TGV, which I've heard much about. Remember hearing about it when I was little, seemed cool and exotic. Thought it was maglev, though (where can I find one of those to ride?). Associations with the Concorde SST. Am on it now; not quite as cool. Maybe this isn't the TGV. Also there is this incessant squeaking from behind me. Occasionally it seems to abate, but the promise of silence only draws attention to the inevitable return of the squeaking.
Painted clouds in the sky, light of the sun bursting out from behind one. Like on the Michelangelo Creation. Or the ceiling of the Venetian; I can't decide. All those little towns on rolling hills. We also saw them in Switzerland (on the Lausanne-Bern line, or maybe it was the Martigny-Lausanne). Definitely not the Rhone leg...no rolling hills there. Very different from the American countryside. I think. Haven't really seen the American countryside, I guess I imagine it's like Gilroy: factory farms and outlet malls. I may be wrong...
Also, the roads. Even more so in Switzerland. Turns and hills and a scenic countryside. Not a straight road into the horizon, dust and desolation on either side. This is where BMW ads come from. And the hills (again, this was more true in Switzerland) - erosion takes away the bottom, but a skin of grass roots remain, holding together the surface. A cool effect. Green rolling hills, like the XP wallpaper. Also, now I know what it means for hills to roll...
Dude just stood up and fixed the squeaking. Popped a ceiling panel back into place and the squeaking stopped. Awesome.
Trees with poofs! What are they? Nests?
update: It's mistletoe! A parasitic plant that grows in poofs on trees.
Strasbourg
Had some pastries (coffee eclair, pain au chocolat, fougasse provencal); one bakery was very popular, nonstop customers and lots of awards. Walked a bit, saw swans swimming swiftly upstream (actually they were quite slow, it being upstream and all; I just wanted the alliteration). Saw Cruella deVille houses.
Checked out of hotel, dropped bag off at train station (not as well labeled as in Switzerland), got tickets, took tram towards cathedral, walked along canal (saw 2 swans...the same ones?). Tried to get one interested in my camera, but the autofocus sound scared him off.
Cathedral was very different - lots of pointy bits, and that fractal ornamentation that gives it a very busy, cluttered look. Also it's this single color of ochre that's not too appealing. Cathedral closed, decided to get lunch...found a restaurant recommended by the bulletin board outside hotel, but decided it was too upscale for us (also, didn't want to pay premium for its location). So wandered in a circle, came back, visited cathedral, went up, ate lunch at a really fancy place (also on that same list). Went to "petite France", saw a canal lock - which I'd read about but had never seen until then, which was cool, then went to an Internet bar and barely made the train.
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