Knees up!

After discovering the rock climbing gym, I went to the centre of town in the Place de la Republique, turned right into a dark alley way, walked through a parking lot and found the town's not-so-mythical gym!!

A real gym! It is tiny, and it wouldn't be out of place in an 1980s Jane Fonda workout video, but you take what you can get.



A plus: There were TWO age-suitable-good-looking men working out in the front room already.

It is 180 euros for 6 months if you are a student, which I am definitely going to pretend that I am. 30 Euros a month isn't so bad, and I really need something to do and its easy to whittle away 2 hours the gym.

They have classes as well, but I doubt they have yoga :(

Also the sucky thing is is that I don't think you can use the cardio when there is a class in session because they are both in the same room. I will just have to use the weight room. I will become a bulky he-man by the time I return to Toronto! Jokes, I'm way to lazy for that!

Also the hours are hilarious, it opens at 10 every morning, becuase, why would anyone want to to work out before they go to work? Gosh, what a ridiculous notion!

I'm not saying gyms have to be 24 hours, though they should be, but they should at least open at 6! School here starts at 8:30 am, not even 9, so what if a student wants to catch a workout before class? I guess that is just not an idea that enters into French consiousness.

Also, that would mean that the gym workers would have to be there at 6, which is completely unreasonable.

On Wed the gym is open at 2pm. Apparently people have no inclination to work out Wed morning either. At least the closing time is 9, which is not late, but is at least doable if you end work at 6. On Saturday, the gym is open for a whole 3 hours! Score! 10am-1pm. Bien Sur, the gym is closed on Sunday, but I never raised my hopes to include an opening on that day. You can't even shit on Sunday so why would you be able to squat?


Also, my English roommate pointed out that in England people go to the gym and there are a lot of BUFF people, but then I pointed out that there were also a lot of fat people in England. We decided that French people were naturally skinny and saw no reason to go to the gym to gain muscles when they were already slim. As opposed to America/Canada/England where people overeat and then act like a hamster to shed the weight.

I remember reading in French Women Don't get Fat, that French women do not torture themselves by running on a treadmill. Instead they play Tennis or an enjoyable sport several times a week.


Ah, the french, always in pursuit of the maximum amount of pleasure. The original Utilitarians.

Rock Climbing

I went searching for this mythical gym that I keep hearing about, and my Spanish roommate told me that there was a small gym at school as well. So I find it beside the basketball courts and find a bunch of students playing volleyball, but no weight or cardio room. Then I see a door and push it open. That is where I discovered that the school has a rock climbing room!



A bunch of little kids are climbing it but I ask the guy with a computer who looks to be in charge if there is a time that I can come climb, and he says that there is a rock climbing club that meets Tues and Thurs.

He was also cute and spoke a bit of English. Possibly married. Better then lusting after an 18 year old student though, right?

It happened to be Thursday so I went back at 8 pm in my workout clothes and lo and behold there were adults climbing! It is only 56 Euros for a year to join and you have to buy some equipment, but the gym also has stuff for the first few times.

I have rock climbed before at random events, like camp and school and once with my friend Joanna in a sports store in Buffalo (shout out!) but I always wanted to get really "into" it.

In fact the other day I was just looking at the website of the alpine club of Canada and planning to join when I get back home. But this is perfect because

a. I will get a workout
b. I will meet people
c. It's a cool sport

Now, there is one guy there who speaks English because he spent 10 months in England, but no one else does. So we have to communicate with the little French I have and it's pretty funny. Especially with a sport in which you have to trust a stranger to keep you from falling to your death and smashing all the bones in your body. Ha. Ha.

Did I mention I am terrified of heights?

I think I'm a self-sadist.

The club leader, Carol, is super nice though and she taught me how to tie all the knots and some different ways to rock climb so that not all my weight is hanging on my hands.

There is also one semi-hot French man there but he didn't pay me one iota of attention and might possibly be gay. Not because he didn't pay any attention to me, but because he has one of those earrings and just kind of....I don't know I get a gay vibe, but we will see.


Again, crushing married and gay men is more legally acceptable then crushing on my students. Even if they are 18 and a foot taller than me.

Anyways, I woke up the next morning in SERIOUS forearm pain. I could barely clench my fists together.

Now I just have to figure out how to pay for it, 50 euros isn't a lot but it's more than the -14 euros I have in my bank account.

Maybe I can write a post-dated cheque for next month....