Libraries abound!

So I finished up CasaBiancia's travel tips and I have to say that I definitely recommend it but that you could probably find the same exact thing a bit more updated. Towards the end the parts about crime are a bit daunting but the small blurb on terrorism is laughable, considering it was pre-9/11. But nevertheless his advice is helpful. Don't let terrorism deter you from traveling to Western Europe, a generally really safe place. Less violent crime than the US!

I measured my bag today and it is one inch over Icelandair's carry on restrictions, but for weekend trips I doubt I'll ever pack it full to capacity, so a bit of squishing and I think I'm okay. Trains don't really have baggage restrictions and I think that's going to be my primary transportation, unless Ryanair or EasyJet have cheap fares for a weekend.

Now, on to my conundrum of a laptop. Usually when traveling between Arkansas and Massachusetts (which is lugging my bags typically down a few flights of stairs, putting it in someone else's car, having someone drive me to the airport, checking two bags and carrying on one, along with my pink laptop case that is a complete pain in the ass. Needless to say, it is not fun.

So, as a solution, I'm thinking of taking two checked bags, my pack safely tucked into a box and my lovely La Reunion suitcase "given" to me by Adam (it turns into a backpack and has wheels). Then a small carry-on bag with laptop, documents, glasses, change of clothes (?), and carry on contact stuff (so I can sleep on the plane and not worry about fuzzy contacts). Once on ground that small bag will tuck nicely into one of the two checked ones, or will be slung on my front.

The only thing I'm worried about is looking like an easy target for theft and also having to lug my suitcases to a hostel somewhere in Paris. I wonder how much a shuttle from the airport to my hostel would be?


Enough with speculation.

Today I went to the college library and got a card, as now our town library has gone to shit because of lack of funds and we can no longer withdraw from other libraries via interlibrary loan. Bullshit.

But to my pleasant surprise, the college library had a huge amount of French literature and history. After browsing the stacks for a while, I stumbled upon Albert Camus' Journaux de Voyage, the journals from his trip to the US in May 1946. Might be an interesting read. I've never heard of it but that just goes to show Hendrix's supremely lacking collection of French works. It's a sad state, full of really old and water damaged books left over from the library fire.

The second book I picked up is Through French Windows: An Introduction to France in the Nineties by James Corbett. It's a thick cloth bound volume full of some interesting sections, the first titled "From Soap to Smart Cards." I'm sure I wont read the whole thing but it's worth a shot.

Today I need to book my Paris and Montpellier hotels, along with my train ticket to Montpellier. I'm not sure to leave the 3rd of September and stay in a hostel or arrive like I'm supposed to the 4th and be met by my ISEP coordinator.

Also, I need to figure out these damn train schedules for Montpellier. Why the hell do they not just have a timetable online like we do here for our Amtrak and Metro lines? It would make my life of planning places so much easier.