Gallo-Roman Museum

Yesterday the group went to the Gallo-Roman history museum. Our guide, Laurent, taught me more about the history of Gaule and the everyday life of the Romans than I've ever known. This will be great to share with my more advanced students. Lyon was founded in 43 BC, so there's so much history here that it's amazing. I just love it here!!!!!! I'm learning a lot all the time and love that I never have to speak English.

It is freezing here! I just bought a second scarf to wrap around my goose-pimpled neck! Mon dieu!

I've often been asked by students what French kids do that would be like detassling. Now I have an answer for the Iowa teenagers. The 17 year old girl in my host family is making money this month by gathering raspberries in the fields. They fill bins and get paid 3€ per bin - that's not much! It's more for character-building than cash.

The weather here has been quite rotten. Gray and rainy. Guess I'll have to buy some new clothes. Too bad!

Cute anecdote:

French boyscouts came to the door selling croissants for a fundraiser. They deliver them unbaked right from the bakery very early in the morning in your mailbox so you can have them for breakfast fresh. I would much rather have that than packaged cookies! I love France!

I finally found my way to a computer! My family is great! Their last name is Cariot. The father is Gérard and the mother is Nicole. They have 3 kids, 2 of which are still at home, Julie and Sébastien. Gérard is a representative for a floral supply company and travels during the week. They live in a large, beautiful home 6 km outside of Lyon. I will take a bus and the subway to get to seminars.

I am sleeping extremely poorly-worse than usual. 2 hours per night or so. Gotta fix that or I'll be sick!

We're leaving for a tour now...

Crepes avec Joelle

Saturday night I met friend Joelle Lafaurie for dinner. We went to the St. Andre des Arts area to a creperie called St. Germain. I had a leek and goat cheese crepe and a raspberry one for dessert. Good cider, too, from La Rance in Bretagne. See pic below. After dinner Joelle and I walked along the Seine for about an hour. We saw the Eiffel Tower doing its little "twinkle show". It sparkles in the evening on the hour for ten minutes. Kind of Christmasy and kind of Disneyesque. I think it is supposed to make people love the tower and Paris, but I love them both without the sparkles.

The weather is strangely cool; I'm wearing a scarf and sweater. In a couple of hours I take the TGV (high speed train) to Lyon to meet my colleagues and family. Exciting!

I love practicing my French. I've got a list of new words that I'll build throughout my stay. I want to be good!

IN FRANCE!!!!!

I made it without too much trouble on the flights and then schlepped my affairs to the hotel. In less than an hour I enjoyed my first salade de chèvre chaud and Perrier at Café la Consigne on rue de Lyon in the 12e arrondissement (See pic below). I am in an Internet café near Place de la Bastille, where I am strolling around until meeting Joelle for dinner. I'm beat, but happy to be in Paris. Hooray! And I think now I'll go find another dose of espresso!

Departure

Friday morning, July 6, I will fly from Cedar Rapids via Chicago and London to Paris. Lots of stops, but the only way I could figure it out for the money...I'll write from the other side of the pond.