Paris

Took the fast train to Paris Friday morning and met up with Ben and Kat Garner. We went to a square famous for its denizens, among which were Simone de Beauvoir and Jean Paul Sartre. Ate at a cafe there. We spent a good amount of time at the Musee D'Orsay and relaxed on the lawn of the Eiffel Tower.

Saturday we went to a English-bookstore called Shakespeare and Company, where they used to let starving artists stay for free. They had an excellent collection of English books, many authors whom I'd heard of/been wanting to read. I bought none (yay restraint and suitcase room).

I had a throat cold during the trip, so that was unfortunate. It was great to hang out with the younger Garners, though. They always keep life interesting with knowledge of what to see or penetrating aesthetical, sociological, and theological topics.

I went to the Eglise de Christ this morning (a bit of trouble getting there). I had trouble following the class and sermon, but many of the people know English and kindly spoke it with me. There is a young couple living with the Hendrixes who have been teaching here in France. We all had a vivacious lunch of a carrot, mushroom, chicken soup with all the courses/sides, including stawberries picked yesterday in the Hendrixes' garden (can be seen in the last picture). They have all manner of vegetables and fruit there.

I am feeling better now. School begins Tuesday.

Walking Lyon

Some random pics from today. The flowery tree is made of metal. The last picture is a facade paited with shelves of books. There's a shop painted below it. Quite well done. It's in the same block as my host family's apartment.

Today I mostly just walked (and walked) around Lyon. The Museum of Fine Arts was especially good... a few Picassos, Legers, and other lesser notable artists. They had various artifacts, too, such as a bust of Jean the Baptiste which had the artist's name inscribed in the base of the statue--said to be a precursor of the Englightenment individuality. Another collection was called the Poem of the Soul, 13 paintings tracing a boy and girl through life... typically Romantic until the end when one of them dies in the frame titled "Reality".

I had a scrumptous eclair and latte at a shop on the other side of the Saone this afternoon. Delightful.

I am noticeably gaining in French skillz. Talking with the host family is easier. Madame Gabory makes delicious French cuisine. Dessert tonight was an apple-pie-pizza.

Tomorrow and Saturday, Paris with the young Garners. Bonne nuit.

Old Town

Visited Old Town Lyon, across the Saone, this afternoon. Interesting:

-- Beautiful cathedral overlooking the city called Fourviere, features a gold statue of Mary on one of the towers

-- I ran into two ladies on one of the pathes behind the gardens there, and they were French Jehovah's witnesses. We established that we were all Christians, and they gave me a tract (featuring a racially diverse group of people on the cover).

-- I went to an interesting museum on Roman influence in Lyon. One of the Caesar's commissioned Lyon to be built when he needed to get the army busy because there was unrest, and he didn't want them aiding the uprisers. The museum is right next to the ampitheatre (above) created by two different Caesars (Hadrienwas one).

-- The host family is great. I don't understand most of what they say to each other and about half of what they say (slowly) to me, but dinner was a delicious salami and ham, french bread, salad, carrots & potatos, and a vanilla and sugary bread dessert from the Mediterranean.

arriving

They do have the internet in France.

Memento-style blog.

Posts blog. I'm safely on the 4th floor of an apartment overlooking the Saone river in Lyon. It's nighttime. I have just eaten dinner with the host family's daughter, Sophie, a senior in college. The host family parents are finishing up their vacation. Their son Aymeric sped me around the city after picking me up from the train station. I got there from Marseille, where I spent most of the (French-time) day (Tuesday) at the station, encumbered with bags. Amsterdam got me to Marseille, and DFW took me to Amsterdam. Before eating at Cracker Barrel, Mom and Dad and I leave Edmond.

Everything has gone well so far. The apartment is quite large. I have a room to myself. It's close to everything in the city.

Later this week, hopefully hanging out with Bena and Kat and (separately) going to the Swiss Alps.

Pre-trip

This'll be the place I blog while I'm in France this summer. I expect the blogs will be mainly informational of what I'll have been doing and descriptive of my rambling and disjunctive thoughts about what I'll have been doing.

Sarcasm, encouragement, poignant remarks, mockery, and attempts at writing in French are all encouraged in the comments.

I leave Monday, 5/24, at 3:30 pm, CST, and get to Lyon Tuesday evening.