Ain’t it amazing? Who would think that Rick could call me on his cell phone from the top of the Great Wall of China? He did. Huffing and puffing as he made the climb. I stand in awe of technology. Hopefully pics to follow once he gets home. And I am SO ready for that!
Note pics just added that were sent from his phone!

While Rick was in Tiananmen Square in Beijing watching a somewhat “friendly” protest, I was in my backyard viewing the first firefly sighting of the season. Just a few faint ones, but still, there they were. The frogs were also busy singing tonight around dusk. The low pitched altos and the baby sopranos gave a lovely concert. I have never lived anywhere else that I can have both fireflies and frog song. I can’t begin to tell you how happy they both make me. Plus, there was also a bat swooping around eating insects. Granted, there was only one where we used to have at least six or seven, but due to some kind of mold (which I can’t remember what it was exactly) our bat population has died off over the past several years. I hope they are making a comeback.

Speaking of coming back, I will be glad when my husband is home once again!

Mt. Fuji through the haze as seen by Rick two days ago. Photo by Rick.

I am sure you are scratching your heads about my title. Right now Rick is in Japan. His night is my day and vice versa. When he calls me upon rising on his morning, my night is just beginning.  A bit strange. Right now he is already starting my tomorrow. He is eating sashimi and I am eating leftovers.

I should know by now that buying frozen food I am not going to like it. Yet again, while in Trader Joe’s yesterday I bought a frozen chile relleno thinking it sounded good. For 45 minutes my would-be dinner cooked in the oven. Cutting into the chewy, too-old poblano chile, I knew before it reached my mouth that I was not going to like it. Ugh. In the trash it went. I ended up warming up pasta and homemade sauce that I made last night. I hate eating on my own! Maybe it has to do with being super picky about what I eat. But I refuse to eat things that don’t taste good. It’s just not worth it!

The dogs and I went for a walk after dinner tonight. Today was quite warm here, around 80F and sunny. The past few days have been rainy and the dogs have not been able to even get out and do their normal thing. Yesterday while it was raining heavily Bella went to the door and woofed. I opened the door, she peered out and sniffed, then turned to look at me like WTF? Sorry, kiddo. I can’t change the weather. Here are Alex and Hailey chilling out from their walk. I love Alex’s “frog-dog” position.

Anyway, sitting out on the deck while the dogs cooled down from their walk was very pleasant. The cool but humid air and the peepers singing their froggy song from the woods washed over me like a calming balm. So soothing. Puffy clouds scudded by in the sky vying for space with the moon that looks like a pie sliced in half.

My eyes scanned the yard for fireflies, but as yet, none in sight. Since everything else this year is two weeks ahead of schedule I was hoping that they would show up early. Too soon, I guess.

All too soon it was dark and time to come in. Here is the moon just before I came in.

Sometimes it’s hard to imagine my husband nearly half a world away in the daylight.

P.S. More to come on our trip but I am thinking everyone is getting bored by now of more photos ...

Tunnel under Vieux Lyon

Visiting a “foreign” country is a little like Alice going down the rabbit hole. When you emerge on the other side your world is turned upside down. Things no longer look like what you normally see. People behave differently and speak another language. It takes a little while to assimilate, but it’s well worth it.

This is what I saw from our hotel room window:

Our hotel was in the heart of Vieux (old) Lyon. A little on the quirky side, but very nice. At one time it was an old school, hence the name le Collège and the dormitory/school theme throughout. I thought the chairs on the outside of the building were whimsical.

The rooms were kind of sparse and all in white. Our closet was a locker. Every morning the linens were changed—all crisp and wonderfully fresh smelling. The hotel did not have a restaurant, only a breakfast room, but since so many restaurants were within a short walking distance it was not a problem. A continental breakfast awaited us each morning, complete with freshly squeezed orange juice, meat, cheese,  yogurt, and a variety of breads. I have to admit I was happy not to see beans, mushrooms and tomatoes offered which was part of our Irish breakfasts.

Painting in the reception area.

Lyon doesn’t really get the credit it is due. It’s always Paris, Paris, Paris! Lyon lies at the confluence of two mighty rivers: the Rhône and the Saône. The older part of the city being on the west side of the Saône, and la Presqu’île (almost an island), home to the best shopping streets, lies between the two rivers, and the newer parts of the city lie east of the Rhône. Quite a beautiful setting!

There are many beautiful forms of architecture. And you know me: I’m a doorway-and-window kind of girl.

Looking up at the ceilings of balconies.

The streets are narrow and cobblestoned.

The view from a little way up a montée, but more on montées in a another post! (Montées or rises consist of winding flights of steps and steeply sloping streets.)

to be continued ...

P.S. You can see an example of a montée in the second to last photo.

I am home. Sans baggage (my suitcase decided to take a Swiss Air flight home instead of the one we were on); but home.

Coming home after ten days away is a little unsettling. You have to jump back into to all your old routines, the ones that you totally abandoned while gone. Like cooking for yourself and cleaning up afterwards. Taking care of the dogs and cats. Speaking English again while my head is still whirling with long forgotten French words and phrases. It will take a few days to recalibrate I think. My body is here but my brain is in France.

As I type this entry I have started the long process of transferring the 500-odd photos I took from Rick’s laptop to my computer. Don’t worry, I won’t bore you with all 500+ of them! So, photos are coming.

Can anyone tell me why after eating more than I normally do and lots and lots of bread that I actually lost the last two stubborn pounds I could not get off before I left? I could not believe my eyes this morning when I stepped on the scale!

Rick and I both reconnected with the French people and France itself in a big way. We did not feel foreign at all. As we found our old house and the medieval village where we used to live and finding some things changed but most things not, it was very bittersweet. Also reconnecting with friends Greg and Danièle who we had not seen since they had a short working stint in the U. S. in 1996 was wonderful. Maybe even a plan down the road to meet them in Normandy and share a vacation.

Our French came back quickly, which was a good thing. In fact, I think it was even better than when we had lived there! We tried to do everything in French, but at times it was easier to switch to English when it was obvious they were just as comfortable speaking English with us once we had started in French. Restaurant speak and little daily things are easy. The things we can’t do are banter back and forth, tease and joke; all of which are part of the way the French communicate with each other. But it felt good to be understood and to also understand and even translate for the the guys that were there for the training from other countries. Sometimes my French was too good and the answer to the question I had asked came rushing forth in a torrent of French far too fast and complicated for my brain to take in. It felt good and very satisfying.

France is very special. I get it; it gets me. I could live there (again). There is just something about it that’s hard to explain, but it has to do with the people themselves and what is important to them, the way they live, their connection to the food that nourishes them, the beautiful countryside and more that all work together to form a very pleasing whole.

I mean, really. Where else could you go to have a 7 course four-and-a-half hour Sunday lunch of absolutely wonderful food looking out on the beautiful Rhône river amongst the vineyards of the Côte-Rôtie?

More to follow ...