The main attraction of this town is "Les Thermes"--hot mineral baths to which people flock from all over the world except in January, because those are closed right now too. I guess the pharmacies are part of the whole spa theme here.
My hotel is also closed, but they do accept some guests, thankfully. That being said, I think I'm the only one here in this grand 200 year-old hotel.
Oh, and if you ever come here, tread carefully... There is dog crap everywhere. The barking dogs of Aix-les-Bains that Twain spoke of must have evolved in the last 100 years into seeking more silent means to annoy people.
Don't think I'm not enjoying this place, though. It's so neat to stay where Pop Pop stayed almost 90 years ago. And... I think... I THINK I might be staying in the same wing he stayed in. He wrote that he stayed in room 97 on the 5th floor, and although I'm in room 428, they must have renumbered all the rooms at one point in a weird way. If you count the ground floor as the 1st floor, then I am on the 5th. And sure enough, I opened an old standing closet in my room last night to get the extra pillow, and in the lining of the pillow was printed "Astoria 94". Just three rooms away!
Tomorrow I'm heading down the street to the library to see if they keep the old registers for the hotel. Hotel Astoria doesn't have a guest register anymore, so that might be my only chance to see his name written in one.
Okay, it's time for me to start thinking about dinner. Hope everyone is well back in the states. I'm in this town for two more nights and then I think I'm heading to Bordeaux.
2 comments:
Well although it must be a little disappointing that the town is virtually closed, it may also be a good chance to meet the locals. Will you be posting any pictures of the dog poo?
January is ghost month... be sure to sleep with a light on - good ghosts are attracted to light - and will protect you from the bad ones.... that's eerie alright...
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