Saturday 1 May - Lyon

Not much to say. Was raining today, and it's a public holiday for May Day, which means no trams or buses are running. So sightseeing is by foot only, and nearly all shops, cafes, restaurants etc are closed.

On top of that I discovered when i got to where I was going that I'd left my camera in the hotel - and when I went to use my phone instead discovered that the mobile phone I'd paid $450 for before leaving has a cracked screen and is totally useless.

Sigh - not my day.

Did find the one thing I wanted to see though and spent an incredibly interesting 3 hours wandering through the Musee des Miniatures et Decors de Cinema - you'll have to check out the website for an idea of what it's like. This is the guy who made the miniature of the White House in Independence Day that they blew up, and the latex masks for Planet of the Apes, and the models for Terminator, I Robot amongst others - way too much to list here - check out the website.

Lyon is quite beautiful and much like something you'd expect to see in a painting or an illustration - the old town anyway. It's a shame I couldn't get around much today. I don't leave until after lunch tomorrow for Chamonix, so as the buses are running again, I'm going to try to get to the Musee des Lumieres - the museum dedicated to the Lumiere brothers who started their work here in Lyon and lived here. The museum is in their house. Fingers crossed - and I already have he camera in my bag.

Was good to catch up with everyone this evening in OL and chat. Actually feeling quite inspired lately to get back into building.

Chamonix (well Les Houches anyway) tomorrow. My first real alps - at 2000 metres.

Will add pics as I go.