"bagels!?" "bagels?" "bagels!!"

It’s been a long time. And the longer I wait, the more happens.
[This is the point where my spelling, vocabulary, and English construction is really going to hell sorry in advance]

Last weekend we went to Lyon for the Fetes des Lumieres. The basic translation would be “there are now lights flashing and skimming all over buildings all over town. If you’re a local, get out now to avoid the chaos of touristic pilgrimage and chance of epileptic seizures while sitting in your living room.”

The rumor is it’s the best in France, all the lights in Lyon. There were a few sights where it was just obscene (in a good way). Complete faces of churches were lit up with every detail of architecture being a different color. Although it was terribly well done, so, there’s really nothing sacrilegious about all that? God’s Rainbow House. Interesting concept.
The more cultural experience may have happened in Kassie and my hotel room however. Apparently, here they’re real into saving the environment, great, good for them, however, in their enthusiasm, they forget to tell the stupid, earth killing Americans how to turn on the lights.

This was a swanky hotel and it had key cards to get into the room. So, Kassie and I go in and there is not switch to be found that actually illuminates the lights. We couldn’t figure out what was going on so we were on our way back down to the front desk. Fortunately, for our own self-respect, we met some other girls in the group on their way up and they gave us the memo that, in order to turn on the lights, one has to leave the key in that mysterious slot on the wall that previously seemed to serve no purpose. We headed back up to our room. We put the key in the slot. Let there be light! How happy we were. So we took the key and put it on our bedside table where we wouldn’t forget it. 3 minutes. Lights out. A little mysterious but whatever, Kassie just went and put it in again. Took it out and threw it on the table. 2 minutes. Black. At this point we were laughing hysterically and calling “not it” for inserting the key every 30 seconds for the next 2 days. Its took us 2 more insertion and removals accompanied by some rolling on the floor laughing to realize that one has to leave the key in the slot. Wowwwwww.

That night we went out to pound the pavement of Lyon, which was better because the weather was mercifully warm. The lights were pretty, blah blah, in other news we found BAGELS! and cream cheese!! And coffee that’s bigger than a shot – not much but a little!! (I couldn’t even finish it. The coffee consumption part of my brain is no longer accustomed to such luxury). We’re not the Americans in France who head to the first McDonalds. But bagels!? Take advantage. Later, we got stuck in such a mass of humanity it was unreal. We were looking for the entrance to this courtyard which was supposed to be amazing and we were among thousands of people and still looking when suddenly the crowd started to move all in the same direction - well I guess we found the entrance. We were literally carried in the direction. And then halfway up a flight of stairs, it stopped. If one had been able to physically reverse their position, turning around would have given the view of just how many effing people were in not enough space.

The distant "don't walk" signal is a direct indication of our current state at that time.

Back in good ole Dijon, I met the baseball and softball teams the other night and got a hat for my dad for Christmas. It’s. awesome. It’s good that the phone wasn’t working because I was going to call immediately and leave a message about its awesomeness.
Although yesterday when I sent my presents in the mail, customs demands that you write on a sticker (that is promptly stuck right on the face of the package) the contents. Maybe the French will throw them off a little. But un CD? Wow. Yeah that’s really cryptic.
Also, one can become well educated on Dijon by wrapping presents in Le Bien Public (daily paper). Bet you didn’t know that the Dijon Cheerleading squad (les pom-pom girls – yeah, anglicisms) just won the French National Title.
Hooray for almost Xmas break. Although it’s sad because a lot of people are leaving who were here only for the first semester. Kassie is going to be alone for a while between when Julie leaves and the new student (Helga from Norway?) comes in February. Oh Julie, how we will miss thee.
This week is also the final part of the project that I’m doing with the English students. It’s going to be a Maine filled (I knew I brought my flag for some reason. 5x7 feet of culture), Yankee bashing extravaganza. Good times.

To later.