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Hello again! Has been a family filled couple of weeks. After having dad at Lyon, Barbara and Mathew came to visit for a few days. Spent plenty of time together discovering Vieux Lyon and convinced me to try out the velo-v system. It's very good. Basically, there are stations every few hundred metres around Lyon where you can borrow a bike, ride to your destination and drop off at the next station. It works because you don't need to wear helmets here when riding (don't really know if that's a good thing!) but there aren't always bike paths around and the frenchies drive on the wrong side of the road (in fact they do everything on the wrong side, even laps in the pool!). Good fun all the same, I hope i'll use it more throughout the year...a little demonstration of my professional cycling:



1) relaxed riding




2) fast riding




3) Sunday riding





So, we then went back to Paris together. A bit of a family reunion for Mamie's 80th. Had a lovely lunch on Saturday to celebrate, visiting Versaille at night. Saturday night in Paris was 'La Nuit Blanche' where heaps of sight seeing places are open all night, lit up and all beautiful...pretty much the opposite of Earth Hour :-P . Came back to INSA with Anne, she stayed just 2 nights before meeting up with Barbara, Mathew, Roma and Bjorn in Rome. Took the velo-v again to Parc de la Tete d'Or, where I went running last week. Apparently I totally missed the fact that there's a free zoo in the centre off the park with lions, tigers, elephants, giraffes. I blame it on the fact that I don't wear glasses when I run...

This weekend, went to see the 'our bodies' exhibtion with Alice, Suresh and Tomas (2 australians, a candian and a swede walk into a museum...) Don't know if you've heard about it but it's an anatomy exhibition, going through all the systems of the body. Quite interesting. Came home and cooked quenelle with tomato sauce (quite proud as it tasted very good, if I may say so myself).

Otherwise, all is well. Joined the volleyball club. Just turned on the heating this week, leaves are beginning to fall off the trees. Looking forward to the ski season! Hope you're all well, miss you. Love from Alex

Love from Alex