I was out surfing, desperately looking for compatriots who also update their blogs; I'd love to see some funny stories or real life examples of what I experience here in Lyon. In Lyon. Ironically most Americans don't even know where Lyon is; there's no eiffel tower and no fashion capital. Why did I even choose to live in Lyon? Why not Paris.. the dream of every American girl?
In the hearts of every Francophile lies the need to explore this country.. sadly when talking about France the first thing that pops into mind is Paris. La jolie ville de Paris (the beautiful city of Paris). I personally don't really like Paris.. I went in the summer of 2009 with Bri. It was a beautiful time, sunny and warm.. I loved the museums, I loved the gastronomy.. but I truly was not a fan of the hundreds of thousands of tourists swarming around. Every place I went there were groups of tourists.. along with those tourists were groups of people selling 'des souvenirs'. Mini glowing eiffel towers (tacky!), necklaces, fake purses, more mini glowing eiffel towers. Crêpes were costly, food was expensive.. It was just too much.
Then there was Lyon..
Bri is from Lyon, his family raised him in a little area just East of Lyon and he did his Masters in the city. Lyon , to me, is like what Paris was like in the 1950's.. non pretentious, no swarms of photo clicking foreigners and the gastronomy is to cry over. The best part for me is when I take a stroll down streets and not one menu is translated into English.. here the whole 'translating everything' fad has not caught on. Better yet, the laziness of the city. No rush to work or get through the day in a Westernized way.. in Lyon we have 'la vie tranquille' and we enjoy every minute of it.
I sort of am hesitant to glorify the city so much, the last thing I want is tourists catching the train and high tailing to me city.. but for living in France Lyon is so much better..
Sigh. I am going to stroll to a bouchon, hike to Fourvière and enjoy.
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About Me
- Sasha S.
- Forks, Portland, Lyon - France, Paris - France, Portland and ending up in Bellingham.... the adventures of my life!
Hi Sasha- you probably don't remember me but we met way back in Sept at a meetup. Anyway, I've been keeping a blog of my travels and adventures in Lyon. You're welcome to check it out if you want, I think it's linked to my name above. If you're up for it we could meet up again too, that'd be awesome! à bientôt! bisous.
ReplyDeleteIn defense of Paris, as a tourist, you were probably in the touristy places which is why there were so many people and an over-abundance of tacky souvenirs. I've lived in two different Parisians neighborhoods now - both quiet and tourist-free. Unless I go into the center, half of the time it's easy to even forget I'm in Paris!
ReplyDeleteThat said, I went to Lyon a few years back and I thought it was a lovely city - beautiful, lots to do, close to the mountains. I remember thinking that it seemed like it would be a great place to live!
Not even! I went to Paris with mon Bri- and we specifically avoided the hub of touristic places; but the city was packed.. I just prefer the beauty and quietness of Lyon. Paris is really great for those who love busy cities- It is the New York of France.. :) But I am more of a Portland person.. New York wasn't my favorite place either. I'd prefer Paris of the 50's; of course Lyon is on the way to change too. It's the inevitable capitalist changes.. but it's a personal view. :)
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