These first few weeks of my trip have been a continuous learning experience, about different cultures and customs but also about myself. Since arriving in France on September 26th, I have seen many quaint towns in the outskirts of Clermont, such as Orcival, St Saturnin and St Nectaire (the latter gives its name to the deliciously stinky local cheese - more on that later). I have also climbed the Puy de Sancy, I have gone to Collioure in the south of France and I have visited Lyon.
While the more local sights have been interesting to get a sense of the area's history, (who would have known 10th century churches would still be standing in such remote locations?) I have also been fascinated by its geography. Volcanoes aren't usually the first thing that come to mind when you think of France but, surprisingly (to me at least), the province of Auvergne is home to a chain of these, all dormant.
Seeing as I love to travel, embarking on this adventure to Europe after I graduated made quite a bit of sense. I also have friends and family here that I would like to visit during my time here. Some friends I already have seen: one came to Paris from Scotland where she is studying for the year and the other went to visit her boyfriend in Belgium, whom I joined up with after my weekend in Paris. Another reason I wanted to travel and this, for me, is the most important one of them all (because I could honestly come up with many different reasons to travel) : traveling on my own. For some, this activity is an enjoyable one and is not a huge deal. I admire those people. This idea was a very scary one for me and I knew that the only way to overcome that fear was to just do it. So I have. And I am so glad that I did.
My first experience traveling on my own was when I went to Lyon about 3 weeks ago. This actually wasn't my first time being in Lyon, but the last time was about 12 years ago, so it may as well have been. I stayed in a youth hostel which is apparently the only one in town and quite crummy. The staff is particularly unpleasant and I had someone in my room steal my pillow while I was out. If you want a middle-aged lady to shush angrily as you crawl into bed, then this is your place. At least the night I had spent out was enjoyable. My new friend Riccardo from Rome had been in the hostel for a month by the time I arrived, looking for a place to live since he would be studying here for the next few months.
Riccardo gave me a tour of Lyon, from Vieux Lyon where the hostel was located, to the other side of the Rhone where all the boats that are actually bars are docked. We went to Place Bellecourt with an impressive fountain in its center, saw the Hotel de Ville and the Opera, walked along the Saone, crossed the Presqu'il ("almost island") to the Rhone. I was so impressed by Riccardo's openness and grateful for his eagerness to show me what he'd already discovered about the city.
While I was in Lyon, I got in touch with friends of Emily's, who had studied in Lyon during the winter term of 2010, at the same time as I was in Costa Rica. Rémy and Roméo were so much fun and spending the night partying with them felt as if we had already been friends for a while. I got to practice my sign language with Roméo, the first deaf and mute person I have ever met. Even though I only know the alphabet, we were able to communicate easily with hand gestures, facial expressions and, if all else failed, texting each other by passing his cell back and forth between us.
I've seen some beautiful places and met some great people during my travels up until now, none of which I have talked about in detail. Every place I have been to has been unique in its own way, either in culture, accent, architecture, cuisine...It's incredible to think that you can see cities and countries that are so different from each other within the relatively small geographic area that Europe is. I will thus dedicate my next few posts to describe all of the places I have seen so far... :)
While the more local sights have been interesting to get a sense of the area's history, (who would have known 10th century churches would still be standing in such remote locations?) I have also been fascinated by its geography. Volcanoes aren't usually the first thing that come to mind when you think of France but, surprisingly (to me at least), the province of Auvergne is home to a chain of these, all dormant.
Seeing as I love to travel, embarking on this adventure to Europe after I graduated made quite a bit of sense. I also have friends and family here that I would like to visit during my time here. Some friends I already have seen: one came to Paris from Scotland where she is studying for the year and the other went to visit her boyfriend in Belgium, whom I joined up with after my weekend in Paris. Another reason I wanted to travel and this, for me, is the most important one of them all (because I could honestly come up with many different reasons to travel) : traveling on my own. For some, this activity is an enjoyable one and is not a huge deal. I admire those people. This idea was a very scary one for me and I knew that the only way to overcome that fear was to just do it. So I have. And I am so glad that I did.
My first experience traveling on my own was when I went to Lyon about 3 weeks ago. This actually wasn't my first time being in Lyon, but the last time was about 12 years ago, so it may as well have been. I stayed in a youth hostel which is apparently the only one in town and quite crummy. The staff is particularly unpleasant and I had someone in my room steal my pillow while I was out. If you want a middle-aged lady to shush angrily as you crawl into bed, then this is your place. At least the night I had spent out was enjoyable. My new friend Riccardo from Rome had been in the hostel for a month by the time I arrived, looking for a place to live since he would be studying here for the next few months.
Riccardo gave me a tour of Lyon, from Vieux Lyon where the hostel was located, to the other side of the Rhone where all the boats that are actually bars are docked. We went to Place Bellecourt with an impressive fountain in its center, saw the Hotel de Ville and the Opera, walked along the Saone, crossed the Presqu'il ("almost island") to the Rhone. I was so impressed by Riccardo's openness and grateful for his eagerness to show me what he'd already discovered about the city.
While I was in Lyon, I got in touch with friends of Emily's, who had studied in Lyon during the winter term of 2010, at the same time as I was in Costa Rica. Rémy and Roméo were so much fun and spending the night partying with them felt as if we had already been friends for a while. I got to practice my sign language with Roméo, the first deaf and mute person I have ever met. Even though I only know the alphabet, we were able to communicate easily with hand gestures, facial expressions and, if all else failed, texting each other by passing his cell back and forth between us.
I've seen some beautiful places and met some great people during my travels up until now, none of which I have talked about in detail. Every place I have been to has been unique in its own way, either in culture, accent, architecture, cuisine...It's incredible to think that you can see cities and countries that are so different from each other within the relatively small geographic area that Europe is. I will thus dedicate my next few posts to describe all of the places I have seen so far... :)
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