London to Lyon: Taking the Plunge

Well I want to give you an idea of what my first days in Europe were like since I started this blog after being here for awhile. My second day of traveling found me touching down in London after a long flight over the Atlantic. In Heathrow Airport I checked my guitar in at a baggage storage facility, exchanged some U.S. Dollars for English pounds and headed out to explore the city.



I started this initial adventure in downtown London at Picadilly Circus. Getting there required me to take the famed "Tube" from which I emerged above ground and into the bright daylight. In my current state of fatigue I decided the best way to see London was to take a guided tour of the city on a double-decker bus. As we went around the city seeing the important and historical statues (I probably saw more statues in this day in London than I would see in a year in any United States city), buildings, and sites, I couldn't help but feel blown away that I was on the other side of the Atlantic experiencing these things...it wasn't real yet and being so far away from home had not truly dawned on me. I got off the bus at Westminster Abbey (left) to walk around and take some pictures. From there I headed to London's National Gallery which is home to many world-famous works of Art by artists such as Raphael, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens, Picasso and Van Gogh.

From the National Gallery I hopped back on a tour bus and finished seeing the sights of London: the London Eye (right), The Globe Theater, Big Ben, countless monuments, memorials, and statues, the Parliament buildings, etc. By the end I was just ready to sleep I was so exhausted. I finished the tour and said goodbye to London, taking the Tube back to Heathrow.

My flight left for Lyon at 8:35 pm and I got into Lyon at 11:15 pm local time. This is where it gets interesting. I fell asleep within minutes once I sat down on the plane and within two hours we were landing in Lyon. Fully expecting to meet my friend Patrick at the airport and get some help back to his dormitory I made my way through customs and the baggage claim and began to wait. After an hour of waiting and no Patrick I bought some internet time and called him with Skype. Unfortunately since we had no means to contact one another he had not been able to tell me that the all the bus lines closed at 11 and that he could not meet me. So head spinning with fatigue and exhaustion I decided to wait at the airport until morning when he could come on the bus and get me. Right at that moment two French guys came up to me and asked me if I would split the cost of a taxi fare with them. I told them where I needed to go and remarkably one of them had to get to the same location! What a blessing! I was able to split the ridiculously high fare with them (over 60 euro for something like 20 min of driving). Finally at nearly two in the morning I met up with Patrick in his dorm and got to sleep. I was so tired that I was literally shaking and my head was spinning (no exaggeration).

At last I was in France and the first leg of my semester-long journey had come to an end...although it still didn't feel real yet.

The Great Ride: Chambery to Lyon (Oct. 3, 2009)

My friend Patrick Yoho and I are planning a trip during the last week of October during our vacation time. Our plan is to take a train to the Loire Valley and to do our own tour of the valley and its famous castles by bicycle. You saw the bicycles in my last post...well yesterday we tested them out on their first big ride. Patrick came into Chambery from Lyon (where he is studying) on Friday night. We woke up Saturday morning and had a big breakfast of baked potatoes and omelets. After making sure we knew the route we were taking and performing the final tune-ups on our bikes, we left. If you would like to see the exact route that we took you can go to google maps and find the walking, not driving, directions from "Chambery, France" to "Lyon Saint Exupery airport". The total distance between us and our destination was almost 90 kilometers (55 miles) so we expected it to take about five hours or so and we ended up underestimating the terrain. Our first and hardest test came about twenty minutes into the ride when we started our ascent of the Col de l'epine. I can't really put into words how it felt to climb this col. It was one of the most physically demanding things I have ever done in my life. Once we got to the top though we realized that it was totally worth it. We had ridden over 3,200 feet to the summit and were rewarded with the amazing view that you see above.

Now came the best part of all...the descent. Patrick had come up with the ingenious idea that I should mount my camera atop my handlebars and record the descent, which you can view above. We began cycling through the French countryside, staying on roads that had little or no traffic and passing by fields of grazing cattle, roaming horses, bright sunflowers, and stiff cornstalks. Here is where "France" hit me. I realized I was on the other side of the world in the midst of a memory that I would be telling my own children about someday, writing part of my life story, experiencing what some people only are able to imagine. It was an amazing and humbling feeling. I thank God that he has given me this opportunity at this time in my life to be here seeing His creation and marveling at the wonder of all that he has made.
There is not much to say about the rest of the ride. We went through alot of gorgeous French countryside, stopping for lunch in a small city along the way where we bought some "sandwiches avec jambon et fromage" (ham and swiss cheese on a baguette). By the end of the ride my legs were absolutely drained of all energy. Even once the airport was in sight it seemed as if we would never get there. Finally we made it to our destination and just in time too for the sun had all but gone down and we were without any lights or reflective materials. We grabbed a sandwich at the airport and took a bus to the train station where I took a train back to Chambery and Patrick headed back to his school.
Thus ended an incredible day. So exhausting but oh so rewarding. I have to say that it was one of the top ten moments of my life and will most likely remain there for quite some time. I have included a few more pics at the end here for you to see...enjoy!