Getting to Marseille

I've been in France for almost 24 hours now and I already have a strange story to share with all of you:

I was on my flight to Paris and I woke up right before landing. I had put my glasses in the pouch in front of me, so I pulled them out and put them on my face--and everything was super blurry. One of my lenses was missing! I started looking everywhere and when we landed we scoured the place. But we never found it. 

So I had no choice but to leave to catch my train to Marseille. So ever since I've gotten to France I've only been able to really see with one eye. So I can't guarantee that my observations will be more than half-accurate. ;) Thankfully it was only one lens though. My right eye is able to make up most of the difference. 

Onto the rest of my trip. 

When I got to Paris I had to find the train station and ton of people were super nice and helped me out. So I found the station pretty easily but thankfully I ran into an other Canadian--a seasoned backpacker--and a girl from Mexico, all taking the same train as me. We waited around together and the backpacker guy knew what he was doing so we found our train easily enough. 

The train ride was uneventful--if you can call seeing France countryside for the first time uneventful. I felt like I was stepping back in time. Places like this really exist and are normal to people?? 

Just one of those hilltop villages in Provence. No biggie. (sorry for the reflection) 

Then I got to Marseille and had to find my way to my hotel by taking the metro. I struggled a bit but this city is just filled with super nice people because I just had to ask and they were more than willing to go out of there way to help me. Some polite young guy helped me carry my suitcase down the metro stairs and a kind lady walked me to the street I was supposed to turn at.

And then I got to my hotel and looked out my window and this is the view. haha It's all a little surreal, you know, that people live here all their lives.

And no one has tried to speak English with me yet or really even asked me where I'm from, so I must be doing alright! 

(Stay tuned for a post about my first day on the job and my first hang out with the YSA group)