Thanksgiving in Lyon

Hello Reader.

It is called 'Les Marmottes,' which is a small, gopher-like animal who has nothing to do with cheese. The restaurant, on the other hand, leaves an inescapable aroma of cheese on the clothes of every guest. After playing Mario Kart for a while and then cleaning up Johanna's house, went to meet Jojo and her sister, Tamara, near the restaurant. Tamara had also invited two of her friends, Stefan, from Barcelona, a musician who was more comfortable speaking with me in Spanish, and Romain, a theater student, who invited me to go on a twelve day hike around Mont Blanc in July. After walking a few unnecessary blocks to the restaurant, we met Christophe, an avid reader, and recently became a fan of opera. Are you taking notes? Later there will be a quiz on everyone I have met.

The wine and the salad course came. Then the tartiflette (potato, ham, and cheese), fondue, and, if you still had room, raclette (this was traditional style raclette where a large half-moon of cheese was heated then scraped periodically onto potatos and meat). At the end of any meal, whether you are full or not, there is always an option for chocolate. I had yogurt with a chestnut topping, a regional dessert. The conversation flowed about music, traveling, differences between America and Europe. After three hours of eating and talking, I was sad to leave. I wish I had talked more to Christophe, but we sat on opposite sides of the table. Actually, I wish I had time to talk more with everyone.

On the subway platform I found a Heinekein can and emptied it, the five of us kicked it as we walked, like a child might. Such a simple and stupid thing to mention, but I will remember it, I think, for a long time.

The following day, I bought a cheap train ticket to Montpellier, my next destination, and headed to the Musee des Beaux Arts (museum of fine arts). There was a lot of artifacts and relics from Egypt and Rome (of course) and some really nice paintings of which I was allowed to take pictures. Eric and I talked alot, which he said he enjoyed because it is rare that he has the chance to speak English. We went to a book store so I could buy a book, (I finished the book of funny travel stories that Monica and Katrin gave me.) Then went to meet Tamara at a store simular to Best Buy. Home. Unsuccessful Couchsurfing. Bar.

The bar we went to that night was called The Smoking Dog. I met Vincent, another friend of Jojo's, who was a learner of languages and seemed very nice. Stefan was there as well, and was most entertaining when tipsy. Books and people lined the walls and the smell of smoke filled my nostrals as we made our way to the back room. Then we ordered our first two 'girafes' and proceeded to self-intoxicate. I made a run for Kebap with Eric and learned a new drinking game using dice. There was no real winner (or loser), as in any drinking game. There was also a Madrid vs. Lyon soccer game going on, and I cheered at the appropriate parts. Tamara suprised me with a gift: the first Harry Potter book. I was very appriciative.

We got home and Johanna, who sometimes hums songs to see if she can get the song stuck in other people's heads, had a chocolate craving... again. She cut up fruit and melted the chocolate and Eric, Tamara, Jojo, and I had chocolate fondue at one o'clock in the morning. It was spotaneous and unforgettable. We laughed about our chance meeting and played Mario Kart until two-thirty, when I read the first chapter of Harry Potter before falling asleep.

The next morning was relaxed. We hung out and waited for Johanna to come home from work at one. When she did, we tried to put the Garden State soundtrack on my mp3 player. I plugged in the USB to her Macintosh iBook. It immidiately erased one thousand songs from my Rio. Every last song... gone. Gone. There was nothing.

Good thing I bought books.

It is now Thanksgiving Day. A day for family togetherness and feasts. I am down to my last cliffbar that Cody gave me. Chocolate Fudge Brownie. Maybe I'll split it with someone I meet on the train.

I realize I may not be geographically close to my friends and family, but I couldn't feel closer to the strangers I have met in in Germany, Switzerland, and now France. They are sad to see me leave and made me promise to try and come back again. My family would be making toasts and fililng up their stomachs with abundant amounts of turkey and stuffing. My friends would be warmly embracing their own families and giving thanks to everything they hold dear.

As Johanna hugged me and kissed me goodbye, I sat down to a simple plate of pasta and pesto with Tamara and Eric. I smiled and thought to myself:

'This can be my family, even if it's just for today. And THEY are what I am thankful for.'






I will repost with pictures when I can.

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