In the last two days of travels from Portsmouth to Chaponost our modes of travel were...
1. Walk
2. Ferry
3. Bus
4. Train
5. Tour Bus
6. Train
7. Taxi
8. Taxi
9. Train
10. Van
It all went like clockwork too.
We only had a couple hours in London in the middle of the day yesterday so we took a bus tour there (#5 above). It was cold and windy - a good London October day. We had two tour bus guides. The first was informative. The second was funny. But we didn't find the bus with the guide who is both informative and funny. Regardless it was a great way to spend a short time in London and we hit all the highlights, albeit very briefly. After that we got back on British Rail and headed out to Ashford in Kent. We ate a fantastic pub dinner at The Blacksmith's Arms. 
We stayed in The Warren Cottage -- very nice, even if it was built hundreds of years ago for very tiny people. The rooms and beds were very comfortable.
Which brings us to today. Back to the Ashford Rail station and onto the Eurostar bound for Lille, through the channel tunnel (chunnel). Back in the states a couple weeks ago I rented the movie Mission Impossible because at the end a helicopter flies into the chunnel chained to the back off a moving train. Tom Cruise jumps from the train to the helicopter, blows it up, which sends him flying back to the train again. I told the kids, "that's where we're going." So they were pretty excited. But nothing like that happened on our trip. The tunnel is dark but it wasn't spooky at all and I never once thought of the bazillion gallons of water just overhead. We were out on the French side in about 20 minutes.
After switching trains in Lille the trip to Lyon went pretty quickly. My cousin Kris met us at the Lyon train station and we drove first to visit some 2000-year-old Roman aqueducts,
and then to her family's home in Chaponost. It is so beautiful! We are all excited to spend time here and so thankful to be able to share this wonderful place.
3 comments:
Rachel again,
sounds like a lot of traveling! i would SO rather be there, though. i hope you're having a good trip! you can tell us what we should do when my family goes to england in the spring. what's the best part so far?
see you soon!
Rach
OOOh! The scenery looks loverly! I also think Susan looks very youthful, and Jacob looks very big compared to that covered-wagon bed. Any yarn shoppes there in Lyon?
Scott here...
It's a cool but sunny Saturday morning here in the good ol' US of A. I would rather be drinking red wine and eating coq au vin than raking leaves and cleaning gutters, but we all hope you're enjoying the French countryside and having lots of fun with Kris, Yanick, Taina and Yasmine.
Please keep updating the blog when you have the opportunity -- it's great to see the pictures and read the clever yet insightful commentary.
The Minnesota Wild are the top team in the NHL. Red Sox play Colorado in Game 3 tonight.
Love, Scott
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