The weather was a tad unfamiliar though. It was chilly and sombre =( Hardly anyone was at Fourvière that day, contrary to last summer, where tourists came in troves.
left: one year ago on the stone barrier overlooking Lyon
right: the same piece of graffiti (weathered) one year later
left: The Notre Dame Cathedral partially concealed by the bare branches of the trees but still splendid as ever.
right: Andi leaving his note of 2007
The cold was getting increasingly unbearable so we decided to head down to Le Musée de Beaux Arts to check out the exhibitions of the Biennale, which were pretty interesting.
Next stop was lunch at Marie-France's!! Oh man I was delighted to see her again as she was to see us =) I will always remember her as one of the most dedicated profs I've had who has a genuine passion for teaching. On Mark's birthday last summer, she even baked a cake for him and brought aperitifs for us to celebrate the occasion in class. Just adore her man!
Anyway, she prepared a full 3 (actually 4) course-lunch for us which was absolutely délicieux! We had it in typical french style - prolonged (i think it lasted from 2 to 5!) with lots of conversation in between.
left: Marie-France showing us this book that she wrote for her little niece which she intends to get published. The poesy was beautifully composed!
right: Her love for figurines of pigs which are everywhere in her house haha
What's a reunion without photos?
left: us in a pose made famous by Marie-France when she was singing La Marseillaise (French National Anthem) in class hehe
The last event of the day was watching France vs England at Place Bellecour with thousands of French. To be part of the boisterous crowd united behind their country in the name of rugby patriotically brandishing their flags, chanting 'Allez les Bleus' (go Blues!) every few seconds, was an incredible experience.
Sad to say, Johnny Wilkinson decided to pull up his socks that day and France was kicked out! Was rather disappointing cos we'd wanted to experience a celebratory atmosphere if France were to win.
Lyon by night =)
When we reached Andi's host's place, it was already past midnight and she was already sleeping. What really touched us was a note that she left for us telling us to finish the whole platter of food she had saved for us from her party in the afternoon cos she knew we didn't have a proper dinner before rushing to catch the match. What a thoughtful gesture!
We gobbled this up in a matter of minutes =D
No comments:
Post a Comment