The journey begins...

Hello everyone!

I started my “European adventure” about five days ago, although it seems much longer already. I’d forgotten how tiring travelling can be, as so many simple tasks seem to be much more complicated in a foreign location.  I’ve had my share of ups and downs already, at the very beginning of this adventure of indeterminate duration – likely four to six months if my finances and my energy hold out. 

My choice to temporarily pack up my life for adventures “on the road” has seemed crazy on more than one occasion, both before I left and also during some of the stressful moments here. Surrounded by noisy Australian and British roommates in a Paris hostel, I wondered if I wasn’t too old for this type of travel.  Yet I’ve also experienced deep relief and satisfaction from numerous small encounters and minor accomplishments. I’ve had to spend quite a bit of time finding a solution to small problems, from the fact that my “universal” electrical converter doesn’t work with my laptop charger, to understanding European technology in bathrooms and on public transit. I expect that some of my logistic challenges will smooth out as I resolve technical issues, but I know the continual appearance of new challenges is part of what makes travelling so challenging –and rewarding!

I’ve had a number of lovely surprises. For one, my experience of Paris was an improvement on my stay there back in 1997 (!); the metros were less smelly than I remembered and people seemed happy to speak to me in French, rather than switching to English. Despite my strong accent, my intervening language-learning efforts have paid off, I suppose. Someone even asked if I was from Quebec, which I took as a complement, given my mangled accent.  As much as I found the tourist crowds at popular sites in Paris rather overwhelming, I do think it seems like a very liveable city: human-scaled, with well-organized transit, and many attractive public spaces. I also think it’d be a great place to vacation again if/when I have an unlimited budget!

 I realized that some stereotypes do have a strong basis in reality – French people really do frequently walk around carrying baguettes!  And so far, I’ve found only three items that are cheaper here than back in Canada – but they’re fantastic items. Wine, fair-trade chocolate, and even better: cheese. I almost fell over when I saw the prices in the cheese section in a supermarket – less than one-third of what I’d find at home. I’ve also appreciated how helpful many French people have been, whether offering patient explanations in technology stores, offering directions, and my favourite, the kind man who offered me his seat when I was hauling my big backpack from the airport after arriving in Paris.

Now that I’ve arrived in Lyon, in south-central France, I’ve felt like my travels have followed more of the pathways I’d envisioned. I experienced an excellent guided tour today, through ruins of a Roman theatre and “traboules”, hidden passageways in the medieval section of Lyon. More to come on Lyon’s history and status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site… I have some more exploring to do!