Dijon was a chance for me to go waaaay out of my comfort zone and try couch surfing for the first time. And to great success! Seb was a lovely host. Finished his term in the French Air Force, he now builds and designs model planes. He took me to touch the owl on the side of the cathedral (which has been touched so many times he doesn't have a face. Poor faceless owl.) And gave me a walking your of the city he grew up in. It really is quite pretty. Like all the old parts of Paris but with more space and less tourists. He also introduced me to some of the Beaujolais wines and we made tagine in his swanky paella cooker. He even gave me a small tin of herb du Provence to take with me on my travels :)
And then since I had so much experience under my belt from surfing in Dijon, I did it again in Lyon! This time with Yacine, a middle school maintenance man in his 30's and his 7 year old son Tijany. While Tijany spoke little English, it was fun to play with him, and I even got to write my name in his cardboard bedroom castle. I know, gangster.
Lyon really is a beautiful city. It is definately trying to sell itself as the cosmopolitan alternative to Paris. More modern, but still embracing the picturesque Rhone-Alps around it and the history that goes along with them. It also happens to be the gastronomical capital of the world. So guess where I spent most of my time? That's right, MCDONALD'S. *sigh* see, McDonald's (or McDou to the French) has free Internet. So I an order a small fry and Skype my friends and family without paying for meal or standing on one foot with a hanger in my hand as per most hostels. That, and I was too embarrassed over the quality of French to sit in a restaurant, and McDou has self serve kiosks in English. Yeah. Yeeeaaaahh.
I also marked my 26th birthday in Lyon. It was a simple affair. I went to the textile museum, meandered the shopping district. Yacine taught me how to make crepes for dinner and we decorated them In both savoury and sweet forms. Did I have a great epiphany? No. But I did reflect on how far I'd come and where I was going next. At least where I hoped I was going.
The next day I checked out the fourviere cathedral that over looked the city and the roman theatre ruins. I spent a good hour just sitting and writing in the audience. The weather was gorgeous and it just felt to peaceful I'd hate to ruin it by spending it inside. If it wasn't for the anti-gay marriage rally happening in the main square that i could hear it would have been perfect.
I spent the latter part of the afternoon at the gadagne museum checking out the collection of world puppets and marionettes and indulged in some ardechian pear sorbet before buying a ticket to see ironman 3 with French subtitles. Yep. Cultural rockstar right here.
The last day I spent in Lyon I rented a bike and roamed the tete d'or park. A giant urban park with a botanical garden, lake and zoo, it was a welcome break from all the cityscapes and tourist shops. I also got my first signs of a tan. Take that Canada.
Things I have learned:
- 30 year old single men who offer you their couch are not all serial killers or rapists!
- ironman 3 was disappointing. For multiple reasons. Buy me a drink when I get back and I'll tell you why
- French people eat cookies for breakfast. BREAKFAST.
- teaching me how to make crepes was a dangerous thing. I will probably now make them/ eat them all the time
-you can get an electric pan for cooking just paella. I want it.
No comments:
Post a Comment