In the planning of a four month visit to Europe, France was at the bottom of the to-hit list. It was the least intriguing of them all, in comparison to, Italy or Austria, for example. Unexpectedly, it also turned out to be the country I ended up spending the most time in – 28 days of city life, the wilderness, and even a taste of Provence. I thank my friends who welcomed me to stay; otherwise I would never have known the pleasures of old town Lyon, mediterranean Marseille, and charming Arles. This photoessay shares my impressions of Paris and Lyon. My thoughts of these two places are far from concluded, but it has been a delightful introduction nonetheless.
