exhausted. So when you take this along with pleasure I gain of just being in the mountains, I think that you could say that it was a pretty good day out.
Suit jacket and jeans
Good day faithful readers. I don't usually do requests, but an urgent plea came through to me from a friend begging me to explain the ins and outs of wearing a suit jacket as casual wear (ie. with jeans). What follows is just my opinion on the topic, so if you disagree and wish to provide your own opinions then please feel free to do so. BTW, I've now opened up my comments, so anyone, not just members are able to post.
The main variables as I see it when you're wearing a suit jacket with jeans are as follows:
- plain jacket or pinstriped jacket
- t-shirt or buttoned shirt
- dress shoes or trainers
- tucked or un-tucked
Plain or pinstriped jackets (side note: jackets should only ever be black, white or perhaps a brown sports coat if you want to go for the retro look - if you're a beginner stick with black) are both fine, so it's what you wear under them that makes the difference. A plain jacket can be worn with either a plain shirt or something with a bit of a pattern. Nothing too much though, you're try to make casual seem formal and something too outlandish will just bring you tumbling down. Pin striped jackets on the other hand should only ever be worn with a plain coloured shirt.
When you're wearing a t-shirt with a jacket it should always be either tight or at least slim fitting. It should definitely not be baggy. If you don't have the figure to pull it off then don't try it. If you're wearing a buttoned shirt it should ideally be long sleaved, and not just a business shirt, a nice casual shirt with the top one or two buttons left undone as well as the cuffs.
When you're wearing a t-shirt whether you go tucked or un-tucked depends on the shirt. If it's tight you should go tucked. If it's slim fit then you should go un-tucked. If you move on to baggy then you should tuck again, but then you should never be wearing a baggy t-shirt should you? With buttoned shirts you should probably always tuck, and you should try to be wearing a nice belt to show off. If you happen to take your jacket off however then you should un-tuck.
You can get away with wearing trainers with your outfit but usually they'd only be worn with a t-shirt, and you have to have the right ones. They should always be white, and we're not talking the type of trainers that you would ever actually do any sort of exercise in. To be safe just stick to dress shoes. Here again you have to have the right ones, but it's a bit easier. Just make sure you don't find yourself wearing those horrible round toe military type ones and you should be right. Additionally, black shoes go with black or white jacket, brown shoes go with brown or white jacket. You should always wear a belt and it should always match your shoes.
And that people, I think, is all that there is to it! If you would like me to offer comment on any other fashion issues then let me know. If you'd like to hear my comments on the current Paris fashion show, I've just finished looking at all the models from the Armani show... and their outfits!
Les Bleus
Good day faithful readers. On the weekend just gone, the weekend when France played Brazil in the World Cup, I was lucky enough to be in Paris. Now having been in London for all the England games thus far I know how excitable football fans can get when their team is playing. For instance, there is no need to be watching the TV to know when England scores a goal, you'll know instantly from the cries of delight coming from your neighbours exactly what has happened.
I thought the English were supposed to be the most vocal supporters in the world, and maybe it was just because it was such an important game, but Paris puts London to shame in terms of team support. While the game was being played I was walking around Montmartre. The streets were deserted with people either perched in front of their TV's or crammed into cafes watching the game. Any time France had a shot on goals the whole city would gasp... then sigh as the ball sailed over the top bar. Finally, when Henry put the ball in the back of the net everyone erupted. You could just feel the buzz.
The reason that I was in Montmartre was to go to the Moulin Rouge (which was excellent by the way). The game finished just before I went in, and almost instantly people poured out onto the streets to celebrate the victory. Two and a half hours later when I emerged, at two o'clock in the morning, not only had the crowd not died down, but it appeared that every single Parisien was out and about! The whole way home the taxi driver was avoiding cars with people hanging out windows, people roaming across roads. Apparently the Champs Elysees was closed there were so many people wandering around!
If that's what happens when the team makes it into the semi-finals I can't imagine what it will be like if they actually win the cup!
Allez Les Bleus!
The reason that I was in France on this occasion was to watch the Tour de France, which on Saturday was traveling between the towns of Beziers and Montelimar. In order to get a prime viewing position this meant leaving very early in the morning. Unfortunately it seemed that everyone else in France had the same idea, and it certainly wasn't helped by the long weekend traffic. Nevertheless, we made our way to a nice spot about three quarters of the way along the route, just in time to see the end of the caravan of vehicles that precede the race.
On Sunday we headed over to the Alps. Not to see more cycling, but to visit a French exchange student, who had recently returned from my town of origin in Australia, and her family in the beautiful town of Novalaise. When we arrived in the town we momentarily thought that we were lost, but then the sight of a house covered in Australian flags made us realise that we were probably on the right track.
After visiting the markets and stopping off for afternoon drinks we headed up a very narrow, very twisty, quite mouth watering road to the top of Col de l'Epine, which acts as a backdrop to the town. All day we had been seeing paragliders floating around above us, but now we were taken for a close up view to where they take off. Apart from on TV I'd never seen paragliders take off before, so I was amazed at how they simply ran toward the edge of a shear drop... and then just gracefully floated off. On such a gorgeous day it was no wonder that there were so many people up in the air.
