ORD to France!
I figured since it’s been nearly 2 months I should try to update again. Especially since I’ve already got 2 trips almost complete since this one…
ORD – EWR – LIS – LYS
The first part of this international adventure began right here in the USA in good ol’ New Jersey where I conveniently had a 5 hour layover in Newark beginning around noon. One of my oldest best friends, Kim lives in New Jersey, and lucky for me, not too far from Newark. We met way back when we were 18 years old in Los Angeles, CA. In the past 12 years we’ve seen each other only about 3 times, so we were pretty excited for this chance to see each other again after 6+ years! She picked me up and we went out for Mexican food and spent as long as possible chatting and catching up again.
Kim & Amber! ❤ ❤
We said ‘see you later!’ at Newark and onward I went!
ORD – EWR – LIS – LYS
Next up was the flight to Lisbon, Portugal. Uneventful, except for after a few minutes of being in my seat, the flight crew came to tell me that my seat was broken (still not sure what was broken…) and I should move to another seat & there was one in the aisle same as mine but further back on the other side. Clearly the choice to move was not really a choice at all, so I grabbed my under the seat purse and headed back and took my new seat. After the first meal, my neighbor and I got to talking a little, and she asked where I was headed. I told her ‘a little town outside of Lyon France’ and she asked which one. ‘Mornant?’ I answered, and she asked me to repeat it because she didn’t believe I’d said the same tiny town she was headed to and was actually from! I was headed there for the baptism of my friend’s younger son. Her husband is from the same town in France, and later we would realize that her sister actually knew my friend’s husband when they were younger. Crazy, eh? 😀
After a very slow but simple customs check during my brief layover in Lisbon, it was onward to Lyon, where my new friend and I were on the same flight.
Early morning flight from Lisbon.
ORD – EWR – LIS – LYS
I reached Lyon, France just before noon where my friend’s husbands met me and off we went to the town that all the travel websites described as a ‘Medieval French town’, where my friend’s family still lived. We all had a delicious lunch together that his parents prepared and then headed over to the hotel I’d be staying at, and went for a little walk around the small town square. We also stopped at a bakery to put in the cake order for the Baptism.
The [only] hotel in Mornant, France.
The Bakery in Mornant, France. TONS OF DELICIOUS SWEETS! 😀
In the afternoon, we all went to get a good view of the nearby mountains and town below and saw some sheep. We walked a bit to reach a clearing and big rock at the top of the mountain. It was pretty sunny, warm, and the clear skies gave a good view of the surroundings.
The French countryside [Mornant]
The Riberon family (The reason for my trip!)
Bahhhhhh
Half of the Colvin Family. ❤ Well, almost half… Charlie didn’t come with 😉
The other half of the Colvin family ❤
As the sun began to set, we had a casual dinner of awesome pizza from a pizza food truck (Yoyo Pizza…) with the family in the yard as more family arrived at the house and young cousins enjoyed running around the yard together.
[more pictures from Mornant on Flickr]
