"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." -Bilbo Baggins, The Fellowship of the Ring.
Barcelona, Lyon, Croatian, & Lyon(again)
Leaving Lherm was sad. I fell in love with that small village and beautiful house. My plane was departing from Lyon, France which despite its relative proximity was a $100 train ride from Lherm. I refused to pay more for my train to Lyon than my flight to Croatia(which was $70 thanks to easyjet.com). So, I decided to try another form of transportation, Internet carpooling. Sites like the French covoirturage.fr are very popular in Europe and connect drivers who are going from one city to another with passengers who have the same itinerary and are willing to pay a small fee for gas. With the help of my host I was able to schedule two cars from my village to Lyon. I met other passengers from all over the world on the way and was dropped off at the front door of my couchsurfing host in Lyon for only $30. Boom baby!
My first night in Lyon was grand! I had absolutely no expectations for the city but it quickly became my favorite city in France. My hosts were amazing people. After arriving Seb put me on a bike and we rode through historical Lyon before meeting his lovely girlfriend for a drink on a boat floating on the Rhone river. I wish I brought my camera that night!!
It was an amazing night before an even more amazing adventure to Croatia.
PSYCHE!!! I missed my flight. That's right. I got lost in the Lyon metro and didn't make it in time. No refunds, and no where to go.
Cinque Terre
And so began my most difficult day so far. After pouting in a dark corner of the train station at 7am and sending distressed texts back home I got my act together and decided I needed to figure out a plan B. I couldn't stay in Lyon all week while my travel buddy was having a blast in Norway. I quickly found the closest McDonalds, a travelers sanctuary because of its free wifi and bathrooms, sprawled a map on a table and began researching options. With the great advice of my mom I decided to activate my euro pass a week earlier than I originally planned and go anywhere I could. It took all day of bickering with the train station to finally nail down my Plan B. That night Seb, thanks the Lord, welcomed me back in his house and the next morning I made a train to Italy. 14 hours later I arrived in Cinque Terre.
It was the most beautiful place I've seen on this trip yet. The land is named after its five small villages nestled along the cliffs of the Mediterranean and linked by hiking trails rated as some if the best costal hiking in the world. I hiked three of them,and kayaked to the other two! Luckily, I also found an amazing hostel (ostello de cornigula) for four nights with a room full of great Aussies (except for the one who had night terrors and yelled in his sleep while kicking his bed frame to the ground). I made many friends that week who I wish I could bring with me on the rest of my trip. That last night my five new friends and I sat on the docks drinking a few beers and talking for hours. It was my favorite moment yet.
Finally, although i really thought about staying one more night, I had to leave Italy to get back to my next workaway in Normandy. I have only just arrived and will tell you how it is in my next blog post later in the week!
Traveler tips:
*use European carpooling websites. Might be more expensive than hitch hiking, but not much and at least you have the choice of your driver.
*skyscanner is an amazing app that'll search even the discount flights. For destination you can put in "everywhere" and see where you can go that week! (Thanks Maria!)
*rick Steve's and Nomadic Matt are the two best bloggers out there for tips on how to travel Europe. I'd never of for to cinque terra without them.
*hostelworlds is a quality app when searching for a last minute bed in Europe cheap.
*couchsurfing once again proves itself as the best way to travel. Thanks Seb!!
Wow! you're having an adventure of a lifetime! I'm so glad you're having a great time! You've were really looking forward to this trip. I pray that God will comfort & protect you with a physical and spiritual hedge of protection. I miss talking to you at Aubrey's. :) May your continued travels be blessed! Let me know if you need anything. God Bless!
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