Heavenly retreats.

Again I have been rubbish at blogging as there's just too much excitement going on for a little person like me. I guess you can see that the journey in Lyon is starting to accelerate even more into a crazy whirlwind which sort of equates to this:

More studies (including a 4 hour dance practical session ending at 7pm?@?! Who finishes uni at 7pm?!) 

+

 Meeting new friends/catching up with ol' time greats (i've only known these people 2 months but they're super)

=

 More soirées /chats over tea/wine/pastries than you can shake a baguette at. 

However this busy bee lifestyle was broken up with a very much overdue visit from the wrinklies (mum & paps) where I proudly showed them my beautiful city and even explored more of it for myself. We took the funicular up to the highest point in Lyon (at least I think it is) and did the touristy things that I'd wanted to do since I arrived. We visited the Roman Amphitheatre which, was truly amazing, and also visited the temporary exhibition on Roman medicine. We then trundled over to the basilica just a little further up the hill only to be smacked in the face with this stunning view of Lyon spanning over the rooftops and rivers of my new hometown.

As if this little trip wasn't enough, we then drove an hour and a half out of Lyon to the heavenly region called The Ardèche to a little place we used to visit when my brother and I were little. This little place is named Lamastre and there really isn't much to do other than sit, drink beer, talk to the locals and eat good food- sounds like hell to me. The highlight of this ghost town though is a hotel on the top of a windy road I like to imagine as the yellow brick road. It leads to the beautiful Chateau D'Urbillac where we stayed for one night. I think we all agreed it wasn't the same out of season and 10 years later but still has a special something in my heart. Check the pictures below to see the cutest room I stayed in, complete with a bust wearing a feather bower. I thought 'kitsch', Papa Wynn said 'weird'...

Cheeky!

I then had another heavenly retreat back to Egham to see my buddies. Obviously Eggs isn't the most heavenly place but the people I was visiting are so great and I miss them very much. It involved lots of tea drinking, gin drinking and stocking myself up with any English delicacies I may have missed over the past couple of months (not many I must point out). So now onto the second half of the first semester with not really a fear in sight, apart from perhaps what type of tea to drink...


...i'm joking.