Lyon: French for lion

with things to worry about, we fled paris as soon as we woke up. our last driver unknowingly drove off with an extremely important item, miguels passport amongst other valuables. we only had his first name, that he worked at a supermarket franchise, and the city he lived in to go off. the hunt was on. we continued towards lyon, unshowered, collecting grime and developing an acquired smell.  a laid back french futbol player  picked us up and dropped us off at a roundabout after a half hour ride. miguel and i stood side by side sharing earbuds connected to his ipod. thumbs in the air singing along to lighten the mood. we kept momentum heading south eventually hitting Villefranche-sur-Mer by nightfall. miguel used a payphone to get in contact with his aunt in the suburb. she picked us up and we were on the way to a new sanctuary. the car doors closed and our smell started to leak through thick clothing.  "Ewww, Apestan! deben bañarse" jaja. she scolded us in spanish for our stench. trust me, a shower is the only thing on my mind.  i havent mentioned i wasnt shaving for this trip. my beard was a well traveled month and a half. even with the shower, i looked like a hillbilly caveman. but hey, i had a good chunk of time off and went wild. their home was warm and cozy. miguel sat and logged into the office computer upstairs. calm, until he read his messages. he jumped off his chair, arms in the air an shrieked. "heheyy" chuckling with excitement "its the driver! he found my passport!". what a relief! this nice guy was kind enough to find him on facebook. miguel replied with a "Je suis très jolie!". a package would be on its way to us in a matter of days. that first night started on fire. time to put all the excitement away and get some rest. the next morning we did chores and alejandra showed us around some nearby vinyards. i stole handfulls of left-over grapes from the recent harvest.
 southern france souldn't be any more beautiful.  Staying with miguels relative was not what i expected. His aunt was humble and incredibly generous, with the rule of cleanliness to back her up. around the house we teamed up for dinner. every dish was to be washed righ after use. all together we came up with french style tamales, using duck fat instead of pork, and fresh vegetables from her back yard. we even had brownies for desert, my belly couldnt be more filled with happiness. the next morning, our clothes were washed, dried,  fresh and ready to hit the town in. his aunt drove us out to the highpoint for some extraordinary sights.  for brunch near a musical stream we combatted the brisk breeze with crepes and sugar cakes. at the plaza closer to town, we bumped into a group of kid skaters blowing off some steam. i used my few phrases to make friends and borrow a board for myself. yep, i'm as bad as i remembered. half the day was spent strolling around and enjoying the weather until his aunt offered to take us to lyon.  we arrived to the exact opposite. there were policemen, pedestrians and protesters overrunning the town. store front windows were shattered by rocks and tear gas equally launched back at civilians.  we wanted to take a closer look, but at our best behavior, under the supervision of miguels aunt, we stayed put.  a bookstore provided shelter and distractions from the outside world. when the violence died down, we were free to roam around once again until dinner time. fast forward another awesome plate, hot shower, and a good nights rest.  the next day we took a bus back into lyon to visit miguels other cousin thomas. alex and her friend charlotte were joining us more like guiding us until we got to alex's brother. since he was living in the city he became the certified tour guide of our group. 
he brought us to some historical sites, high viewpoints of the town, the university, and eventually a pub. no german? ill take a deutch bier. after a  quick drink we cooked a late lunch and ate together. there was a light conversation going on half english half frenglish. but all that was on my mind was this beautiful french girl across the table. my plan was to play it cool B) but i knew i'd be competing against comrad. he had his eyes on her too. after our tummies digested it was time to head back, and guess who joined the slumber party?? this mystery girl 
was tagging along, and it was difficult to read her thoughts. i think shes flirting with you, but i think shes flirting with me too. damn! i could make it hard for both of us to get her, or i could distract his cousin so he could work his magic. either way, the trains were running but not the bus, damn strikers- with your stupid unions! we were stuck out there and had to call her mom to get us. she wasnt happy about that. the car ride back was quiet other than the scoldings aimed at the girl in the front seat. we arrived and scurried into the room like squirrels would from a 4 year old. we felt safe again, chatting before bedtime.  no magic, gnight. the next day charlotte was gone, window of oppurtunity vanished. chores were done so i moped around, and turned on the tv. cee lo green's "fuck you" music video was blasting through the screen uncensored. I CANT BELIVE WHAT THIS GUY IS SAYING! but i love it! the rest of the day was uneventful other than miguel receiving his package.  that meant it would be our last day. another great dinner and more computing, communicating back home before it was time to sleep. we awoke around 6, before the sun had a chance to peak over the horizon. before leaving, his aunt stuffed our bags with preservable food and chocolate. when we stepped outside, the chill grabbed me by the the shoulders and gave me a good shake before i realized everything was covered in ice. i guess a cold front had hit overnight and painted outside completely white. his aunt was kind enough to drop us off at a tollbooth with plenty of slow moving traffic. however, we were too puny to face the elements. we sought shelter from the wind, and let the sun warm the frigid outdoors for an hour or so. when the temperature wasnt freezing, we went out and got back to work. next stop was Spain, the last country on our european tour.