Standing on the sidewalk in the town of Grenoble

Every week I had a day of rest but since I don't 'rest' much, I enjoyed traveling to different parts of France for the day. There is little in this world that is better than to take a long promenade in a completely foreign town, with a handful of good friends. Even with a map, getting lost is almost as fun as going somewhere, though with the exception of Lyon, I typically kept to smaller towns. I love turning around a corner and discovering a marketplace for fresh produce, a large Roman temple, or a priceless view of the city. In Valence, Felix (a good friend and fellow assistant) and I sat down for a two minute pause above a park, and found ourselves in the same spot an hour and a half later, watching a wedding reception and debating about the what-if's of our utopian societies. It's the uncertainties that I like the most, though I always kept a phone card in my pocket. Afterall, I'm not quite ready for too much uncertainty.

Batherny...

A Sunday picnic in Batherny

One of the assistants took us to this area as a surprise picnic on one of my first Sundays here. We were lucky to have chosen a day with such gorgeous weather, and the place is so far away from everything, with a refreshing wind and a cool green grass. Juggling, boules, lunch, talking, frisbee! What more could I ask for.

Grenoble...

One of the many quarters in Grenoble 

Despite popular opinion, I didn't feel that Grenoble was entirely a university town. In fact, I didn't even see the university. There's a lot of shopping, restaurants and small stores. There's also this old, industrial feel to the walls of the buildings that gives me mixed feelings of nostalgia and creepiness.

Lourdes...

The only picture that I have of Lourdes

To make a long story short, my supposed weekend in Barcelona became a last-minute pilgrimage to Lourdes. A century ago, a young girl, now known as Saint Bernadette met the Virgin Mary in a cave in this town while collecting firewood. Soon after, a number or miraculous healings occurred by people who had touched the water. Today, thousands have been cured, although only a small percentage have been officially declared by the Vatican as 'miraculous'. For me, it was a spiritual healing, led by one of the kindest people I have met in my life, Sister Regina, who taught me many prayers and graciously gave me hours of time to discuss some of the mysteries of the Catholic faith.

Lyon...

Anna and Felix at train station	Rue Victor Hugo

Lyon is a gorgeous city. The buildings are nice, it's filled with culture, and there are restaurants in every direction. The first time that I was there, we ate baguettes and yogurt from our foyer, but the second time we enjoyed wonderful steak with potatoes gratinees, crème brulee with a rose wine. I'd say Lyon is the ultimate place to take a walk because every corner is so different, and you never know where you'll end up. We were totally lost once and took a small staircase up an alleyway. Unfortunately (or fortunately), the 'small' staircase kept going up and up and up, until finally we hit a road, and we realized we were able to reach the top of a hill. We followed the signs and eventually, we caught the following view of Lyon...

view of Lyon from atop the hill

Montpellier...

A main street in Montpellier, lined with palm trees

For some reason, this city reminded me fondly of Montreal. Maybe it was the large city feel, maybe it was the long roads, maybe it was simply that the signs were printed in French - or maybe it was because they both contain the letters M,O,N,T,R,E and L. But this was one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited, and that's after spending only an unplanned 6 hour stopover there. I remember sitting atop a large stone structure and listening to the meditative beat of bongo players, under the beautiful Mediterranean sun. I'm going back!

Romans...

A street corner in Romans

This town was only about 30 minutes by car, or 50 minutes by bus and it one of my favorite places. Lots of little alleyways to explore, a nice little cinema, hills, marketplaces, and a violin shop. I had nice Turkish food for lunch, with terrible service. One of the fondest memories here was sipping a cappuccino in the marketplace and watching other people work.

St.Vallier Sur Rhône...

A view of St.Vallier Sur Rhône near the train station

This was the first trainstation that I debarked from. The town is situated right against the Rhone River, as is Lyon and many of the other cities that I visited. It's got a handful of nice cafes and bakeries, and I like the look of the buildings.

Valence...

The bus station in Valence

This was, probably, the biggest city within half an hour of Hauterives. It holds a central train station, and one of the nicest parks, with a large photogenic fountain. There's a handful of cinemas and lots of nice French quarters. A great place to spend a day.

Vienne...

Roman temple in Vienne

This is an old Roman town and scattered throughout the town are vestiges of the civilization dating back over a thousand years, including an enormous Roman amphitheatre, a Roman temple, bridges, and fortresses. We played Frisbee in the park, chilled out in a bar, took a long walk, and experienced some of the worst service that a restaurant could possibly offer.