It's everything I expected it to be, and more!!
When first looking into moving here, I only considered Paris. I wanted the little rue's, large typical french buildings, the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, the large parks and the little cafes. To me, everything besides Paris was only countryside and small villages with nothing to do.
Unfortunately Paris didn't work out, and I was forced to look into other options. A family contacted me from Lyon and I pushed it aside for a while since it wasn't Paris. When I decided to expand my location, I was reminded of their email. Two kids, suburb of Lyon, and I would have my own apartment. I emailed them back and before I knew it, I was hired.
Then I did some research:
Did you know....
- Lyon is France's second-largest city with 1.7 million people in the Metro area
- Lyon has the #1 French mass public transit system outside of Paris
- Lyon is the gateway to Europe allowing one to travel to most major European cities in under 2 hours
- Lyon was the center of the French Resistance during the French Revolution
- Lyons Tete d'Or Park is one of the world's largest urban parks
- Lyon is recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
So here I am, and I am so glad I am not in Paris. Sure, there isn't an Eiffel Tower or Notre Dame here, I'll give you that. But, one of the first things I noticed when I toured the city for the first time was the lack of tourists and tourist shops. Sure, I've seen a few groups here and there, but really, Lyon is legitimately French, or "Lyonnais" as the people who live here call themselves.
Lyon is kind of wedged in between two rivers. The Saone, and the Rhone. In 10 minutes, I can walk from one river to the other. How they managed to fit SO much inbetween, I have no idea but I'm cool with it.
One place I found is a little square called Place des Jacobins. It represents everything I ever dreamed about when picturing my life in France. A tiny square surrounded by streets and buildings on all sides, this place has become my piece of heaven. It has a fountain in the middle complete with naked mermaids clutching fish that spout water out of their mouths (Art? Or a horny sculptor with a fish fettish? The world may never know), it has the chairs for people watching, the traditional cramped french buildings with rod iron fences on their balconies, on one corner is a cafe and on the other is Dior. It's about a mile from my school, but I make the trek there almost every day just to feel the way I do when I sit on a bench and write.
Maybe it would be better if I just posted pictures...This could take a while if I tried to write about everything I love here.
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| Place Des Jacobins |
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| Croix-Rousse |
