Portrait of Valentin
On this day we woke up at dawn on the roof in the center of Lyon.
Just before we wandered around the city all evening, leisurely looking for scaffoldings that could provide us with a place to sleep. During that evening Valentin managed to make friends with a local artist from Iran. But after a couple of hours they had a quarrel so the guy left us. I managed to get to my favorite store of ancient prints and posters and bought four 18th century engravings with geishas. I had to carry them on me until I got back to Paris, but I don't regret that at all.
At night my friend and I found one building under construction with the high scaffolding next to it. We stayed there overnight. The roof was not the most comfortable, so it was not a question of hanging a hammock or even finding a flat surface. But this didn't prevent us from getting settled and sleeping till morning under the stars.
At sunrise we took a lot of pictures of the roofs of Lyon, decorated with the light of the rising sun. Nevertheless, the most successful of all photos was this portrait. At some moment Valentin decided to include me in his composition, and I did the same.
Despite the fact that the camera almost completely covers the face, this portrait came out very accurate. Imagining Valentin in my mind, I see him just like this, comfortably sitting on top of the roof, with his beloved camera and long loose hair, in cheap sneakers for 20 euros, and military-colored pants.
This moment was perhaps the culmination of our journey with him. This adventure was a breath of fresh air for me, a typical office worker. While for my friend, it was just one of the typical episodes of his daily life.
Valentin never tires to surprise me, and even though we are very different, I am infinitely grateful to him to be my friend.
Also on this day:
