The Giant Oat

Alright, I lied, the last post was NOT the final post.

I spent my last full day in France hanging out in Nice, which is in fact a very lovely city. I wish I had a bit more time to explore. I had to be satisfied with a visit to the Orthodox Cathedral, the ocean and beach, and the area called Vieux Nice. My final dip into the ocean was lovely, and I sunned myself one last time. The weather was, as usual, perfect, and being a Saturday, there were loads and loads of people on the beach. Nice is very clean, and was pretty much silent until noon. From this, I surmise that the nightlife must be fantastic. I sampled only one restaurant, which was the only one serving at 2 PM. Lots of the little local places close for afternoon siesta, so be warned. Following my tradition of eating the local specialty, I had a nicoise salad which was tasty but not remarkable. I had to run throguh the streets with it churning in my stomach as I ran to catch my train.

I caught the train to Lyon and during the trip I noticed that the beaches at Cannes are all sandy. Next time I’m in the area, I’ll head to Cannes for a dip. The landscape along the coast is very impressive and if I had a boat, I would totally love to explore the little inlets. This place must be totally packed when the water is warm.

On the way to Lyon, my seat was facing backwards, and so I had this bizarre feeling of being pulled back in time. Or just being pulled back to where I came from. It wasn’t entirely awful feeling….actually I was really looking to going home.

I arrived in Lyon at night and it was raining. I did my usual huge circular route around a city with my pack looking for a hotel only to end up ten feet away from my starting point. Lyon’s Part-Dieu train station is a bit out of the main area of town, and while there are lots of hotels around, most of them were booked. I would recommend booking ahead for Lyon. Also, arriving on a Sunday anywhere is the most bizarre feeling, as most shops and even restaurants are closed. So everthing was closed, it was raining, and hotels were booked solid. A perfect end to my journey. I considered sitting out the eight hours at the airport, but finally found a little place with room. It was called Premiere Classe. Their name is slightly hyperbolic.

For fifty two euro, I got a bed and the most unusal pod-like toiled/shower combination. Despite the dark hallways (premiere class people obviously have night vision glasses), I felt relatively safe and happy to have a shower before the long day of travel ahead.

Sunday was the day of return, and the whole day I felt really really good about my journey, and about returning. I had worried that I would not want the vacation to end, or that I would dread the return to work, but really, I was happy to move on to whatever comes next.

My flights were easy, uneventful, and full of sappy movies that made me cry. My hawaiian shirt-clad man greeted me at the airport, we popped in to family to say hi, and I had one solid night’s rest. I’m at work today, and am about to pass out.

My next post will give a quick summary of how I did with the thirty goals of mine.

Oh my goodness, here we are in the final days of travel. Thanks to all who have been reading along the way, and I hope you have enjoyed my trip!

I spent another day here in St. Paul de Vence, unable, it seems, to get to Nice or the sea. This estate i am on has been lovely and fulfilled all my needs for coziness and comfort after the great escape. Today I ate ice cream, cheese, steak, melon and other lovely things, was loved by the dogs, watched Jerry Maguire, and reflected on this journey I have been on.

I must say that tonight i looked in the mirror and saw a woman that I am so bloody proud of. I have cried, gotten lost, felt lonely, felt angry, felt joy, felt right, felt wrong, stuffed myself with good food, followed my instincts, found friends when I wasn’t looking, seen beauty, seen ugliness, escaped from badness, laughed, and finally, have witnessed how life, incredibly and despite my personal dramatics, continues to unfold in beautiful ways and all i have to do is put myself out there and let it happen.

I have strong suspicions that when I return, my cubicle will feel like it is hiding me from this, and we will have to part ways. I have a few ideas up my sleeve…

I am so grateful to everyone who supported me by emailing or listening or housing or feeding or suggesting along the way. I leave for Lyon tomorrow, after a tour of Nice, then flying early Sunday arriving home with enough time to visit those love.

I conclude that I am not a hippie, I am confident and strong and full of sparks, I love mud, volcanoes in France are boring, Greek boys are hilarious, Greek food is not the best, Italian coffee is the best, French cheese takes the prize, London boys are the most fun, Paris is not for the single girl, nor is Venice, friends are everywhere, and this is indeed one beautiful world we live in. Life is too short to waste and the world too beautiful not to enjoy. Can’t wait to fill you in on the details with photographic evidence!

Au revoir, Cheers, Ciao, Merci, Grazie, Eucharisto to Europa!

If it wasn,t for my cousin, I would have been on the wrong train this morning, and likely fined a pretty penny for it too. I had bought a regional ticket heading for Assissi from Rome, but was about to ... [Continue reading this entry]

After deciding on my plans yesterday, I was left with a bonus afternoon in London. After fulfilling my objective of eating fish and chips (with beer, in a park), my superfluously generous host took me out to the theatre to ... [Continue reading this entry]

Snippets of where I've been and what I've been up to (time's running short so I need to hurry it up!): Borough market on Saturday: lovely, tasty, likely a bit touristy market Walking down the street I experienced dark clouds, light rain, ... [Continue reading this entry]

My trip from Paris to London was eventful. First, I missed the bus, because i failed to properly read all of my information. While the bus ticket OFFICE is located at St. Germain and St. Jacques, the actual bus STATION ... [Continue reading this entry]

Another cold day in Paris, but today was full of interesting things, including a GIANT PLATE of CHEESE for dinner! The day began, of course, with a sprained ankle, but after a few anti-inflammatories and the magic of frozen perogies, I ... [Continue reading this entry]

Paris is the most fashionable place on earth. Before I left on my trip, which aside from this first stop in Paris will be largely backpacking style, I thought I wouldn't want to be shlepping around Paris in my hiking ... [Continue reading this entry]

I've passed a most marvellous day in Paris, speaking exclusively French, and I must chalk it up to the fact that I began my day with blue cheese and a croissant. Actually, I began the day by sleeping in, simply ... [Continue reading this entry]

I've arrived! In what seems to be a surreal dream, I'm writing this post from a beautiful flat overlooking a gorgeous little Parisian street. After a thankfully uneventful flight from Montreal, I woke up to a very foggy Paris. Thankfully, ... [Continue reading this entry]