From Marseille to Lyon

May 8th is Victory day in France, so the evening of the 7th I went out on my terrace to find the Prefecture building across the square decorated in SO MANY French flags.  A beautiful, if somber, view for my final evening.

 

The next day, I went out for breakfast to a Tunisian treat shop near the library that Rachel used when she was a student here, and the young man who waited on me was delighted to talk about Boston, as he'd spent two years at school there.  When I asked him what he recommended, he told me the name of this thing, which I will not attempt to romanize and spell (Ftayer?  Ftayedg?  Thtaredg?  See? I said I wouldn't and I did and now I feel deranged), and which he gestured around to point out that basically everyone else was consuming.  

Admittedly that is small coffee cup, bit it's not that small, this thing was gigantic.

Thankfully it was also mostly air, and it was SO GOOD.  Piping hot, crispy and chewy and delicious.

10/10.  I'll be back for more, and since the place has been there since the 80s, I think I'm safe to plan on it.

Next I went to the train station and dropped off my bags at luggage storage so I could take a walk to a park near the train station that Rachel had recommended.  I'd made myself a sandwich with the remainders of my snack foods from the airbnb, and it was nice to get out and stretch my legs before the train ride to Lyon.

While at the station I snapped another couple of pictures of the view leaving the station -- It still doesn't do Marseille justice.  You really need to visit.

I went to a gorgeous park from the Napoleonic era that Rachel had recommended for lunch, and then boarded my TGV to Lyon.

A couple of hours later, I was in a city that -- now that I live in Pittsburgh -- feels especially homelike in some ways, because of the severe elevation changes and ways in which the rivers define the city center.

My new Airbnb where I'd be spending the week was directly across from an excellent bike/footbridge.

And the view from my balcony wasn't half bad, if I do say so myself.

I spent the weekend in Lyon dancing at a small Fusion event weekend that I'd learned about very last-minute from a friend, and it was a lovely time.