Chris Blattman

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French impressions

Paris, Toulouse and Languedoc were outstanding. Turns out you can survive for two weeks on a diet of cream products, baguette, and small forest creatures. (All food groups covered if you count wine as a fruit.)

The highlight was biking in Cathar country, a 7-day loop starting and ending in Carcassonne. We were unlucky with weather at first; 50k in pouring rain, 10 degrees Celsius, against 35 km/h winds, over a small mountain. More rain fell in one day than usually falls in all September and October. Jeannie would have killed me if biking weren’t her idea.

The second day roads were flooded and rivers overran their banks, so we loaded our bikes into a taxi to make the next destination and reservation. Three days of sun followed, however, and we rested in villages who counted their numbers less than 100.

Day three was the most beautiful: biking through Cathar castles and France’s deepest gorge. Day four the most brutal: three steep 500m ascents (hefty if you’re unpracticed like us). The last shattered my rear derailleur. But there are worse places to be marooned than hilltop villages where cows outnumber people.

We enjoyed Toulouse so much, we think we’re coming back. And not just because they put foie gras in every dish (including crème brulée). Both Jeannie and I need to improve our French, and with laptops we can work pretty much anywhere. I also like the idea of being in the same time zone as my projects. May and June 2011 look pretty good.

In the meantime, I can feel my chest tightening, blood pressure rising, and the tension reentering my shoulders. Ah, work and New York. It’s good to be back.

4 Responses

  1. When I was last in France for any length of time (about five years ago), I had a hard time finding laptop outlets in public places. Still true?

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