Day 1 - Lyon - April 13

It hasn't even been 6 months since our last family trip and here we are again, in Europe. 

Our last minute trip happened because we decided to visit our lovely friends  Andra, Mike and their children on their last week living in Lyon, France.

Very modern looking Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport.

We first flew to Montreal and then we took a 7 hour overnight flight from Montreal to Lyon, arriving in France in the morning, or right in the middle of the night for us. Needless to say that our first day was vey confusing and sleepy, but that didn't stop us to go out and explore our new neighbourhood. 

It is super cool to see how green everything already is. 

It's like they are two month ahead of our spring.

The Mikes.

We rented an Air B&B just a couple of minutes down the street from our friends in the neighbourhood of Guillotiére. This neighbourhood really reminds me of Parkdale in Toronto, with a mix of recently arrived immigrants, low income people and a bunch of hipsters. It's a clear result of gentrification.

This is the playground right across the street from where we are staying. They girls absolutely loved hanging out there. Right beside it there is a sketchy looking square, where a bunch of men just sit around drinking and talking, especially in the evenings. Still, I feel safe here. 

Soaking up the sun. Finally.

The community garden is still not cleaned and going, but I imagine it gets beautiful in the summer.

We are staying very close to the Rhône River, at a beautiful part of the city.

Carrousels are popular here and kids can go for a ride for 3 euros (about CAN $5,00). 

A long sidewalk along the Rhône River.

We got the keys to our apartment at 3pm. It is inside a not too well preserved old building...

...but the place looks really cool. 

With a taste for arts.

The girls love their rooms, with a cool loft area just for kids. 

We are excited to be here but it's been a tough day since we all didn't get much sleep in the plane. Also, it will take us a couple of days to adjust to being 6 hours ahead. Still, we are excited to be here in Lyon and can't wait to explore the city tomorrow.