Tania and I woke up on D-Day -1 (that is army speak...sorry) refreshed and excited. We were traveling from Ajaccio to Calvi where we planned on enjoying the beach and a nice meal before settling in for an early night. It was a five hour train ride total with one change in Ponte Leccia, with the first three on a spacious train where we had our own seats, a small table, and outlets to plug in our electronics. Laid out in front of us was a typical French breakfast that we had purchased from a local Boulangerie; pain au chocolate, croissants, and my personal favorite, pain au raisin. We enjoyed our leisurely breakfast as the train roared through the countryside, giving us a full view of the mountains that would be our home for the following 10 days.
Waiting for the train in Ajaccio
At Ponte Leccia, we disembarked and crossed right over to the train that would take us to Calvi; a completely different story as far as comfort. The train was packed! We spent the next two hours crunched up alongside other travelers in the aisle of a train car. We were greeted in Calvi with clear blue skies and crystal clear blue water resting against the clay background of the rocky countryside.
Calvi
We spent a beautiful afternoon on the beach, relaxing our bodies before the onslaught of pain was to begin. We decided that we would treat ourselves to a carb-filled dinner, and went back to the hotel to change. This is when the night turned to crap.
While home in California in March to visit my family, I had gone to REI to purchase some necessities for my trip to Corsica. I knew that I didn't want to carry a lot of clothing, so I figured buying a pair of those hideous pants that unzips above the knee to make shorts would be the perfect addition to my hiking wardrobe. I found a great pair on sale for $25 that fit me perfectly!! I had tried them out during my hike in the Alps and had been very pleased with them.
During the weeks following my trip to Oberammergau, I ate a lot of cake. Actually, I can't say that I ate any more than usual, but as I tried on my REI pants to wear to dinner that evening in Calvi, the reality of my weight gain was on full display because I could barely button my pants and when I did, there was a a perfect muffin top that rolled over my pants. Horrified, I started cursing REI and their crap product for shrinking after only one wash.
"How could this happen?" I cried, while stuffing a piece of ritter hazelnut chocolate into my mouth. "These are brand new pants! How could they shrink like this?!"
I stared at my reflection in the mirror, horrified that I looked like a soccer mom in high waist jeans and a FUPA (fat upper pussy area- this is how we describe that belly roll that is cut in half by the waistline of mom jeans).
It was five o'clock in the evening, the night before we were to leave for the GR20, and my wardrobe had been cut in half. There were a few stores in town where I hoped that I would be able to find some replacement pants.
There was nothing. We were told that there was an intersport on the other side of town, so we started huffing it. Our evening of relaxation was now spent running down the street, trying to find the intersport before it closed. We had no idea how far it was, and after about two miles, we realized that the only way we were going to get there was if Tania flashed her boobs to the passing cars in hopes that one would stop. Ok, she really didn't show her boobs, but it makes the story a little more exciting.
We finally found a ride and made it just in time. I found a new pair of pants for the trip and the evening was saved!! It wasn't until four days later, after days of walking hour after hour, that my REI pants fit again, that I realized that they didn't shrink and I had just needed a pair of fat girl pants to get me through until I dropped some weight.
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