We made 2 changes and got to Chamonix about 3PM. We walked to one of the guest houses and waited for reception to open about 4:30, but when we looked at the rooms and the kitchen we decided against staying there. Reception at the hostel where we previously stayed opened at 5PM, so we walked up to the hostel and checked into a double room there.
We got our bags out of storage, unpacked our bags, and then walked into town to use the internet (about a half hour walk). I got some sad news when I read my emails. Ellen Carlson died. She was the woman who took care of Joshua when he was a baby and who was like a grandmother to Josh, and a mother to me. We didn't see her very often in the last ferw years but she was a very special person and I am sorry she won't be in our lives anymore.
Shari and I had a lot of emails so we spent over an hour on the computer and we both need to go back tomorrow to finish answering some mail and the check out a few other things on the computer. We stopped and bought a pizza on the way back ans sat in our room enjoying pizza and diet coke when we got back. It is so nice having a room to ourselves and it cost only an extra 3.45 Euros each to get a double room versus a 4-bed dorm room.
It is beautiful in Chamonix right now. Quite a bit colder than when we were here before, much like the fall. The air is very crisp and the sky is very clear. The mountains really stand out against the blue sky.
9/12: Today was a nice relaxing day. We had breakfast just before 9AM and then we sat in the common area, making plans for Italy. We talked to a young German fellow (20 years old) Reinhart, who is working at the hostel for a month. He was very interested in our Haute Route hike and then he asked if he could walk to the center of town with us. He is a very personable young man and it is very interesting to hear about his university plans.
We walked to the center of town about 1PM and Shari and I did a couple of errands (bank, post office, grocery store) before we went to use the internet. Then we just sat in the center for a while, and I called Joshua and Susan. I got them both, but I couldn't talk very long because my phone car ran out.
We both enjoyed the pizza so much last night that we bought another on the way back tonight. I had a boursin type cheese with some wonderful krisprolls, a sort of cracker (minibread) along with my beer, while I did notes and read my book. The pizza was cold when I got around to eating it, but it was delicious anyway.
At 8:30 we went over to reception to do a book swap. They had some English language novels so we turned in two books we had for two of theirs. A lot of hostels let you swap books, and it is a good, inexpensive way to keep us in reading material.
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