Summertime Adventures

A Visit to France

Un viajar a Francia

As a birthday gift and before the school year got hectic, I planned a weekend trip to France to visit a friend who was studying abroad. Just got back, yesterday, and it was an amazing journey! It started with a long bus ride to Lyon. It was a great way to see Spain and France! Spain has a mountainous terrain, with groves and groves of orange trees and a glistening ocean view. Outside of the country, France had a rustic country-side. Gentle rolling hills, lush with small leaf trees, grazing cattle, and recently plowed fields.

Immediately off the bus, Glen (my friend in France) and I hit the ground running. We grabbed breakfast at a little bakery where little birds flew in, nonchalantly searching for a crumb or two to eat. It was picture-isc part of town. Un-even cobble stone roads. Elegant restaurants and cafes. the smell of fresh bake goods in the air. Ah, it was to die for. Lyon is a metropolitan city, but France tries to maintain its culture and that can be seen in many parts of the city.

After breakfast we strolled through town. Glen showed me all the prominent buildings and sculptures. It's really impressive. The European look is timeless and the architecture is so well maintained! We strolled through the Parc de la Tete d'Or 290 acres of pure beauty! It features a large lake, zoo, botanical gardens, statues, and more. Hundreds of joggers can be seen running through the park. It wasn't a good day for boating, but I hear when the whether is nice, the lake is sprinkled with boaters. With a chocolate crepe in our belly, we headed to the Fourvi (Basilica of Norte-Dame de Fourvi). They have a stunning light show a few times out of the year, but we were there for it. It's a grand church that sits at the top of Lyon and holds the best view of the city. Inside is an magnificent show of marble architecture and mosaics that a only can be appreciated truly in person. On our visit, everything was supported by scaffolding, which was a surprised to see. I'm still not sure it was for renovations or to maintain the structural integrity.

Next we rode the tram up to the Ruins of the Roman Amphitheatre, where they still hold plays! It would have been great to see, but I'll have to save that for my next visit back ;) By this time we had walked all over town and were hungry for dinner. We passed through the bustling downtown and the largest Plaza of the city. There's always something going on there. That day it was a handicap awareness event supporting troops and natives injured by war. When we got back, Glen's host family prepared a delicious dinner of the simplest things. We had two types of cheese, thinly sliced meats, oranges, grapefruit, potatoes, wine, and pineapple for dessert. It was nice to eat like a family and converse for a few hours, eating a little bit here and there. I had never use a fondue grill (I invented the name porque no sé lo que es se llamaba), but it was a neat experience. You place the cheese on the triangular tool, stick it under the griller, wait a few minutes till it's nice a gooey, then put it on the meat and potatoes you plated earlier. Simple, but delicious.

Some of the stranger things was my natural reaction to speak Spanish. I've become accustom to speaking in Spanish to be understood in Murcia, and just naturally started speaking some pharses in Spanish. Only simple things like "Donde vamos?" "Si" "Como se dice...?" "Quieres ir a ..." "Vale" ...Basic stuff. Glen would just look at me and say, "You know you can speak to me in English, right?" "Ah, right. Sorry." I hope to get to a point where I can be more fluent.

The next day we were off to Paris. By train we got there in two hours and immediately headed to the Eiffel Tower. She's much grander in person. Paris as a whole is filled with such grandeur. Beautiful sculptures, architecture, and more. It was packed full of people too. Mainly tourists. Everyone jumping on buses, riding bicycles all to get to the same spots. It was a site to see. We made a route to see the main vista points. Walking 660+ steps of the Eiffel Tower, we saw a magnificent view of the city. :) We didn't make it to the top, but it gave us extra time to see Norte-Dame, the Louvre, the Arc, and so much more.

Paris truly is the city of love too. There were so many couples cuddling, hugging, and walking hand-in hand with each-other. It was so cute. And with so many people there were bound to be some oddities. For example, a grand fashion show in the middle or a park, the 35th anniversary run of Paris to Versailles, publicly peeing in the middle of the day (I'm sure that wasn't normal even for Paris's standards), and a farmers market of pets--just to name a few. I wrapped the day up with a night's stroll through town. The landmarks have a different air about them at night. :) On the hour, the Eiffel would sparkle in the night. I'd stare, awe stuck, and get giddy like it was the Fourth of July. I loved it.

I wrapped my finally day at the Louvre and it was my favorite part. I can't express how much I love love love art and the expressionism it's able to capture...if done well. And the art here was just stunning! So magnificent. And to make my dreams come true, I was able to see the Mona Lisa in Person. (It's always been on my bucket list, but my idealization of it could not compare). I got up close and stood there forever appreciating the beauty and the man behind the masterpiece.

I have to thank my wonderful family members for their birthday gifts. They helped pay the way to France and enabled be to see all things. I'm truly blessed :) Muchos gracias, many kisses and hugs!

Classes have started and my schedule has gotten a little busier, but I'll try to maintain the blog. Till the next entry--Live, love, and let be life!

Besos!

Lyndsay