Lionel, Lyon, and lots of liquor (just kidding! Chocolate doesn't start with an "L")

Second post... I'm starting to kind of like this whole blogging thing. Thanks for leaving a comment, Rach. You made me feel popular :) lylas (just wait... that will be funny later).

Okay, so after a worldwind weekend in Berlin, my friends and I decided that Paris would be the perfect trip for Valentine's Day weekend.... yeah, that made sense considering none of us have a significant other in the group. Who wouldn't want to go to Paris to see all the romantic couples in love when you have no one? I know that sounded like fun to me... haha, just kidding. I promise I wasn't that cynical! I was pumped to go to France because I was going to spend a day and a half in Paris and a day in Lyon. It was a crazy weekend. Totally unpredictable and nothing like I expected it to be, but nevertheless, I had a great time. France is my favorite country to visit. First of all, I get to practice my pathetic French. It kind of (for a few moments) makes me regret (not really) studying in Maastricht... maybe one day I will be fluent. No. I will definitely be fluent after moving there after graduation in 2012 with my sister. Right, Rach? :) 



This note is representative of our first night in Paris. After arriving at Paris Nord around 23h00, I felt pretty cool as navigated 6 girls from the station to our stop. We were so blessed that Rachel's and my good friend, Cole Casper, had graciously let us stay at his wonderfully quaint apartment in the 12th arrondisement of Paris. We arrived at the Dugommier stop, got off of the metro, and made our way into the apartment complex.  After getting the keys and making our way up 6 flights of stairs, I put the key in the lock and jiggled. All of a sudden the door flung open, and behold! There stood a man who looked a couple years my senior and was not Cole Casper.

Me: "Who are you?"
Strange Man: "I'm Lionel!"
Me: "Do you know Cole?"
Strange Man named Lionel: "Yes, do you?"
Me: "Yes, I'm Hannah, and we (pointing back to my 5 girl friends) were told by Cole we could stay here this weekend."
Lionel: "Oh! I thought Cole said you were coming tomorrow. The shower in my apartment doesn't work so Cole told me I could stay here so I can get up and go to work in the morning."
Me: "Oh, okay... Well, I guess you are going to have some roommates tonight..."

We all filed into Cole's tiny apartment and set our stuff down in his bedroom. All of us were so confused... how bizarre. Who is this guy? Okay, there's a lot of us and he seems nice. He knows Cole. We are fine. The conversation continued... When was the last time we ate? Lunch. I'm hungry. Me too. Let's go find something.

I then walked out into the hall and asked Lionel if he knew of any good places around here. He said no, but he'd be happy to walk around with us (at midnight) to find something. We had just interrupted as he was about to watch his "tv series."  We all walked out of the apartment and wandered around for awhile. Nothing was opened... isn't Paris an international city?  So Lionel took us to a part of the city called the "Bastille" (?), and there we enjoyed hamburgers and kebabs at an Arab-Euro cheap place with fries. So unhealthy (tends to be the theme of arriving late in foreign cities), but nevertheless, we were so thankful for Lionel.

*Random side note, Lionel didnt' know English really well because he hadn't practiced since he had been out of school. Obviously, his English was way better than our French, but we decided we would have some fun with him. We taught him the phrase "lylas" (love ya like a sister), and told him that all Americans use the phrase (kinda). We started calling him Lylas Lionel, and by the end of the trip... we really did "love him like a sister."

The next morning we woke up to a breakfast of baguette, croissants, pain au chocolate, and fruit from Lylas Lionel. He had woken up early and gone down the the boulangerie below the apartment to grab us breakfast. We loved Lionel. He was so good to us.


That morning, Kristen and I got up early and took our croissants down to the Eiffel Tower where we got coffee and watched the sun rise. 


Kristen and I under the Eiffel.


Great view of Sacre Coeur.


We toured the city by foot and made it across the circle of death with one quick sprint! (just kidding mom, we took the underground)


We met up with friends and went to lunch at a café with a Kappa from Baylor who is studying in Paris. Not going to lie, I was a little jealous. This city is amazing. In this pictures is Carissa (Hannah Taylor's sister. Being around the two of them makes me miss my siblings. Love ya Rach, Lu, and Tooj), me and Kristen.


Luci, Marley, and Hannah


Outside of city hall. A little extravagent... just like the rest of Paris.






So this is the last picture I snapped before I experienced the worst hour of helplessness of my life. Ready for this story, Des? Okay...

So, here we are... in front of Notre Dame with some great friends and I look at my watch. It is 5:15 and I have to meet my friend, Layne, at the Eiffel Tower at 6:40. We have a train to catch to Lyon, France, which Pastor Olivier had gone above and beyond to book for me.  All of the girls want to see the Latin Quarter and weren't going out to dinner for a couple hours. I start to get a little nervous as it is getting later and dusk is upon us. I ask Luci, "Do you feel okay about walking around Paris at night alone?" (Dumb question, I know). "Well, I don't feel good about it, but just be smart."  Yeah, "Um... my phone is out of minutes and it's Dutch. I don't know how to put more time on it." Feelin really good at this point, I get on the metro and scenes from "Taken" start reeling in my head. I think about my mom's warnings to me before I left and I know she would not be impressed with me at this moment. But, what can I do at this point? So I pull my keys out of my purse and sit on the metro praying I get back to the apartment okay. I make it to my stop and get off the tram. As I walk off, I feel something fall down and I look down to see my bike key came off my keychain... "What if my key to the apartment fell off too and I didn't notice? Did I give Kristen the mailbox key or my key to the apartment at lunch?"  All these thoughts are rushing through my head as I book it up 6 flights of stairs. I go to put the key and it doesn't fit... None my keys fit. I scramble back down the stairs feeling completely helpless and praying the whole way.

I run into the boulangerie beneathe the apartment complex and in a panic I approach a middle aged woman who reminded me of a friend from grade school's mother. "Parlez-vous anglais?" I am able to spit out of my mouth. "A little." She responds... I procede to tell her my dilemna (by this time it is 6:10) and I ask to use her phone. I try calling every one of my friend's numbers in my phone, but since they are all dutch they don't go through. I begin to panic. I feel my face get hot and tears fill my eyes. I feel like a helpless child. What am I going to do? Wait in the boulangerie for my friends to get back at midnight and eat my and Layne's 100 euro train tickets to Lyon? Wander Paris by myself? Go to the Eiffel Tower and tell Layne sorry we can't go to Lyon? Helpless. Totally helpless.

Then it hits me. I had my keys in my purse all day. Maybe, just maybe the key had fallen off the key chain prior to it. I start digging through every pocket in my purse. Nothing. I keep looking. I get to the back side pocket and I feel a small metal object. I pull it out. I don't know what it belongs to, but it is a key. I look at the woman, and say "I don't know... this might be it. I gotta go!" With hope, I run back up the stairs, praying the whole time. I get to the apartment, put the key in and turn it. The door opens! I run in. It's now 6:18. I grab my bag and run back out the door, to the metro station. I arrive at the stop for the Eiffel Tower, and laugh to myself. If anyone were to try to mess with me at this point, I have so much adrenaline in me and I am so determined I would take them out! Don't even try to talk to me creepy men selling plastic neon blue key chains that are supposed to look like the Eiffel Tower and break after two days (yes, I bought one last time I was here... it wasn't blue though). I have no time for you. I make it to the carousel across the street (the meeting point we agreed on), and I turn to see Layne there. The Eiffel Tower is lit up before us and we stop for a second to admire its famous glory.



We make it to the train station and board. Before you know it, I am in Lyon!

My time in Lyon was a weekend of hospitality, reuniting with old friends, practicing my French and simply put, just being. It was so good to see so many people! The weekend was filled with climbing to the top of Fourvier.  Eating in Parc de la tête d'Or. Listening to my friends jam together. Catching up and talking about Colonial's trip to France two summers ago. I was able to pick up with them right where we left off. It was perfect. 












In Cole's apartment right before we left Paris. Oh what a weekend!

The Lord was so good to me. I'm learning to trust Him more and more in both the small and the big things here.

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:14