The First Day!

This morning I woke up on a plane, which landed at 5 am in my new time zone. Honestly the food on the plane was pretty good, we had pasta, rice, cheese, bread, and a brownie for dinner and bread, a muffin, and orange juice for breakfast.

When I landed I got through the boarder police fairly quickly. I was wearing a Pitt Panthers sweatshirt and some people stopped me in line to talk about the states and ask about my travels. It was nice to talk to some people and get new perspectives.

I went to claim my bag (which was supposed to land in Paris with me, according to my Delta agent). However, it did not show. I can't say I was particularly surprised, just because of the layovers and my luck thus far. I went to the baggage claim help and they found that my bag was currently flying to Paris, and they could get in to Lyon soon. Not ideal, but definitely could be worse. (note from future Maggie: my bag did not arrive today, but should tomorrow)

I went to the train station outside of the airport and bought my ticket for Lyon. I was a little lost finding everything, but every stranger I talked to was surprisingly nice and helpful. I got a window seat on the train and it left shortly after I got on. It was fun to see the countryside of France- a lot of the mountainous areas look similar to West Virginia and it made me feel at home. I napped a little on the train, and after 2 hours we arrived in Lyon.

From here, I bought a Tram ticket to my campus. While navigating public transportation, I will say it was nice to not have luggage. I got to INSA Lyon and was greeted by one of the heads of the program. She took me to the dining hall to pick up a "picnic" that consisted of a sandwich, an apple, some applesauce, and some chips. She then led me to my dorm and gave me the run down of the room. My roommate, Andrea, was out at the moment, but was supposed to come back and get me before class.

Shortly after my instructor left, I started to feel pretty sick. I think the combination of no sleep, not great food, and crazy stress finally caught up with me. We were supposed to go on a walking tour of a part of Lyon, and today was the hottest day yet this year. If you know me, you know how dangerous this combination can be for me (unfortunately this isn't the first time I've been in France on an especially hot day walking around while not having eaten as much as I should've.) I texted my instructor and asked if I could stay behind and rest, and luckily she agreed. I napped for a couple hours, and woke up to a phone call saying that if I left now, I could still come with them to Vieux Lyon (Old Lyon). So I jumped out of bed and went to the Tram to meet them.

I met a bunch of my classmates when I hopped on the Tram. There is only 20 of us, so I expect to be pretty close. They all knew who I was, since I was arriving late, and they asked about my days of travel and sympathized. A few other Americans were affected by the JFK delays and had missed luggage, so at least I wasn't alone. I felt a bit like a celebrity though, everyone knowing my name and asking me questions. Everyone is super nice!!

From the Tram we transferred to the train, and made it to Vieux Lyon. Some history for you: Lyon is the oldest city in France, being the original capital of the Gauls. The old part of the city is built on a hillside, as a lot of ancient cities are to have higher ground. We took a bus(?) that was almost exactly like the inclines in Pittsburgh to the top of the city. We saw the Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourvière, and learned all about its history. It was created to thank the Virgin Mary for protecting the city during a Prussian Invasion during the 1870s. It was never finished because the war ended, and so did the donation funding. The inside is stunning, decorated from floor to ceiling in mosaics and gold leafing.

We also visited an overlook where you could see the entire city, and learned about the different areas of Lyon. There is only two skyscrapers, and a third being built. For being the third largest in France, I assumed there would be more.

Then we walked down a hill (that rivaled cardiac hill at Pitt) and came to an overlook that looks over an ancient Roman theater and ampitheater. One was built in 10 A.D. and one was built in 10 B.C.. It's hard to believe structures of that age are still standing. After being discovered by a local man creating a garden, these spaces were excavated and now are used for festivals and shows. We walked down to a breathtaking garden, and learned that it is the path that pilgrims walk when visiting the Basilica. Everything here seems to have such an important meaning.

top left: the Basilica, top right: the garden, bottom left: view of Vieux Lyon, bottom right: a pretty building we walked by

After the garden we walked down what felt like 1,000,000 steps (I think someone counted and it was like 200) and parted ways with our tour guide. The group split up to explore more of Vieux Lyon. My group decided to go to a pub for dinner and drinks. We stopped at the first place we found, and it happened to be happy hour. We found out after ordering drinks that they weren't serving food, so a few of the girls and I went to a burger place. I got chicken nuggets. I am sure you all are shocked by that. We sat outside of the pub for a few hours and got to know each other. Most of the other students are super fun and I think we're going to have a really good time. Around 9 pm we decided to head back, and everyone went to the bar on campus. I had to unpack my carry on and rest, so I went back to my apartment. I called some friends and my parents to catch them up on my first day.

top left: setting up for a festival, top right: the ancient Roman theater and amphitheater, bottom left: ,y chicken nuggets, bottom right: the view from a bridge we walked across

Overall, today was a crazy long, but overall rewarding day. Tomorrow I start my first day of classes!

À plus tard,

Maggie

(written May 18)