I have made it through my first week! Its hard to believe that I have only been here for a week since I have done pretty much everything I expected to do in a month…well, maybe. I’m just shocked that so much has happened already and it’s only the beginning. I guess this is going to be a pretty good year.
Last night, once we got back from St. Symphorien, we accompanied Guillaume’s friend, Guillaume, to the Gare de Perrache (train station). He was going back to Paris since he is studying there at a business school. Once his train left, Guillaume and I started walking home. My parents called me and I talked to them while we walked back.
We were ready to go to bed. I planned on watching a movie before going to sleep but our plans changed as soon as we walked into the hall way. One of Guillaume’s neighbors was locked out of her apartment. She had her keys and what not, but the lock was blocked or stuck somehow. So, being the nice guys that we are, or that Guillaume is, since I didn’t really do much. He let her use his phone to call her parents, helped her to try and find a number she could call, and eventually helped her by giving her a check for almost 500 euro!
Her parents were able to give her a number of a 24/7 locksmith. But wow, was it expensive! It took the guy less than 3 minutes to get the door open. But, just for calling him, it cost 200 euro. Then he added extra because it was a Sunday night/Monday morning. And, on top of that, she also had to pay for the part that was replaced on the door. Fortunately, Guillaume is a really nice guy and let the guy leave with a signed check for the amount. The girl didn’t have a checkbook or anything, so the check had to be used as a deposit. Guillaume will get his check back but only when the girl’s parents send her a check to take to the locksmith. As of today, still no word from her so he’ll have to wait.
Today was a good day. I woke up at 10, got ready, and went out to discover Lyon. I left at about 11 and was back at the apartment by 6 or so. During that entire block of time, I was able to walk all over Lyon and do all the tourist stuff. The only thing that I wasn’t able to do was go to the museums since they are all closed on Monday. But, I did a good job. I had no idea how to get around Lyon, so I just went with my instinct. I looked at a map in my guidebook and kinda planned out where and what I wanted to see.
The pictures I took were pretty awesome. The day was beautiful. It was sunny and warm but not hot like I imagine it was in California. I went to the Bellecour district, walked past the University of Lyon 2, crossed both the Rhone and Soane rivers, went into several churches and visited la Basilique de Fourviere – the cathedral that can be seen from almost anywhere in Lyon since its at the top of a hill. It was cool to walk around the old roman ruins and then move into the old part of the city and eventually coming back to the modern area.
I came back to Guillaume’s after going to the Gare and buying my ticket to Villefranche for tomorrow. I have a meeting with a housing agency and hopefully, the apartment they show me will be nice. I am also going to the school where I will be working to find out where exactly I have to go on Thursday. It also won’t hurt to see how much time it will take me to walk from the train station to the school so that I can be prepared to arrive on time on Thursday.
After smoking some hooka or “chi cha (shi-sha)” with 2 of his friends, we all went out to eat Qwik – the French version of a fast food restaurant. It wasn’t bad since it definitely tasted natural and fresh! I could tell the difference right away. The taste was also a little special since they had some pretty weird sauces.
Now, I am just plain tired. I don’t know how many miles I walked but I must have only sat for 20 minutes the entire time. I’m probably going to bed early since I have to wake up, get ready, and head out for Perrache to catch my train to Villefranche. There is still a strike going on in Lyon so the metro I would take to Part Dieu – the first station I went to Villefranche from – is too far to get to. Luckily, I was able to get tickets from Perrache and will only have to walk 15 minutes instead of an hour. I hope my day will be just as good as today and that I have more luck with my housing than I did last time.
A bientôt!
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