I cannot believe this adventure has finally started. Mom and dad and cats sent me off well with a few tears (Frankie, the cat) and a great delivery to the airport. And before I go far I want to shout out to Kenton, the cat uncle for the summer…I appreciate you so much and wish you luck! Ha!
Frankie helped me pack art supplies. It was hard to pick just a few, but I think I managed. Both suitcases (yes, I have two) were well under weight (which, yes, means a bit of shopping is in order).
Flights were uneventful. The girl next to me on the seven hour leg was an exchange student returning to Spain who warned me she might cry because she was leaving so many amazing people. Gave me hope because she was mostly considerate (only hit me in the face once with her sleeve and kept her elbow in my waist to a minimum) and she seemed to make genuine connections with folks in her American school, based on her emotion while reading her yearbook.
Main events for today:
Meeting Jerome, our host at the AirBnB. Stellar. The place is really neat albeit without A/C but he could not have been a better host. Met me at the door. Carried one of my bags up four flights of winding stairs. Gave me a ton of recommendations. Frankly, I’m sitting in the window overlooking the little street from the fourth floor with the window open, fan blowing, and champagne in hand (that he left in the fridge). Winning.
Taking steps. And I don’t mean walking. I randomly looked for something to go see in Vieux Lyon (Old Lyon, where our apartment is) and decided to head to Fourviere. Just used the map on my phone. No big whoop, right? Fuck. I saw some steps and laughed that that might be where I had to go. Alas. It was.
I am proud to say that I conquered them all! Took a wrong turn at one point so got a downhill by accident (and then a correction uphill) but ended up at the Cathedral and the view was totally worth it. It is very hot today, but I had water and took lots of breaks. Thought of those folks I’ve gone on vacation with who always want to sweat and do hard things (The Great Wall of China, biking the whole of Bermuda, walking 12 blocks at Rehoboth! Ha!)…I did it all by myself!
Lastly, a little wander and dinner. Lyon is basically the gastronomic capital of France (think Chef Paul Bocuse, or Google him if you need to) but I went for a little bouchon near my apartment. Nothing fancy but service was great. Food was good. Rosé was best!
Things I’m inspired by today:
- roof lines
- bricks
- German tourists
- red in logos
- Birkenstocks
- graffiti
- windows
- sweating