Well I made it! Said goodbye to Mr Sears (a v sad day but looking forward to being reunited on the French Alps in 3 months), then jetted to Dubai (37 degrees) for 9 hours, then on to Lyon - arrived late last night. Before I go on I have to boast that I scored 3 seats on my first and 4 on my second flight- great napping....So, I booked an apartment in Lyon on a site called airbnb.com (thanks for the tip Olya) and it's a lady's private home and she moves in with her man while I'm here, perfect. It's right in the middle of Lyon and v close to the river and loads of theatres, museums, art galleries, bars, restaurants, shops and parks, the area is called Presqu'ile- if you want to look it up.
I wanted to get an early start so I woke up at... - 3am :( - damn jet lag, but have had a super day so no complaints. I started off with a jaunt to the store to get breakfast, then grabbed a cafe o'lait at the bistro across the road- omg- best coffee I've had in a while. Walking back I saw my first dog poo on the pavement (a staple in France) and managed to swerve around it. I made myself a cup o tea back at the apartment and watched it turn the consistency of miso soup when I added the fermented milk I'd mistakenly brought...ewww.
To get a feel for the city I went down to the tourist info centre and picked up a city audio tour and wandered around looking very touristy listening to that for a few hours- it was a great thing to do though because it took me around alleyways and to historic buildings I never would have known were there. On my jaunt I noticed a few interesting things about the people of Lyon. Firstly - the women are all super chic- no one is out and about without jewellery, lipstick and beautifully styled hair. I also noticed a theme amongst the women in the way they dressed which I may try out and you are welcome to take away with you and try for yourself- they seem to wear the same colour for more than one garment im their outfit- like wear a yellow scarf, with matching yellow trousers. I saw it a lot and they did look super chic- apart from one woman who was wearing orange from head to toe- my niece Rachael would have loved her outfit though, with her penchant for orange.
The other thing I noticed is that all of the beggars have pets, most have 2 as well! I saw beggars with puppies, kittens and one even had a parrot, it definitely tugs on the heart strings. But the most interesting sight I saw today was a beggar with 2 chess boards- ready to take on anyone who was willing, now that's working for your coin!
I've been trying out a bit of my French and am slowly getting there, but everyone I've met has been super patient and helpful, they're lovely folk here in Lyon.
Check out my album First day in France for a peek of what I've seen today.
So, that was my first day, I will try and keep this blog up as often as I can, it's a nice way to relax and rest my feet so you may hear from me tomorrow as well! Until then, a bientot (see you soon)! :) big love Candice
