Summer's end in style and the rolling greens of the emerald isle

Here is a photo of us standing in front of Lake Annecy. 

Apologies first, for taking so long to post-- we have been busy living life here!!  This post is a joint effort between Julie and Mark, so excuse us for switching between our two voices.  Our latest adventures include a visit to the magical village of Annecy, a tour of Fourvière Hill here in Lyon, and a week-long voyage to Ireland.  So, sit back with a nice cup of coffee or hot tea, maybe some Irish toffees or cookies if you need a snack, and settle in for a nice long read.  Hopefully you'll enjoy reliving our travels, as we'll do our best to capture some of what we have experienced lately.

Annecy:

We spent most of the day walking around the village, eating delicious French/Swiss food-- Mark and I had this delicious platter of assorted lunchmeat, potatoes, salad and bread served alongside this pot of melted cheese that you spoon on top of everything.  It was so good!!  Annecy is famous for its beautiful lake, surrounded by the mountains.  We took a video from our train tour for you:

I am sure the video does not do the scenery justice, as it was so beautiful that it gave one the sensation of being inside a postcard image.  It was a very warm day, and despite wading in the lake, and putting on a bit of sunscreen before departing, I was very red after our visit (I'm sure you all know who has been typing so far after that statement!).  Side note about the train ride, and a small snippet of a Mark story-- the train goes all the way to this little park on the opposite end of the lake.  You have the option of getting off and staying in the park, or riding back to the village.  We of course planned to stay on the train, as it would be a very long walk back.  Mark decides that he has time to take a photo of a beautiful palace on the other side of the park, so he jumps off the train, runs across the park, and is in the middle of taking a photo when the train takes off!  I yell at him, and he begins to run back towards the train as we gain speed.  So I had the pleasure of getting to shout "Attendez!  Attendez!  Monsieur, attendez s'il vous plait!"; sounding like a complete idiot, while Mark runs frantically alongside the train and tries to jump in, unsuccessfully, while we are moving. Part of the problem may have been that I was seated on the side of the train that Mark was running along, so he couldn't very well jump in over me.  The driver finally sees me shouting and waving my arms; again, like a crazy woman, and he stops the train suddenly, jerking all the passengers forward.  Mark jumps into our car, and his classmates enjoy a great laugh over the whole experience.  Fortunately, no one was injured in this little escapade.

Here are a few photos of the rest of the village:

Mark and I wading in the lake!!  Luckily, speedos were not a requirement in the wading pool...

We are standing in front of the "Palace on the island"

The city is situated on canals, so the clear lake water runs all though the village.

These are Mark's classmates!  I promise he really does go to class.  I tried to make him be in the picture, but he refused, so you get to see the beginnings of my sunburn instead.

Another view of the Palace.

Mark was playing King of the Rocks.

 
Fourvière Hill:

The hill that prays. There are two hills here in Lyon: Croix-Rousse and Fourvière. The Croix-Rousse is the hill that works, named aptly for all of the silk workshops that made Lyon a major trading network hub mentioned in a previous post, and Fourvière, named for the magnificent cathedral that sits atop the hill. There is also a tiny replica of the Eiffel Tower (3rd floor copy of it's Parisian counterpart) standing adjacent to the basilica. This structure would be the bourgeois testament that reason and  liberty reigns supreme over the influence of organized religion and that the age of the church's dominance remains in the early 15th century and before. In my opinion, the twisted steel is nothing but an eyesore that should be melted down and turned into something less spartan and more culturally inspirational. Reason and liberty have their place, but the idea shall not be contained in some copy of a larger television tower. What this tower represents and its purpose seem, to me, to be two completely separate things. "This tower stands for reason and liberty, and it will be used to combine individual thought and expression into a standardized form by way of exposure to Jersey Shore and Snooki to the masses!"  (note from Julie:  I LOVE the mini-Eiffel tower!!)

Anywho, ramble over (obviously the product of Mark now). We toured around the hill that prays and saw some amazing stone work aqueducts that were created by the Romans shortly after the city was founded by one of Caesar's lieutenants around the time ole' Julius made his trip to the rotunda (44 B.C.). There was also a wonderfully preserved Roman amphitheater that is said to have housed a number of events including elections, public speeches, gladiator fights, and markets. Today, the space is used for outdoor concerts and plays with the aid of electric light and nothing but a sweet sound system. I'm sure the Romans would have loved to hear Alter Bridge at 140 decibels! The Roman roads are still intact and our guide even showed us the stones that were slick due to so much foot traffic over the centuries. There was also a path and indentations in these stones along the road where mainly cats (dogs, beasts of burden, and the like) that accompanied the various nations that have occupied the hill since Rome fell. Realizing that emperors, kings, apostles, and disciples of Christ have walked the very same road and maybe the very same path as we did is worth the time and money spent to get here tenfold.

Roman amphitheater

As we followed the path down the hill we walked through various gardens and pathways that are very important to the Lyonnaise religious community. There was a special path that connected the cathedral atop the hill with one of the oldest churches in the region at the bottom of the hill (St. John). Also dotted along the landscape, there are houses that date back to the middle ages. The urbanization and growth of the homes and workshops have condensed the real estate layout considerably, but it's not hard to imagine why the bubonic plague spread so quickly in this area during the 14th century. By the end of the trek around the hill, we were hot and tired. It's a good thing that the nights were getting a little cooler as the month went on, and the rains had increased in frequency. A few moments during the cool days when the wind would greet you with a sudden quickening, you could certainly feel the air flirting with the arrival of autumn. It's is this very feeling; (you know, during the long months of the Texas summer when you almost forget what it feels like to have an authentic chill) the coming of the fall, that I have loved since I can remember.

This is a sculpture of the two rivers running through Lyon.

View from on top of the hill.

Part of the amphitheater.

Mark presents the cathedral.

Closure of Language School:

After our various tours around Lyon and getting to know my language teacher and classmates, my short three week language training came to an end. Our group, while small and unlikely, managed to have quite a cohesiveness despite each of us coming from a different spoke on the wheel of the world. We spoke French in and outside of class to better learn the language and to keep our patrons at the school happy. In our group, the following nationalities were represented: Spanish-German, Italian-German, Flemish-Brazilian, Japanese, and of course Texan! I wonder what my grandfather would have thought in 1945 of his grandson in the near future sitting at a table sharing drinks and stories with two Germans and a Japanese guy? I would like to think that this is the hope for peace that so many of the WWII generation wished and fought for; in this thought, I would like to thank those who had enough wisdom and forethought for the future generations to share a well-earned peace. On the last day of class, we all went out for a parting drink, and as we said our au revoir's, a bientots, and goodbyes, the sky opened. The rain came down in sheets and left nothing untouched in the city. By the time we got back to Dorothea's house, we were one with the water. I felt as though the initiation of coming back to France was over and we were now being washed clean of the language troubles of the past month. Newly baptized into the French language, we entered the house and began to explain the significance of the word bittersweet (doux-amère) in saying goodbye to one chapter and starting another.

Ireland:

Sorry to disappoint those of you who really sat back with Irish toffees, but we are going to insert a bit of cliffhanger ending here.  This post is already way too long, and those of you who are reading on the job, you should probably get back to work!  We'll post about Ireland soon.  Here's a photo teaser for you:

To be continued...