Lyon

Finally back from my week-long escapade to Lyon, third largest city in France and gastronomic capital of France (and maybe the world?). It was a requirement of the Reid Hall program, for any of you curious folk out there. Currently I'm in need of a serious wine/food-detox. No more cheese, nutella, and alcohol for Julia. No more.

DAY 1

Board the TGV (train de grande vitesse), arrive at Lyon in the evening. Alas, us Columbia/Penn retards get off at the wrong stop. Embarassing explanations ensue. But then, finally, we meet our homestay families and the real adventures begin. Aside from 1. the lack of internet, and 2. my homestay being in the far banlieue of Caluire, my homestay is absolutely perfect. The Joubert family was "tres cool" (their phrase), something they constantly reiterated in the sejour. And it was true. They. were. awesome. I miss them already! I was in their daughter Anais's room:

Yes, that is a poster of the Mona Lisa smoking an enormous joint. Clearly this family cannot be cooler. There was another super rasta-man poster on the other wall. I felt totally comfortable talking to them about where I was going tonight, and what we did, PG-rated or not. We had several long conversations about favorite types of alcohol. SO different from my Paris host family, who, though quite sweet, are really quite old-fashioned.

DAY 2

Exploring Vieux Lyon and the Institute of the Lumiere Brothers. Lots of walking.

Gorgeous, cobblestones. And yes, that thing down the middle of the cobblestoned street is a poop chute. Sewage rolled down that center aisle for centuries before the invention of the modern toilet.

And of course, the Lumiere Institute was awesome, and we got to see the first movies in existence.
Fun Fact: Lyon is the birthplace of cinema! The Lumiere brothers, who invented cinema as we know it, lived in Lyon. By the end of their lives they patented over 100 inventions.

Afterwards I met up with Austin, an American from SLU also living with the family (albeit for a year), and we explored Parc de Tete d'Or, a public park with its own zoo!


And oh, the colors! Autumn: my favorite season, by far.
Then, that Friday night, I got my first taste of Lyon nightlife. Vieux Lyon is the place to go: full of restaurants, cafes, and Irish pubs. Totally international. Austin and I met up with the Reid Hall kids after several glasses of Sangria chez nous, where our family was having a spontaneous dinner party for the neighbors. Pub-crawling consumed most of the night, until everything closed around 2 and Austin found some of his Lyon friends on the street. A Kebab stand and much standing around later, we crashed at his friend's place and made our hungover way back to Caluire around 11 AM.

DAY 3

Saturday, the only required activity being to spend time with our homestay families. A quiet day, most of which was spent zoned out listening to music in the bedroom. Except the afternoon, when the family took me to the Contemporary Art museum of Lyon (read more about it in the other blog). Frankly, they weren't fans. I was practically salivating. Weird, the difference a few years of art history education will do for you. That night Austin and I zoned out in front of the TV and watched DVDs accompanied by bread, nutella, cheese, and 2 bottles of wine. How is nutella not in every concession stand across the world? Is it because it is no less than the ambrosia of the gods?

DAY 4

HIKING! The family took me hiking in the countryside, only a 45 minute car ride from Caluire. Of course, i didn't expect to be hiking 12 kilometers! All they said was to come with them to "marcher et voir la compagne un peu" (to walk and see a bit of the countryside). My Chicago family NEVER took me hiking. I was expecting a picnic with a quiet stroll. It was quite tiring and quite fun, although I practically ruined the boots I brought along-- not that I care. There's a reason I buy Payless variety of everything. Clearly I slept well Sunday night.

Took lots of pretty pictures of paysage (landscapes) :



DAY 5

Monday arrives, and with it, back to good ol' tourist activities. We went to a vignoble (vinyard) in Beaujolais, just a few minutes from Lyon. Yes, that is where they make that delicious, delicious wine (my personal fave of all red wines. Actually, probably my favorite alcoholic drink period). We also saw bread being baked! And we were treated graciously by the most adorable married couple in history.

And the food! The wine! So much delicious wine!
Afterwards, an obligatory nap in the vinyard.


Then, the Musee des Beaux-Arts (museum of fine arts) in Lyon, although the lot of us were tipsy from the wine and far too tired to comprehend much of it. I enjoyed it, of course (be it as it may, i enjoyed the wine much more than the museum!).

The night was a tad frustrating. Back to Vieux Lyon we went, although we quickly found out that nothing is open past midnight on Monday nights. Oh, civilization, where have you gone?? Most of the night was walking around the city. We transversed almost the entire city that night, just looking for a place to go until the metro opened at 5. We lasted until 3, when I had to share a cab and pay the unfortunate price of 20 euro for my trek back to Caluire. Oh, the price of socializing. Oof.

Picture of Vieux Lyon at night:




DAY 6

Last full day in Lyon. Un peu triste. Actually I was very depressed at the prospect of returning to academia and leaving the Joubert family, who I got very attached to. Touristy-activities-wise, we spent the day in, AGAIN, Vieux Lyon, exploring the Fourviere, an enormous church built a century ago.

We climbed to the top and the view was breathtaking. You can tell from the architecture that Lyon was originally occupied by the Romans. So different from the post-Haussmanian architecture dominating Paris. Note the terra cotta-colored roofs. Adorable.

Last dinner with the family later that evening, when I ate so much food that the mom did a double take. I must've eaten twice Austin's portion, although in my defense, it was the first meal of the day. I've become such a glutton in France!

DAY 7

A strange ending to our trip, as we were taken to a World War II museum. Very creepy, very depressing. Although right before our TGV-ride back to dear old Paris, we were taken to an extremely fancy restaurant near the Perrache train station. I was so full I literally could not walk. Seriously. I cannot handle this amount of deliciousness! And, for the first time that I could remember, I couldn't finish the elegant dessert:


Ah, Lyon. You shall be missed.

...

Still no Paris, though. Then again, what can possibly equate the spectacle of excitement that is Paris, city of lights, art, and 24-hour public transportation??