No alarms, No early morning waking up for shift at 5:30 unlike in Bangalore, it was a welcome change. The studio apartment booked for my stay is a luxury. For a vegan Europe ain't really the place to try anything new. My options at Hotel Mercure are limited. Pasta or rice and french fries (the best I've had) or it is bread and cheese and maybe some dessert to add finishing touches. I miss the curd rice or butter milk back home. I'm digesting the fact that I'm actually in France :-).
Woke up quite late by about 8:30am and found that the hot water for shower wasn't working. A quick call to the reception and a lady ever so cheefully greeted "Bon Jour Monsieur" and in 5 mins it was fixed. The cold water bath was eminent back home but out here... I thought why not.
The water flowing from the tap for the first minute was probably the one stuck in the pipe which might be underground so it wasn't all that cold.. The moment the that reserve was depleted a bout of 2 degree cold water hit my hand and I was Blehd!!!! I was brushing my teeth and ended up biting the bristles to hold back screaming. :-P. There goes the cold water bath out the window or the "French Window" (Which is almost a door out here). Went back to the reception, met Hermaine (receptionist) who has been pragmatic to all the questions I threw at her. Time for breakfast. It was a buffet system and as I said earlier, don't get your hopes high. When you think of all the colourful, sumptuous cuisines the mind can ever throw at you, a little voice somewhere in your head shrieks, all you can do is run to the end of your chain and bark..!!! I was left with bread, pancakes (ate 2 as they resembled dosa). Fruits, ( Yellow and pink oranges of which pink one was bitter). Finished with some fine black coffee. Looks like there no cows here in Lyon. (pun intended). Probably why there are so many green pastures. Enquired Hermaine about cycling options as I saw some city bicycles parked outside. (Sadly no roadbike). Good news - Cycling and other sports at Mercure are not charged as I stay at Studio apartment. But a security deposit of 200Euro will be entered in the bill and cancelled when I return the key. Voila, I finished breakfast soon and wanted to take the rockrider 5.0 but it was nearly flat and the only other choices I had was city bikes. So I picked one among them which had the most air in the tires. (still under-pressured) and set off on an exploratory ride. Ride kicks off with Hermanie taking a snap at the bike parking.
Down this road was the first car showroom but clicked it as it is a Citroen and one of the major brands in Europe. Soon a Renault Pro+ showroom followed where I saw the Twingo one of mass production 'mini'. Also got to see the Dacia Sandero (the fav of James may in Top Gear), The Mini supersport, Logan (Which is verito in India due to the breakup Mahindra-Renault flagship. But I think the topper is the Peugeot hatchback series as every third car I see is a Peugeot.
An old castle which I didn't bother entering as my intention was to reach the summit of a small hill about 10 kms from the hotel.
Lovely roads and more beautiful houses where any person in sight nods "Bon Jour" which I happily reciprocate.
Though I did understand the sign, I thought this was a speed breaker at this town called Ralentisseurs ;-) . Hermaine shed some light on the meaning of the word and both of us had a hearty laugh.
After adjusting the seat height it was more comfortable ride. I suspect that this batch of saddle was designed considering the condition of city roads in India but somehow there was a goof up in the container yard :-P. Because the seat is very plush and comfy and on the uphills there was a mild enjoyable bounce when pounding in the teeny-weeny gear ratio. 1-6 Shimano gears with revoshift. Met two other cyclist couple who were from Lyon and were on a pleasure ride. I think Cyclists in France are so confident that they don't carry any spares. Of the 3 cyclists that I met none had an air pump !!!
The cycling route :: Click here
Woke up quite late by about 8:30am and found that the hot water for shower wasn't working. A quick call to the reception and a lady ever so cheefully greeted "Bon Jour Monsieur" and in 5 mins it was fixed. The cold water bath was eminent back home but out here... I thought why not.
The water flowing from the tap for the first minute was probably the one stuck in the pipe which might be underground so it wasn't all that cold.. The moment the that reserve was depleted a bout of 2 degree cold water hit my hand and I was Blehd!!!! I was brushing my teeth and ended up biting the bristles to hold back screaming. :-P. There goes the cold water bath out the window or the "French Window" (Which is almost a door out here). Went back to the reception, met Hermaine (receptionist) who has been pragmatic to all the questions I threw at her. Time for breakfast. It was a buffet system and as I said earlier, don't get your hopes high. When you think of all the colourful, sumptuous cuisines the mind can ever throw at you, a little voice somewhere in your head shrieks, all you can do is run to the end of your chain and bark..!!! I was left with bread, pancakes (ate 2 as they resembled dosa). Fruits, ( Yellow and pink oranges of which pink one was bitter). Finished with some fine black coffee. Looks like there no cows here in Lyon. (pun intended). Probably why there are so many green pastures. Enquired Hermaine about cycling options as I saw some city bicycles parked outside. (Sadly no roadbike). Good news - Cycling and other sports at Mercure are not charged as I stay at Studio apartment. But a security deposit of 200Euro will be entered in the bill and cancelled when I return the key. Voila, I finished breakfast soon and wanted to take the rockrider 5.0 but it was nearly flat and the only other choices I had was city bikes. So I picked one among them which had the most air in the tires. (still under-pressured) and set off on an exploratory ride. Ride kicks off with Hermanie taking a snap at the bike parking.
As I enter deep into Villefontaine, the modern French Architecture unfolds. Time and again I stop for more snaps as every direction my eyes foray, there's something clickable.
The road with the overbridge, leading back to the hotel. 
An old castle which I didn't bother entering as my intention was to reach the summit of a small hill about 10 kms from the hotel.
The right turn towards the hill (Saint-Quentin) I mentioned about earlier. Trust me on this, the name when pronounced by a French person sounds nothing like you've tried in your head. 
Though I did understand the sign, I thought this was a speed breaker at this town called Ralentisseurs ;-) . Hermaine shed some light on the meaning of the word and both of us had a hearty laugh.
On top of the hill (Quentin Falavier) that I targeted. Some beautiful villa's lined on either side of the road. Halfway into the town lined with villas a black beemer(BMW 5 series) pulled into the middle of the road from an interior passage and revved hard on the first gear which sounded like a Borla exhaust...!!! I got goosebumps listening to the note :-)
The HP Office at Isle'd Abeau, Villefontaine, Lyon.
A treat for lunch. Pasta in Pastaland!!!
An Apple tart to up the sugar level for a 'weary' cyclist. 
The cycling route :: Click here
picturesque town..lovely clean roads...lovely HP campus..u cycling there fantastic (expected u to drive a car but u proved me wrong )
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