Underway at last. Two neighbours gave me a ride from the village to the long distance bus stop in central Porirua to start my odyssey. By early afternoon I’m in Napier Cathedral meeting a friend from our first year at college. And my supporter (best man) at both my weddings. We have a grand catch up bringing one another up to date on family and medical histories, with a pub dinner added.
On Wednesday to a backpackers in downtown Auckland just off Queen Street. Sitting outside having a kebab when a roommate stops for a chat: she’s spending quality time with her 103 year old grandmother and wondering what life holds for her. We chat again briefly and in depth before we go our separate ways on Friday morning. In between I visit two cousins I haven’t seen for more than 30 years at least and we chat about family trees with a focus on our maternal grandfather. We undertake to keep in touch,
A feature of the trip so far has been having young women as travelling companions. In addition to the woman in Auckland there was a woman from Belgium working on a farm near Hunterville as a nanny on the bus to Napier and a midwife on the train from Charles de Gaulle Airport (near Paris) to Lyon: both had good English.
Sunday in Lyon. First to Mass in the Basilica on top of cliff face overlooking Lyon. The climb does no harm (about 150 metres above the river Saone that my backpackers is alongside of). Then back down to the water (a lot easier) and past the Cathedral (both are less than 150 years old, as are most I pass this day). Skirting the river I become fascinated by entrances to the apartment buildings – they are massive – and photograph quite a number, trying to get passers-by in shot to show off the scale. At the confluence of the Saone and Rhone rivers I encounter the well named Museum of the Confluence. The use of space, both outside (striking) and in (two levels with circular passage ways with large and smaller display rooms to either side) and very popular.
Returning up the spit of land I find a second main railway station (Perrache) about 10 metres above street level and with about 10 platforms - in the 20 minutes I rest, several TGV trains arrive or depart. I seem to be in the centre between the two rivers as I pass through several squares. Then up almost continuous broad and shallow sets of steps to the top of Croix Rouge (once the epicentre of silk fabric production for France, if not much of the world). At the top turn left to come back to the Saone near my backpackers. The staff ring ahead for a bed in a gite-d’etape (backpackers) at Le Puy-en-Velay, my start point, and help with how to get there.
Six moving days - four in New Zealand and two in France.
And so to bed.
