For Easter Weekend, Jordan and I took a mini adventure to the French city of Lyon. Adventure it surely was. We came across so many obstacles over the course of four days, but it definitely left us with some stories to tell.
Friday: Our trip started on Friday afternoon as we made our way to the Dusseldorf airport. All was well until we got to our gate and had to wait an hour for our delayed flight. A minor set-back, but foreshadowing for what of the rest of the weekend had in store for us. Once we finally got to Lyon we ventured out to find somewhere to eat a nice dinner. If you didn't know, restaurants have weird hours in France, and finding somewhere to eat ended up being much more difficult than we anticipated. We ended up eating at a restaurant near our hotel that served a "delightful" pigeon looking chicken and mooing steak. Good times.
Saturday: In light of our hard first night of our trip we decided to take a day trip to Annecy, France. Annecy is a beautiful little city near the border of Switzerland and France that has gorgeous mountains and a clear Lake that is mesmerizing. Our day-trip to Annecy was complete with crepes, macaroons, delicious lunch and dinner, paddle-boarding on the Lake, a carousel ride, and yummy gelato. Our wonderful day came to a tragic end though when we returned to the train station to board our 2 hour train back to Lyon....A big mistake on our part, there was no return train. The ticket counter lied and we quickly realized that our 7:53 train was not for 7:53pm, but rather 7:53am. An intense panic set upon both of us as we frantically considered our options. One: we could pay for a hotel in Annecy (if any were open, this was Easter weekend of course), Two: we could pay for a two hour taxi ride back to Lyon, Three: we sleep in the park and cry in each others arms the entire time. All options weren't appealing. We called hotel after hotel, all having full bookings. Our hearts were quickly sinking into no return. We eventually decided to walk to a nearby Best Western in hopes that they would take pity on us. Thankful, the receptionist was able to find another hotel for us to stay in, expensive, but at least we would be safe. We accepted defeat and stayed there for the night, waking up early the next day to catch that dang train back to Lyon.
Sunday:
We got back pretty late in the morning to Lyon and took some much needed naps. We took it easy as it was Easter and most things were closed. We eventually ventured out into the real world for dinner (more raw meat surprise, surprise) and to explore the city a little bit. Sunday was a hard day for us as it was the first holiday we'd both ever spent away from our families.
Monday:
Monday started as a pretty fun day in Lyon. We hiked up to the Cathedral on the mountain and got to go see the Roman Theatre remains nearby. It was a really pretty view and a good day in the city. We headed to the airport a little early to grab dinner before going home. This was a mistake. At the airport, as we sat to eat dinner, Jordan went 20m away to go buy a snack and what happened next was terrifying. I received a text from her saying that they wouldn't let her come back, I looked up immediately and saw about 20 armed police officers surrounding the area. They quickly forced us to evacuate the area due to a possible bomb that had been left in the 20 feet of separation between Jordan and I. She was forced to one end of the airport, and I the other with all of our bags. In light of what had happened in Europe recently, we were so scared it was about to happen to us. Thankfully, it was just a scare and nothing happened, and we made it safely home, but it definitely makes you think.
Things in the world today are not safe, wherever you are, but I am very anxious to get back to my friends in family back home.
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