In Review: Strasbourg, Lyon, and Grenoble

Jeudi, 26 juin.

Remember how I told you I was keeping a diary? Well, it's not QUITE a diary. Seeing as it consists mostly of pasted-in tickets and lists of the places I've been, I'd say it's more like a cross between an improvised scrapbook and a giant to-do list.

But every now and then I wax a little poetic...

Me. Sitting in layover limbo at the Gare de Valence TGV. 

Wearing dirty Keds that weren't meant for all the explorations they have been through. Jeans, rolled up in a failed attempt to look like a casual French teenager. 

People-watching. Watching a guy eat a sandwich, then a slice of quiche, then a muffin. Chocolate with chocolate chips. (He can't be French!) The couple across from me has two suitcases and a German Shepherd, whose lunch is currently spread across the station floor. My lunch's remains have been contained to my lap. 

Carrying one black suitcase, stuffed to the brim with things that never look like they should take up as much space as they -- inevitably -- do. One backpack, usually filled with books and paperwork. Today carrying a beach towel and a baseball cap that I'll be glad for in La Ciotat. (Even if people will say, she can't be French!) One purse that has been everywhere, carried everything from groceries to textbooks to a 21st birthday cake, and will be hard to leave behind, despite the holes and worn patches. 

For once, I'm not sweating. But I know that it's only a matter of time. Still, for now, the Gare de Valence TGV is not a bad place to be.

So goes my diary entry for Day #17 in France. That's right, today is already DAY SEVENTEEN. Can you believe it? Since leaving Paris over a week ago, I've already made stops in three different cities. And that doesn't even include the towns I've popped into on my various day trips! (Shoutout to you, Sélestat and Rothau. I enjoyed waiting around outside your train stations.)

I know I haven't been the best about uploading blog posts on a reliable schedule, so in review, here's a look at what I've done over the past three cities:

   -- A Sunset Stroll through Strasbourg (le 16 juin)

   -- Hello There, Haut Koenigsbourg! (le 17 juin)

   -- Museum Tour: Struthof (le 18 juin)
   -- On Top of the World in Strasbourg (le 19 juin)
   -- Sunshine and Surprises in Pérouges (le 21 juin)
   -- Museum Tour: Centre d'Histoire de la Résistance et de la Déportation (le 22 juin)
   -- Museum Tour: Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation de l'Isere (le 25 juin)
   -- A Bird's-Eye View of Grenoble (le 26 juin)

So what happens now? Well, the next stop on my research schedule is Bordeaux and given the way the trains run, it's easier to go south, west, and back up north than just to cut across the center of the country!

So I figured ... why not take a few days off and have some fun while I'm at it? I'm first heading to La Ciotat to meet up with Marika, who is spending her summer in Aix-en-Provence. We're going to spend a day beaching and boating; then she'll head back to Aix and I'll continue to Montpellier. I'm staying with Molly in Montpellier until Monday, when I'll get back on the road (well, the train track) and head on to Bordeaux!

In Review: Paris, Part One

Lundi, 16 juin.

Wow ... can you believe that I've already been out of the States for a full week? Because I CAN. After walking around Paris almost nonstop for the last six days, it sort of feels like I've been living in this exhausting city for months. What's more, I'm starting to develop a look of permanent displeasure when looking at everything from tourists to metro times. (How very Parisian of me, right?) Although I've definitely experienced some of the less attractive parts of city life here, I feel incredibly blessed to have been given so many amazing opportunities!

It will be hard to leave this gorgeous place, especially after such a lovely morning of exploring and pastry-eating. But I'm excited to move on, because I know that there are bigger and better things to come. And luckily, there's no need to say adieu to Paris just yet, as I'll be coming back for just under two weeks at the end of my trip!

In case you missed any, here are all the posts I wrote during my week in Paris:

   -- Je suis arrivée! (le 10 juin)
   -- Museum Tour: le Mémorial du maréchal Leclerc de Hauteclocque et de la
       Libération de Paris AND le Musée Jean Moulin (le 11 juin)
   -- A Day of Why Nots (le 12 juin)
   -- Museum Tour: le Musée de l'Armée (le 12 juin)
   -- A Home away from Home in Auteuil (le 13 juin)
   -- Playing Tourist in Paris-Centre (le 13 juin)
   -- Museum Tour: "Paris Libéré" Exposition at the Musée Carnavalet (le 13 juin)
   -- A Day in Le Marais (le 14 juin)
   -- A Seriously "Inspiring" Photoshoot on the Seine (le 15 juin)

(Please note that a few of these posts -- namely museum tours -- are still arriving on the site. I did not have great computer access for a while, so I'm doing my best to catch up.)

Au revoir, Paris. Next stop? Strasbourg!