Bienvenue en France!
Well that was a busy 24 hours!
When I booked my airline ticket, I preselected an emergency row window seat to get that extra legroom on a 6+ hour flight. Little did I know that for the overwing emergency exits on a 777, there are no windows! I had tons of legroom, much more than I anticipated or needed, but no view of the outside world. It reminded me of my flying days in the back of the Aurora, in the ‘tube’ as it is known, where the real tactical action happens but there are no windows. However, there was no action happening on this flight. Just me staring at the bulkhead. I didn't realize until well into the flight that the entertainment system was available by flipping it up from the well hidden space between the front of the seats. It never did see the light of day and besides, I was content with the music on my phone.
Customs was a breeze. A scan of my passport and a thorough look at my Covid vaccination papers was all it took to let me into the country. One hurtle completed. My chrysalis-like, plastic-wrapped backpack was waiting for me at baggage so I headed in the direction of the train station with all my worldy possessions for the next several weeks comfortably strapped to my back.
Amid what appeared to be organized chaos in the train station, I stumbled across a Covid antigen rapid test site. They could not help me with the government QR code that would cover me for my entire visit but after telling me that my Canadian test was not acceptable, I gave them 20 euros they gave me a test that would cover me for 72 hours. Passed again so I was good to go.
After a 2+ hour wait, I boarded the TGV and headed to Lyon - at 245 kph! Loved it. Arrival in Lyon was followed by a 15 minute walk to my hotel on one of the hottest days of the year (32C). A premonition of what's to come once we're on the trail.
It was great to have this opportunity to wash the stink off. Not Pilgrim stink that is normally earned by hiking 25-30 km, over changing elevations, carrying about 20 pounds on your back, in unrelenting heat. No, this was traveler’s stink brought on by 24 hours of sitting on your butt in some mode of transportation that is typically too hot and uncomfortable, with a couple of quick bursts of frantic energy thrown in to avoid missing a connection. Unearned stink. I'll take the righteous Pilgrim stink any day.
I killed a few hours wandering the streets of Lyon, finding myself along the Rhône amongst a busy Saturday evening crowd and making my way back to the hotel through narrow side streets with a wide variety of ethnicities. Although it was very interesting, I found myself anxiously yearning for the peace and tranquility that is only a couple of days away. I'm not a city person. Great place for a short visit, but not my cup of tea. A café in a small village suits me just fine.
Dan arrived late this evening with his own stories of adventure from his travels. After being told he could not board his flight from Seattle to Heathrow because he did not have a valid Covid test (the results had not yet arrived), he was in the middle of a phone call seconds away from cancelling his flight when the email finally came in. This then became one of those quick bursts of frantic energy mentioned earlier as he rushed through security managing to beat the clock and ended up being the last person to board the aircraft. The Camino provides.
We depart for Le Puy-en-Velay, our start point, tomorrow morning. My last couple of posts have been unusually verbose for me. That's because I've had plenty of time to ponder and scribe. Don't worry. I fully expect them to shortly be significantly cut back. I don't want to bore you with my drivel. À demain!
