Nov 18 - Chambery, France

After breakfast I cycled into Annecy and took the 11 am train to Aix-Les-Bains and into Chambery at 12:30. Went to Rene’s home. Found his mom and brother at home. He’s studying in Lyon. Went downtown after a lunch. Walked around the old city in the thickly falling snow. Wrote until dinner. Retired

Train 1.50
Postcards of Chambery .80

Rene Bonaz
Ecole Du Stade
73 Chambery, France

[Rene Bonaz was one of the scouts I met at the World Jamboree in 1967 in Idaho. Below is a letter I wrote to my parents from Chambery]

Dear Folks,

I started out writing with a French typewriter but it was like typing with your hands shifted one key over. I’m in Chambery (Pronounced: Shawm-bay-ree) now. Mr Bonaz just got home from work with a stack of mail for me. A letter from Lt Mahary, Joe Richard, Barbers, Val, Susan, and three from home.

I thought I’d cleaned up in Geneva with seven letters but this is great. I just finished a typical French dinner: French bread, wine, sausage and cheese. Mr. and Mrs Bonaz have two boys. Rene is in Lyon at the University and the other 15 year old boy is here. They speak no English, but the boy can flip a fast dictionary. I just read your letter about this being good for glove buying. Mr Bonaz tells me Grenoble is the home of the industry. I’ll see if I can pick up some tomorrow.

It started snowing just after I called home. When I woke up the next morning, Geneva was under half a foot of snow. I hadn’t cycled in snow before, so I tried the 25 miles to Annecy. I nearly froze solid. The gears, spokes, chain, gearshift, and brakes iced up, even while moving.

Ice filled the teeth of the gear sprockets, froze, and the chain would slide over the teeth without catching. Today I took the train into Chambery. Since Lyon is on the way to Paree I’ll take the train to the University, stay with Rene two nights, then train into Paris. I’ll spend at least three nights there, then onto the English island. Unless the weather clears, I’ll leave the bike in Folkestone, and hitch hike through England to save money and energy.

I don’t think I mentioned it yet. In Kandersteg I met an American cyclist from Pennsylvania. We cycled and took the train up to Zermatt, and then took a cog train up the Monte Rosa where we could get some fine shots of the Matterhorn. It was gorgeous weather. He camped out on top to get a sunrise shot of the horn. I left him and cycled down the Rhone valley to Sion, Aigle, Morges, and Geneva.

I meant for you to share your letters with the Barbers. I’m also asking Boots to share hers with the Zayats. I’m busy enough writing to five Nishimuta’s and five Strongs.

Dad, you mentioned the bike getting worn down. It’s me that’s getting worn out! With a new chain, tires, tape and oil, she’ll be as good as new.

I followed the election all the way. On the reverse of a Paul McClung column (in the newspaper my father sent me) was a story where (Senator Mike) Monroney was quoted as saying: “There is no doubt in my mind we’re rolling up a far bigger majority in the U.S. Senate race than has been seen in a long time.” Personally, I was strongly for Nixon, and I’ll tell you all about it when I return.

Just as I opened the letter, that postcard from Oklahoma fell out. The family spent about 30 minutes admiring it. The family in Morges has chosen etchings and engravings of old European towns and mountains to decorate their house. I’m just fascinated by them. They give the room an old, antique mood. I bought some post-card reproductions of some of the popular etchings. A good genuine etching costs about $25.00.

I really spent too much on myself before thinking about gifts for the family. So now I can only afford about $25 for the gifts for the family. I can’t afford gloves and gifts.

I know the kids would much rather have toys than gloves, but I don’t know what they want. Stephen’s interested in stamps and models, that’s all I know. Switzerland and Germany are the homes of railroad models. For around $2,000, I can get a genuine working model of the grand St Bernard Railway tunnel in HO scale. Again, tell the relatives I don’t want any clothes. Just magazines: Time, Newsweek, Reader’s Digest, National Geographic, maybe even Interplay. (It’s not a sex magazine, it’s a chronicle on American-Europe economic and political news). I read it in Sion, it’s great.

I’m going to owe so much when I get back I’m only going to afford one decent pair of clothes, and I want to hand-pick it myself. My room isn’t going to fit me when I return. I’ve raised the saddle three times on the bike. My pants are stretching when I sit down. I have to stoop in some doorways. So my room is the first target of urban renewal.

When Mr Bonaz received your letters, he couldn’t figure out what the “c/o” in “Mike c/o Rene” meant. He took the problem to a leading English teacher who had never seen it. It really worried him.

Remember, every stamp you buy is helping to finance the Nixon administration.

I just remembered, my stamps are supporting the De Gaulle administration!

Love, Mike