Almost at the end of the train.. and my energy.  Lol. 16 km walked so far today.  Day 3 on the Paris schedule.  1926 pm we depart.  On exactly the moment, the train pulls away and backward we go.  Wheeeeeeee.  LOVE THAT FOR US!!! (As Rachel says but I love to say …) 

Rachel has organized and planned our trip so far and back to Lyon.  She is beside me …. Click.  Click, clicking her keyboard.  She has homework and studying to do.  She has one week left of her Masters program at the school in Lyon – with dates corresponding to my trip here. I will be quiet and rest, enjoy Lyon. She will stress and worry a bit about her last week and packing up, moving to SouthAmerica for a while.  Me …. Well, I am on vacation.  Albeit a short one, just to visit Paris and Lyon and enjoy this time in Europe.

Sometimes I wonder why I travel like this although I don’t think I regret it, I just have a wee bit of stress.

Today, up and just barely awake before Christopher arrived, with his large black poodle type beautiful dog ….  I quickly threw my belongings in backpack and out the door for an urban adventure.  Off we went. We walked, talked and enjoyed each other’s company in deep conversation for two and half hours.  Over cobblestones and toward the Cathedral Notre Dame. We walked down beautiful old streets, through passageways, following his phone and me in complete trust in my swim friend.  I have no sense of direction but the sun shone, the sky blue, my heart happy in Paris, and deep in conversation about my years and career, my beliefs, his situation at work and as a young parent …. All relevant and satisfying.  He works starting around 12 noon, so I was back to meet Rachel who was in virtual class till then at the hotel.  

The weather turned a few times today … wind, cold, sun, rain drops, grey, torrential downpour ….all afternoon.  We popped in and out of cute locally owned stores, fromageries, paper and pen shops, groceterias, the LEGO shop in a huge outdoor mall, Five Guys for fries and watching the wind and rain pour in buckets and fill the rain gutters between the cobblestones.  Umbrellas turned inside out in seconds, no matter how beautiful or well made.  I saw one with Mona Lisa’s face, bright rainbow ones, dark black large plain and see through plastic.  None could withstand the brief powerful storm as we sat comfortably munching on French fries and marvelling at our good timing.  Tourists in running shoes running, locals in beautiful stylish boots and open designer trench coats on a casual stroll …. We watched it all.  Couldn’t have planned it better.  

Then we walked back to the hotel to get our suitcases stopping briefly on the way for yet more cheese on sale and Italian gelato.  Gathering our bags, new purchases and using hotel facilities we bid adieu to the front desk staff guy and back out to the spring afternoon streets of Paris.

We took two metro trains to the Gare de Lyon to catch TGV fast train with OUIGo…. Typically a five hour rail trip, we will get there in two.  No stops, here we go.  As the sun starts to set we see green fields, new bright yellow farm grassy areas and some stone buildings.  The clouds of color and then darkness …. I think I might have dozed off through the beautiful-est part.   I wake to a small bottle of rose wine, (we each have one) fabulous white local cheeses and some tasty garlic olives we had purchased today.  Oh my goodness and fresh red perfect strawberries.   12 minutes left till we arrive.  The picnic dinner is over.  I love to travel the trains in Europe to listen to the various languages being spoken and seeing the vast countryside and wide open sky.  Marvellous