Here is a taste of what is to come in the next few blog posts: oranges, palm trees, snow-capped mountains, camels, ancient palaces, drums in the desert, spice markets, and a lot of couscous.
But for now, I want to recount my first two days of traveling through Lyon, a city that really should not be overlooked. As France's 3rd largest city, Lyon is well known for good food and silk, but I think it is even more beautiful then Paris. Originally, I had no intention to visit the city, but Bridget and I found really cheap flights to Morocco straight from Lyon airport... and I had a free weekend before our trip... so why not explore Lyon?
So starting with Saturday: I arrived in the city at lunchtime and promptly ate, then conquered the metro system and dropped my stuff off at the hostel. Then, I walked into Lyon's old town, which is where I stayed for most of my visit. I hiked up to the roman amphitheater that sits on the hill above the city (definitely a sight to see) then strolled up further to the Basilica de Notre-Dame de Fourviere.
I've seen quite a few impressive cathedrals in my study-abroad experience, but the Basilica was different. The façade was really nothing special (Strasbourg's cathedral still wins in my mind) but the inside of the Basilica was absolutely beautiful. I stood there--staring up at the ceiling and walls--for so long that 5 o'clock mass started and I decided to sit through it just to continue admiring the cathedral's interior. Side note: that was the first French mass that I've been to, and I was faced with a series of obstacles, such as not knowing the prayers in French and having no idea what to say to the other French people around me during the "Peace be with you" part (so I just mumbled something about "paix" to each person).
Another thing to love about the Basilica: the VIEW. One of the best views of Lyon can be seen from just behind Notre-Dame de Fourviere. I stood out there for a while and watched the city light up as dusk fell.
Moving on to Sunday: after breakfast, I walked around for awhile until I stumbled upon a main square where this beautiful fountain was. It reminded me of pictures of Italian fountains, honestly. Then I took the metro-funicular up to Croix Rousse, a neighborhood that was nicknamed "The Hill that Works" as opposed to the neighborhood containing the Basilica, which was "The Hill that Prays." Croix Rousse was mostly known for silk work. First, I found the wall mural that has become kind of famous. It does look quite real, doesn't it?
 |
| Can you tell the real people from the painted ones? |
Next, I just wandered around for a while until I become hungry for lunch. I found this cute little cafe called Les Sept Péchés du Plateau (The Seven Sins of the Tray) and sat down before I really looked at the menu. The prices were way too expensive for me, so I eventually decided to order a salad (something I never do). Let me say that it was the BEST SALAD OF MY LIFE. It doesn't seem that impressive when described--lettuce and parma ham and mozzerella cheese, all topped with an amazingly creamy, warm "trois bleu" dressing--but let me tell you, it was delicious. Fittingly, it was the "envy" salad of the menu (each of the cafe's meal options represented one of the seven sins, so the menu offered seven different salads, seven different fish plates, seven different desserts... etc) and I must have visibly enjoyed the salad because the people at the two surrounding tables each asked the waitress what I was eating and ordered it for themselves!
After my lunch (which I'm still reeling from... not sure if any other salad can ever compare) I took the metro-funicular back down out of the Croix-Rousse neighborhood, got off at a different station, and found myself in Lyon's main square complete with a giant Ferris wheel. Of course, I rode the Ferris wheel, and was rewarded with some more beautiful views of the city.
I still had hours till I was meant to meet Bridget, so I wandered up the giant hill once more, expecting to see the ancient amphitheater again, but I arrived at a different spot and promptly became lost. I ended up in a tiny park (Le Jardin des curiosites) hidden behind an elementary school, but it held the most gorgeous view of Lyon. It was located at the edge of a cliff--just a little green space and some benches--but a surprising amount of people knew about the park. I sat there for a long time, just watching everyone around me and admiring the panorama of the city. There was also a girl who had brought her cat to the park and tried, for a solid hour, to do a photo shoot with the furious animal, which amused me greatly.
Leaving the park, I wandered around the Old Town for a while, buying a crepe from a street vendor and just walking around. Then, I visited the Le Musée de cinéma et des miniatures. The first few floors were really cool, since they described in detail how films are produced, showing behind-the-scenes footage of how set designers meticulously produced mini-models of entire cities and planes and the magic of green screens--all things which I know happen in Hollywood, but I've never before seen it happen before my own eyes. They also had props and costumes from hundreds of movies (including Harry Potter's wand from the first film!! I was psyched to see it). The last floor was full of "miniatures" : so there were over a hundred different mini rooms that recreated old theaters or apartments or prisons. Personally, I was unimpressed (or just too tired to really appreciate the detail that went into making these miniatures) but everyone else in the museum seemed to like them.
Finally it was time to grab my bag from the hostel and head over to the train station to meet Bridget. When her train came in, we headed over to the hotel near the airport to get a little sleep before our 6:20 am flight to Marrakech.
Early Monday morning, the two of us left Europe and arrived in the unforgettable Marrakech. Till next time!
No comments:
Post a Comment