France Trip Part 1 - Lyon

Ok, I've been horrible about posting lately, I know.  It's just been a crazy busy summer with a total of 4 weddings, 4 trips, and plenty going on at work and home as well.  Let's start at the beginning and I'll try to slowly work my way back to the present.

This past spring my best friend K texted me and asked if I wanted to go to France with her.  Um, of course I want to go to France with you!  A good friend of hers, whom I also know fairly well, was getting married in Lyon over the July 4th weekend and she was hoping I'd be her +1.  Once I checked into my finances and determined how much plane tickets would cost, I was in.  Tickets, airbnb's, and activities were booked and on July 2 I was off!  First stop: Lyon!

I arrived on Friday afternoon and took a cab to the apartment we were staying in (a friend of the bride was out of the city and generously let us use her place) at which point jet lag took over and I needed a nap.  But after that less than fun start to the trip, it was an amazing time.  We had dinner at the bride's apartment that night with some other out of town guests and met some absolutely LOVELY people that I very much hope I will get to meet up with at some point in the future. 

Saturday was the wedding day, which we started off at a nail salon with the bride and a few of her other friends (some of whom I'd met on a previous trip to Lyon with K a number of years ago).  We then picked up a delicious rotisserie chicken and potatoes that had been cooked in the chicken fat drippings and brought them back to the apartment for lunch while we changed. 

We met up with the bride back at her apartment and followed her through town to the city hall for the legal marriage ceremony.  Mind you, it was 105 degrees F in Lyon on this day and very few places had AC, including our apartment.  Luckily it wasn't humid and there was a breeze, but any time spent inside closed rooms (like city hall) was pretty brutal.

 

We then proceeded to walk through town with all of the wedding guests to a park that overlooked the city where the beautiful spiritual ceremony was held. 

After some pictures, we made our way to a nearby bar for cocktails, then back to the bride's apartment to regroup, drink some more, and change clothes (most of us had sweat through our dresses already - it was hot out!)

The evening ended at a colorful Cuban restaurant for the reception.  It was a low-key but still lively affair, filled with tapas style food, plenty of wine, singing, dancing, and speeches.  Overall it was a delightful evening!

On Sunday we (obviously) slept in and then caught a ride to a nearby park where the bridal party was having a pot-luck style brunch.  We sat on blankets in the shade, snacked on a very full table of eats, drank some champagne, and got to play with the bride and groom's adorable little son.  We eventually had a train to catch, though, so we said our goodbyes, exchanged contact information, and ended the wonderful Lyon portion of our trip.

(pictures taken by both me and K)