Day 8. La Baule.

I rose early this morning, it was pouring rain with high winds. It
looks sorta like how I imagine the french Riviera to be with the
weather of the west of Ireland. Imagine high rise apartment blocks and
casinos in the rain. Judging by my map it would be a long hard
dangerous wet day negotiating this urban death maze. I was lonely
tired and out of supplies. Maybe it was time to go home or to Lyon
which is my new home. But how would I do this with my limited french
and a bike in tow. I packed my things for the last time and cycled
into La Baule town centre in search of a Gare SNCF. After finding the
station I parked my bike and ventured inside into the unknown. I found
a relativly quiet section in the station and approached preparing my
french phrases in my head. The very nice very funny gentleman behind
the desk who spoke no english understood my request and typed away on
his computer for a few minutes before informing me that it was
possible today. So I purchased a ticket for myself and my bike and
walked away amazed at how easy the whole affair was. So I compose this
in a small local bistro drinking 1664, looking at the simple but
typically french menu watching the crowd, and they are playing one of
my favourite tracks by Joan Baez. Soon I can have a bath a huge meal
and touch my girl. It has been a wonderful journey, maybe not as long
as I had hoped but I feel it has done for me what I intended which was
to jump into french life and culture with help from no one and try to
get by even improve my french a little. And over all I want an
experience that will be a bridging point between my old life and my
new. I feel I have sweated out everything I needed to by now and that
I have changed both mentally and physically, its time to go home.