Flying from Durango, Colorado to Lyon,
France
My first 3 flights from Albuquerque went OK and I
was certain my bags contained nothing dangerous after passing through security so many
times in Minneapolis and Detroit. Of course in Amsterdam and Lyon anyone who wanted to lit up as soon as they got
off the plane. The last flight to Lyon was delayed 2 hours and I lucked out and got 3
seats to myself as we 
sat on the runway for an hour. By this time a nap was sorely needed.
Plus I saw my bike box on the tarmac waiting to be loaded on the plane when we got off the
bus. Our route went over Geneva with a spectacular view of Mont Blanc just as we began the
descent.
Lyon-Satolas is a pretty new airport and my bike box arrived on the carousel really
quickly. Still, I had to change plans to ride a little bit south to Vienne and instead
went into Lyon on the D29, leaving the airport at about 3:30. Gabe and I had stayed at the
hostel there in 1989 so I knew where it was and had a map, but fatigue and one-way streets
made the 27 km ride into town take about 2 hours. No repas at this hostel, so I walked for
a kebab, some meal for a first night in France! On the walk back I noticed how cold it
was. My roommates were 2 separate Aussies and a Hungarian who could only speak and
understand Hungarian. The email with the palmtop and GSM phone is working 100%.
