I see London, I see France...

As I left the SeaTac airport I thought, "This is the last time I will set foot on American soil for five months." The thought was exciting and weird at the same time.  My flight over was pretty good, except for not being able to sleep.  When I first tried to go to sleep, I awoke to the commotion of an Indian man who had passed out I think. He was barely conscious, but after he laid on the floor for awhile, he was all better.  Then a group of English people decided to have a nice loud conversation as everybody around them was trying to sleep. A steward told them to be quiet and they seemed amazed that they were being loud. Note to self, earplugs don't work, definitely look into buying noise-cancelling headphones for return trip.

As the hours clicked by, the harder it was to fall asleep because I knew that I would be getting less sleep. I finally was able to fall asleep, and when I awoke to the crackle bags being opened, and a nice bright light from a person who decided to open their shutter, I found out that I had only been asleep for an hour.  So, I woke up at 9 Thursday and am still going strong off an hour of sleep. It's 1 PM back home, but 9 here, so I may just be able to fall right into line, no jet lag (probably not).

London Heathrow airpot is the weirdest that I have ever been in. They have a strange way of assigning gates/boarding people and I don't think that being on time is something that they are really focused on.  The plane ride to Lyon was short. A cool moment came when I was able to see the French coastline as we were flying over the channel. That is when it hit me that I was actually doing it, I was actually going to France. It still doesn't seem to have sunk in, probably because I am tired.

As I got off the plane, onto French soil, and picked up my bag (which made it in one piece), I had a feeling I have never felt before. When you are in a foreign country and don't really know what you are doing or how to do it, and are there by yourself; it is one of the most alone feelings in the world.

Luckily, I was able to figure out the Lyon train system and was on my way to the hostel.  Luck for me, the hostel I am staying at is located at the top of a hill. I had the great oppurtunity to hike up it with my 50 lbs suitcase and probably 30 lbs backpack.  But, the view of Lyon was absolutely gorgeous from that hike. I am staying in a place called "Vieux Lyon" or Old Lyon, and the streets are littered with old architecture, including an old cathedral. I can see the river and there is also a giant lit up ferris wheel that I can see directly out my window. The scenery is gorgeous, but the only thing I want to do right now is take a shower and go to bed. I just need a towel...