Salut!
Sorry I haven't written all weekend! I've been busy entertaining and recouping! But this is what I did this weekend, plus ou moins:) Hope you enjoy the sunny pictures from Lyon (Friday and Saturday, today it's rainy) and of Lucie and Emilie (Corinne's little girls).
Friday at noon, I met Kelsey at my bus stop to show her how to get to my apartment. It was so nice to see a familiar face! We had a nice time catching up and eating a quick little lunch (tuna steaks and salad- yumz!). I gave her some left over metro tickets from when Victor was here and we hit the town!
It was another gorgeous day, so I took her straight up the funicular to Fourvière to see the view of Lyon and the inside of the Basilica. Every time I go in, I forget how truly amazing it is with it's mosaicked walls. With the sun shining through the stain glassed windows, it was magnifique! From there we walked to the Roman Ruins (with a little detour, I always forget which side of the cathedral they are on). Another of my favorite places in Lyon.... I remember coming to visit them at the beginning of October and thinking- wow! What an amazing and old city this is.... We sat amongst the ruins to chat a little more and enjoyed the view and sun. I showed her a few more places to visit on my map before we went back down the funicular to Vieux Lyon. Of course, I indulged in showing her the joys of eating Lyonnais pastries (yep- the pink praline brioche). We enjoyed some more sun and chatting in front of St. Jean Cathedral before I headed back. I didn't want to over do it as I'm still feeling a little under the weather (well- not even that, I just feel weird). I came home to rest and chat with my mom.... and before I knew it, Kelsey was already back at the bus stop.
I came down to meet her again and we went to the grocery store for some weekend provisions (pizza, quiche, veggies, and strawberries). Kelsey lives in a chambre de bonne, or a maid's quarters in Paris, above a swanky row of apartments in the 16th arrondissement. Unfortunately for her, this means that her room is pretty small with enough space for a trundle bed, kitchen sink, and some shelving. She has to use a shower in an apartment a few floors below (her landlord's apartment) and share one toilet for the entire floor of dorm-like rooms. She has no refrigerator or oven, just a hot plate she bought for herself. After hearing about her living arrangements, I remembered just how lucky I am to live where I do. But... I think she enjoyed being able to buy frozen foods and cook with real appliances!
After making dinner, we hung out- watching some tv and headed to bed early. The next morning, we slept in and got ready to go into the city to meet the girls at 1:30 for lunch. We were a little early, so we rode the tram to Perrache, walked up rue Victor Hugo, and enjoyed the sunshine in Bellecour. We walked over to the Rhone river side to see the flower and the 1666 clock tower (originally part of l'Hopital de la Charité).
Unfortunately for me, by this point, I was draggin a little bit, and didn't know how much longer after lunch I'd make it. We met the girls and walked to the restaurant. It was very crowded and warm.... and I decided I'd better not chance another fainting spell in such close quarters with other restaurant goers (the tables were very close together).... so Kelsey stayed to eat lunch with them and I stopped at a boulangerie for a sandwich on my way back home. It's tough to tour when I'm feeling this way without knowing I have Victor to pick me up when I faint at the table! (har har)
When I got back, I took a nap, talked to the fam (we decided I should probably see a doctor for real this week.... as this isn't normal behavior for me), and Kelsey was back around the same time for dinner. This time she cooked, enjoying the chance to use the kitchen... and because I was sort of sprawled on the couch. We ate dinner and watched some tv.... talked a little bit about wedding stuff.... and off to bed we were!
Kelsey left this morning after breakfast to catch her train. She was a an awesome house guest... helped pay for food, brought me back flowers to decorate the apartment one afternoon, was flexible with a sickly host, and even did dishes! She can come back anytime:)
This afternoon, I made my way over in the rain to Corinne and Luc's house. They asked how I was feeling (since last Corinne saw me, I was feeling pretty faint at school), and I said not too bad, but not too good either. They seemed very concerned and made sure I knew the emergency numbers in case I needed anything while I was alone. They said that of course I could call them anytime and gave me the number for their doctor. I tutored Julien for an hour and chitchatted with the family for a little bit afterwards. They were all going to the expo center in Lyon to do some shopping. I would have liked to have seen what in the world that was about, and they invited me along, but I didn't want to chance them dealing with me getting sick. So they drove me home, said feel better, and now I'm back to do some lesson prep for tomorrow.
I emailed my doctor to get an appointment for tomorrow afternoon... so hopefully I'll hear back soon (the doctor Corinne and family uses is only open in the morning... and I have to work tomorrow morning). I also had my camera with me still from this weekend, and took some pictures of the girls. Lucie then hijakced my camera to take a few blurry pictures of the rest of her family, who said they want me to take their picture another time when their hair looks better:p They also joked that they needed to all find their berets, baguettes, and bottles of wine to play the part of "real french" people. They thought that was SO funny hehe.
Anyway- that was my weekend in a nutshell! Hopefully I'll be cured by the end of this week and back to my normal touring self in time to enjoy my last 4 weeks in la belle France!
Reste cool and goooo North Caroline and VCU!
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