A Series Of Unfortunate Events
We had a nice stay last night in our Airbnb, even though it had no doonas or blankets on the beds, no soap, half a roll of toilet paper for all of us and only 4 towels for 6 people. These first world problems paled into insignificance when we realised we had the glorious pleasure of being able, after 2 weeks of binning it, to flush our toilet paper again. Whoo-hoo!
We eased into the morning with a walk to grab some coffees and delicious French croissants (Australian croissants don’t come close) from Astrid’s favourite boulangerie. We were due at the Merlin’s place at 10:30am so Ross thoughtfully offered to go and pick up the car, a bit of a walk away, where he had parked it last night, pleased to be dodging the €25 fee he would’ve been charged at the multilevel carpark by finding a great, free, open air carpark.
I’ve mentioned that Astrid had commented that this carpark was in a bit of a dodgy area and we were hoping the car would survive the night unscathed. Well, the hubcaps hadn’t been stolen but the car had disappeared - the carpark now a busy Saturday morning market, wall-to-wall stalls and not a car in sight. Ross, whose repertoire of French words could be counted on one hand, tried to communicate (unsuccessfully) with a couple of stallholders to ascertain the whereabouts of of the car, before being introduced to someone who could parle Anglais who informed him our car had been towed and he’d need to go down to the station - the police station that is. Bereft of his wallet and passport, he put in an emergency call to Tobes, who can parle Française, to grab his documents and rendezvous with him at the house of gendarmes.
Tobes managed to use his command of the French language to establish that the car had been impounded and that Ross needed to pay a ransom (aka a hefty fine) for its return. (The €130 fine made that €25 fee from the multilevel carpark look like a bargain).
They called us to let us know and we couldn’t believe it. We, in turn, called the Merlins to let them know what had happened and that we might now be a tad late. They offered to come and get us but we decided to sit tight, in the stairwell of our Airbnb that we’d now checked-out of, and keep them updated. Ross and Tobes meanwhile, were instructed to catch a bus, which they missed. 3 Ubers cancelled on them before they finally got picked up by a football-loving driver who had a great chat with Tobes and they were safely deposited to where the car was being held hostage.
Once back in the van, they then had to drive back to the centre of the city to pick us up. Ross called to say that they were going to be a while and suggested we call Eric and Wei-Ming to see if they might pick up the rest of us. Wei-Ming very generously offered to come and find us but it dawned on us once we’d hung up, unless she drove a minivan, we’d never squeeze 6 giant bags and 6 big backpacks into her car, along with the 4 of us. Fortuitously, Ross called to say they now had our car and were heading back. We weren’t sure who would get to us first but Rossco pipped Wei-Ming to the post. In the process of pulling our enormous van into a tight spot, Ross bowled over an electric scooter (easily righted) and we crammed our luggage onboard. Sam joined the boys, and the girls and I waited for our kind host to collect us. What a kerfuffle!
Maisy was so excited to be back in the ‘hood where she’d spent a few months when on her exchange 4 years ago and recognised all the landmarks as we approached the house. Not having met Molly or our boys before, there were introductory hugs and double-cheek kisses all round. It was so great to be reunited with Mary too, since she had spent July-Sept in Australia with us this year.
It had been a cloudy morning with a bit of drizzle but the sun peeped through the clouds so we could sit outside and enjoy the fresh mountain air with our pesto flavoured chips and wafer balls filled with goat cheese.
Wei-Ming had prepared an authentically French, absolutely delicious meal for us for lunch! Our salad with roquette, grapefruit and prawns was followed by a scrumptious Camembert-topped dish made with something like pasta, with onions and bacon and then an array of the most delicious French cheeses you’ve ever seen, including French Camembert which is my absolute fave. As if we hadn’t been spoilt enough, we then were treated to Wei-Ming’s homemade lemon tart. It was a feast!
Our 2 families of 6 were really hitting it off and after lunch it was decided we’d head for the hills for a hike (with the added bonus of walking off some of those calories). We were warned to rug up and be prepared for muddy shoes. Just as we were about to leave, Eric and Wei-Ming said they’d had an SOS call from a neighbour who was “stuck” and asked if we’d be willing to- especially our burly blokes- lend a hand. All 12 of us frolicked up a grassy path and into the neighbour’s backyard where it was revealed what sort of unsticking was required. Their small tractor had rolled down a hill into some bushes and was bogged fast. The scene unfolded like a slap-stick French comedy, everyone taking part in a giant tug-o-war to dislodge the stuck vehicle. A snapped rope was replaced with some straps; some of the guys were deep in amidst the foliage; there were lots of sets of “un, deux, trois!’ followed by grunting; planks of wood were wedged under tyres, as the engine was wiggled and prodded until finally…voila! It was unstuck at last!
A great cheer went up amid heartfelt thanks and new friendships forged.
Our expedition party returned to our plans and set off for a winding drive up into the Alps. We parked the cars and continued to ascend northwards into the clouds. When Eric had said it would be muddy, he wasn’t kidding. The steep climb started in a dimly lit forest with dappled light through moss covered trunks. It was squelchy and slippery, carpeted with fallen leaves and networks of tree roots that fanned across the path. Did I mention it was steep? Thankfully Ross had brought his walking poles which we shared. Wide-legged jeans probably weren’t the ideal attire and with them rolled up to avoid the mud, my walking stick in hand, Molly said I looked like a cross between a hiker and a Hobbit.
A couple of sections were extra slippery and practically vertical and I almost gave up, envisioning myself faceplanting or sliding down the mountain on my behind. With great encouragement from the crowd I made it up and was rewarded with incredible views of the mountaintops as the clouds began to clear. It was stunning!
Sam, Toby, Mary and Ines decided they needed an extra challenge, hiking further up and running around the mountains. We found an old abandoned abbey, the first stone of which was laid in 1142! Judging by the sheer amount of animal droppings we were treading on, this mountain was home to a LOT of animals - goats, deer and some sort of alpine cross between a goat and a deer. It was crazy we didn’t see any roaming around!
We made our descent, which was a little easier being grassy, (but just as steep) under the imposing, craggy peaks and through the low, wispy clouds. It was such an amazing experience.
Staying in the mountains, after our walk, the Merlins took us to their favourite pizza restaurant ‘Sous le Dent’, which means ‘under the Tooth’, the name of the mountain that looks like a giant molar. The proprietor and his pizza-cooking wife welcomed us warmly but warned that they could only prepare 5 pizzas at a time (all that kneading hurt her hands). Still quite full from our extravagant lunch, I thought 5 pizzas might do us. Eric continued to order until we were all so full there was a real danger we could tuck ourselves into balls and accidentally roll down the mountain.
We farewelled our beautiful friends, vowing to keep in touch and trying to convince them all they needed a visit to the land down under. I felt emotional having to say goodbye to Mary again.
We drove back to Lyon for a few hours’ sleep before our rudely early 6am flight tomorrow.
