Chère France

[Eugene Delacroix, Liberty Leading the people/La Liberté guidant le peuple, 1830, Oil on Canvas. Source: here]

Chère France;

Here are some things I find interesting about you

• The blue street signs in places like Paris or Lyon. They are so French.
• Your pastries are to die for, which makes your lack of Milo or TimTams bearable
• The freedom to explore your museums if one is under 25 and European
• Your frequent condom-dispensing machines. I have never used them, but I find them very amusing
• French gentlemen are the epitome of gentlemen (rivalled only by Americans, I must admit)
• Your artists and writers are pretty amazing (see Delacroix, above.)
• I truly love your accent (even if you don't)

However, there are some things I dislike about you;

• Your railway system's ability to make life oh so complicated, and the reluctance, nay, refusal to exchange tickets. Also, your trains are too small, I cannot fit my luggage in the aisles.
• Your metros are expensive. They are good. But they are expensive
• You sell too many cigarettes
• Your language is very difficult. Even after 8 years of A's and Distinctions, and many dollars spent at the Alliance Francaise, I am having lots of problems to communicate.
• Your bureaucracy is a little on the frustrating side

Cordialement,

Mademoiselle A.F.

Arriving in Lyon

So I'm 'home' and learning again how to write on an anglophone keyboard. I say 'home', because, although I plan to stay in Lyon untill May 28, I'm not yet 'home', ie I dont have my own apartment.

However, in my preliminary apartment searches, I came across an old posting where the room for rent had already been rented (this I only found out later). HOWEVER, there was one room available for sublet, while the occupant (a comedian), is doing a tour of Africa. The room I'm subletting for a week only sets me back 80Euro and I have my own room and a bunch of cool (although temporary) roommates. They comprise of 3 musicians, a student and a comedian (the one whose room I'm in). And, a stable place in Lyon suburbs to do some field research about getting my own place for the next 3 months.

Arriving in Lyon seemed to be the biggest struggle so far. Before getting off the train I (as politely as possible), woke the lady in the aisle seat to go to the bathroom, having just guzzled half a litre of water. I calculated that I'd still have time to get my bags and calmly wait at the doors of the train. Little did I know that in the time of my absense, a traffic jam had formed between the door of the bathroom and my insanely heavy and bulky luggage. Everyone was ready to get off the train when it pulled in to Lyon Part Dieu, and by the time they did, and I ran to get my big, bulky bag (which didnt even fit in the train passage way, but had to be dragged on its side), people started to get on the train, creating a bigger traffic jam and making it more impossible for me to get off the train. Stressed and almost in tears (the train was about to leave), I babbled non-sensical french to lovely french gentlemen who grabbed my suitcase and my backpack for me and got them off the train. If it wasn't for chivalry, I would have ended up in Nimes, Montpellier or on the Cote d'Azur, wherever that train was heading late at night.

The rest went smoothly. I followed Mathieu's instructions (one of my temporary roommates), caught the tram and found him immediately at the station. He then (like a real frenchman), took my suitcase and walked me to the house. We had a cup of tea, chatted, and he went back to the recording studio downstairs, while I checked emails, explored the rather huge house and just went about making myself at home in a strange new place (something I've come accustomed to in the last 7 months).

So, thats it for now.

More Lyonnaise adventures to come!

Gros Bisous,

a

Another trip

Tomorrow, I'm catching an early morning train to Lille. I'm kind of relieved. The last 3 weeks have been crazy hard.

I have a job interview in Paris on Saturday. Nervous. More trains.

I feel I have learned alot from my life of travel, namely how to pack well, how to pack fast.

I hate packing. and un-packing. And I hate planes. Kind of makes my life seem pretty unsuitable.

However, the good outwheighs the bad, methinks.

Next post from Lille OR Paris (fingers crossed)