[Lyon Impressions]
I must say, I love the public transportation system in Lyon-which is, I suppose, a very good thing, as I must spend at least two hours on it everyday. But it is so fast and convenient and easy to use! The city is criss-crossed by a network of buses, trams, and the metro, and I quite like being able to get from one part to another quite quickly, and often without the worry of traffic. It’s not particularly expensive either-I pay 30 dollars for a monthly pass card, and that works for every kind of public transport. I just swipe my card and jump from bus to metro to tram. (Quite literally-that is what I do every morning and afternoon, in reverse, to get to and from school.)
I guess for any of you who lived in big European cities that isn’t anything new, but for me it is, even though there’s a similar system in Moscow. Still, here it seems especially fast and connected, and I’m very grateful for all the nice, colorful signs that make sure I don’t get lost and always get the right station.
Still, no matter how fond I may be of it all, I *am* looking forward to when I move a bit closer to the center of the city, where it will hopefully take me less than 40 minutes to get to class.
The reason I’m so far away now is that currently I’m living on an island, the Ile Barbe, in the river Saon on the outskirts of Lyon. It is very pretty though, and very small. There are only nine houses, and it covers only 8 acres. All the houses are very interesting, however, because in medieval times, there used to be an abbey on this island. It was since destroyed, but every house has a piece of the original abbey. In my case, the salon of the house I live at used to be a small chapel. Thus the ceiling and much of the walls, etc, are of Gothic times. In fact, according to my host’s mother, some of the stonework dates back to the 8th century (I think).
It’s really strange for me to be living in a house where some things I would usually take for granted are so *old.* Not just the walls and doorways, but other antiques the family has. In the same salon, for instance, there is a 16th century commode, and a 13th or something century table. There is a statuette of Virgin Mary that is from the 17th century. It took me a while, when they were describing these items, to get that they are not simply in the style of these centuries, but actually from them.
So, the house is big, beautiful, and pretty cold. It’s hard to heat such a large house, I guess, and now that the weather’s warming up it’s better, but when I first came it would be freezing in my room. I have an extra small heater the family gave me, and I’d sit next to that in the evenings.
In a few weeks though, I’m moving to another place-an apartment in the city. It won’t be so cool, but it’ll probably be more convenient. The reason I’m living here now is that the apartment-which is where I was supposed to live-isn’t yet finished, so I’m staying with the apartment owner’s daughter for the time being, in her house.
The daughter and her husband are very nice. They both work-she is a doctor, he is a surgeon-so I don’t see them very much, only at dinner usually. There is always a very good dinner. :) The woman is a very good cook, but during the week, the maid prepares the dinner and leaves it in the oven. It’s so far been interesting, because they try to have a new type of meal-and-vegetable every day.
T.V. here is amusing. There are a lot of English programs dubbed into French. And uncut anime! Oh, the bande-dessinee sections of the bookstores here are wonderful. The French bande-dessinees are great: so beautiful, and they all look quite intreresting, and then there’s translated manga too… And it’s fun to see that it’s a popular section, with all kinds and all ages of people browsing it. I think I’ll get Anna a French comic book as a present when I go back.
Food is more expensive than in the US, but there’s a lot of it. Many streets with restaurants upon restaurants. Hard to get a quick meal unless you just buy a sandwich off the street though-you’re meant to sit, talk, relax, and eat your lunch at your leisure. From 12 to 2, a lot of businesses are closed: for instance, I can’t go see any of the secretaries or visit departments in the university during this time, because everyone takes a lunch break. It’s also interesting that the waiter actually gets upset if you don’t finish your food, and takes it as an insult.
I’d talk some more about French fashion and/or nightlife here, but I am getting tired. This was my obligatory entry on Lyon for all of you, so from now on I’ll probably just write silly little complaints and rants, as before.
Oh! And I shall be going to London in early March! Fuchsia bought tickets for us to see Placebo, and is arranging accommodations, so I’ll be going to visit her and attend the concert. In turn, she then has to pay me a visit! ;)
I guess for any of you who lived in big European cities that isn’t anything new, but for me it is, even though there’s a similar system in Moscow. Still, here it seems especially fast and connected, and I’m very grateful for all the nice, colorful signs that make sure I don’t get lost and always get the right station.
Still, no matter how fond I may be of it all, I *am* looking forward to when I move a bit closer to the center of the city, where it will hopefully take me less than 40 minutes to get to class.
The reason I’m so far away now is that currently I’m living on an island, the Ile Barbe, in the river Saon on the outskirts of Lyon. It is very pretty though, and very small. There are only nine houses, and it covers only 8 acres. All the houses are very interesting, however, because in medieval times, there used to be an abbey on this island. It was since destroyed, but every house has a piece of the original abbey. In my case, the salon of the house I live at used to be a small chapel. Thus the ceiling and much of the walls, etc, are of Gothic times. In fact, according to my host’s mother, some of the stonework dates back to the 8th century (I think).
It’s really strange for me to be living in a house where some things I would usually take for granted are so *old.* Not just the walls and doorways, but other antiques the family has. In the same salon, for instance, there is a 16th century commode, and a 13th or something century table. There is a statuette of Virgin Mary that is from the 17th century. It took me a while, when they were describing these items, to get that they are not simply in the style of these centuries, but actually from them.
So, the house is big, beautiful, and pretty cold. It’s hard to heat such a large house, I guess, and now that the weather’s warming up it’s better, but when I first came it would be freezing in my room. I have an extra small heater the family gave me, and I’d sit next to that in the evenings.
In a few weeks though, I’m moving to another place-an apartment in the city. It won’t be so cool, but it’ll probably be more convenient. The reason I’m living here now is that the apartment-which is where I was supposed to live-isn’t yet finished, so I’m staying with the apartment owner’s daughter for the time being, in her house.
The daughter and her husband are very nice. They both work-she is a doctor, he is a surgeon-so I don’t see them very much, only at dinner usually. There is always a very good dinner. :) The woman is a very good cook, but during the week, the maid prepares the dinner and leaves it in the oven. It’s so far been interesting, because they try to have a new type of meal-and-vegetable every day.
T.V. here is amusing. There are a lot of English programs dubbed into French. And uncut anime! Oh, the bande-dessinee sections of the bookstores here are wonderful. The French bande-dessinees are great: so beautiful, and they all look quite intreresting, and then there’s translated manga too… And it’s fun to see that it’s a popular section, with all kinds and all ages of people browsing it. I think I’ll get Anna a French comic book as a present when I go back.
Food is more expensive than in the US, but there’s a lot of it. Many streets with restaurants upon restaurants. Hard to get a quick meal unless you just buy a sandwich off the street though-you’re meant to sit, talk, relax, and eat your lunch at your leisure. From 12 to 2, a lot of businesses are closed: for instance, I can’t go see any of the secretaries or visit departments in the university during this time, because everyone takes a lunch break. It’s also interesting that the waiter actually gets upset if you don’t finish your food, and takes it as an insult.
I’d talk some more about French fashion and/or nightlife here, but I am getting tired. This was my obligatory entry on Lyon for all of you, so from now on I’ll probably just write silly little complaints and rants, as before.
Oh! And I shall be going to London in early March! Fuchsia bought tickets for us to see Placebo, and is arranging accommodations, so I’ll be going to visit her and attend the concert. In turn, she then has to pay me a visit! ;)