My year in Lyon went by so fast that I missed
to write about majority of the good side of things in living there. It’s true, most people I know
who had first hand French xp had a complicated love-hate relationship with France. Most of them weren't exactly waxing lyrical about it for various
things and on top of the list is the infamous French bureaucracy and the reputed rudeness of the locals which was proven true time and again. However, a year spent in Lyon also proved that even such gloomiest impressions could be outshone
by some better things: everything is dependent on perspective, always a case-to-case basis. Some
locals did live up to their brusque reputation but somehow I got used to it, numb enough to even care to say the least. But in the spirit of paying credits to where it’s due and for
the sake of reminiscing, I am listing some of those good (or better) personal Lyon
memories I managed to extract out of 12 months of battling out such french revolution within myself.
Going out of Lyon for the very first time (Annecy)
Not intentionally trying to be sour by starting on a bad foot here but for the first few weeks I had been in Lyon, I could not wait to leave. Apparently, leaving Lyon right away and whenever possible was a habit I learned to love more in the process. First attempt was a trip to Annecy which was no less than wonderful -- with its beautiful canals, old buildings, and the fact that it was the least french thing I experienced for the first time in a long while. It was more Swiss than Geneva, tbh. Having some drinks on a boat ride on the clear lake almost made me want to just stay there and never go back to Lyon anymore knowing that there were tons of responsibilities that await 😅
Not intentionally trying to be sour by starting on a bad foot here but for the first few weeks I had been in Lyon, I could not wait to leave. Apparently, leaving Lyon right away and whenever possible was a habit I learned to love more in the process. First attempt was a trip to Annecy which was no less than wonderful -- with its beautiful canals, old buildings, and the fact that it was the least french thing I experienced for the first time in a long while. It was more Swiss than Geneva, tbh. Having some drinks on a boat ride on the clear lake almost made me want to just stay there and never go back to Lyon anymore knowing that there were tons of responsibilities that await 😅
While the people aren't exactly the best bet, Lyon was still beautiful as it is. Even in the darkest of days, it's still visually exquisite. One can easily confirm this up close or even from afar. But it needs quite an immersion before full appreciation given the language difference, cultural mismatch, and a long list of other things people hate about France I'd keep on reiterating. It’s one of those cities that get even more breathtaking with time. One of my favorite escape points is this medieval neighbour called Perouges known for the famous galettes, the major filming site for The Three Musketeers, with notably friendly neighbourhood kitties. It was nice and beautiful, I had to be there twice.
Spontaneous weekebd hikes and naturely walks on parks and more (Mont Pilat, Mont Thou, Lacroix Laval, Mirabel Jonage, etc.)
Before coming to Europe, outdoors and mountains were my regular thing. I scored quite a lot of them in the Baltics despite it being a region generally flat, so it will be a shame to not have a decent count in France after staying for a whole year. I had been to quite a lot of hiking trails and outdoor spots either with friends or alone, spending some time in the middle of knowhere , having maps but getting lost anyways. Such times will now forever hold a special place this my boy-next-outdoor's heart and it's one of the few things I will surely miss about living in France.
Arguably, some of the best things in France are cheese, wine, croissant (and veer!) . Cheese and wine were the regular suspects in my grocery list (because France?). Then there was my addiction phase to croissant (which truly ate a huge chunk in my budget). On a close fourth is beer, particularly those pints from Sirius, a bar by the Rhône where most of the random weekend and after-work beer sessions happened. More importantly, it was the people I had beer with and spent most of those days navigating the stirring yet isolating period of not understanding what was going on 😕
La Fête
de la Musique
Of the few events and festivals I managed to attend in Lyon, the music festival is probably among the top-tier ones. On normal days, free music in the streets make me genuinely happy. There were a lot of times I had to stop for a while and indulge on the regular accordion performance along Charpennes or the random guitar recital near Bellecour. Having all of these in a grander scale during the music festival was too much, in a good way. Thinking back, I pay huge regards to all the talented busking guys sharing a piece of their hearts which never fail to cause my heart burst at the seams with joy and appreciation – of all the good things I had at that moment in exchange of what I had to leave behind.
Of the few events and festivals I managed to attend in Lyon, the music festival is probably among the top-tier ones. On normal days, free music in the streets make me genuinely happy. There were a lot of times I had to stop for a while and indulge on the regular accordion performance along Charpennes or the random guitar recital near Bellecour. Having all of these in a grander scale during the music festival was too much, in a good way. Thinking back, I pay huge regards to all the talented busking guys sharing a piece of their hearts which never fail to cause my heart burst at the seams with joy and appreciation – of all the good things I had at that moment in exchange of what I had to leave behind.
When million
lights lit up Lyon (Fête des Lumières)
I once wrote about this before and I basically wanted to say the same thing again.
I once wrote about this before and I basically wanted to say the same thing again.
There were a few times I had been admittedly wasted in Lyon; first, during the beer festival and second, during a wine tasting event. To be fair, I was not informed about the golden rule: to spit (if you must) and not always swallow. It ended up as a heavy drinking afternoon (or night!) as I had to be in another place to drink for the rest of the night. So, I ended up done & down and had to deal with the after-effects the next day.
Lyon just never runs out of reasons to drink all the time. Festivals after another after another. That being said, I am quite relieved I don’t have the fomo genes otherwise my bank accounts will be seriously drained. I managed to choose my battles, still. And this Street Food Festival is one of those smart choices. For what it’s worth, it was worth it. Muchly recommended!
All the things mentioned so far were activities beyond school but there also are a few nice things going on within the confines of the academic walls e.g. Winter School. For the last 5 months, I have been pathologically disjointed and disconnected with the French system, so spending a week with these familiar faces was such a relieving and comforting thing.
After a year, part of the old me was dead and gone. I was dead proud finishing the masters in high spirits because gone are the days of bearing that label of being a quitter and feeling bad about not getting that sablay I initially worked towards for. Indeed, we are never denied, just redirected.
