Lyon, France

I never posted anything about Lyon, so I'm remedying that right now with a summary of thoughts. Yup!



It seems like such a long time ago that I actually came up with this pre-program itinerary. I feel like it had always somehow been set in stone that I would be flying in to London, somehow spending five days there, then flying to Lyon, where my cousin resides, in order to spend an equal amount of time hanging out with her. I guess that was a conscious decision at some point, and, I must say, it was a pretty good one, although I think that, at the time, I underestimated how much money both excursions would cost. Still. it was worth it.

Being in Lyon was really different than being in London. First of all, and most obvious of the differences, I can't speak the language at all.

I've never taken a French class or made an effort to get to know the language. nor am I particularly well versed in the differences between American and French culture or, for that matter, was I particularly interested in finding them out. I don't know what I was thinking when I decided going to France was a good idea. I guess I figured I could visit my cousin who I haven't seen in two years as well as visit a city in another European country.


Anyway, as far as the inability to speak any French, this concerned me due to the logistics of meeting up with my cousin. Aside from having no phone or idea what I was doing, not being able to communicate with anyone could act as somewhat of an impediment to discovering information. When I'd discuss the issue with others, I was assured that "People speak English in France" and that "I would probably be fine."

Well, I was fine. But people definitely do not speak English in France. At least not Lyon. So, lesson learned. Always underestimate Western European country's abilities to speak English. You will probably be right in your assessment.

Second of the big differences, is that I felt more like I was on my own in this trip. Even though I ended up spending a lot of time with my cousin Kati, she was more of a guide than a travelling partner, having lived in the city for something like three years and speaking the language fluently. Also, besides her, I knew no one else, and so I ended up befriending and meeting a good amount of her acquaintances, whose company I actually enjoyed. She has a good and interesting network of people out there. I could see how isolating it must have been when she was living in Anessy mostly on her own.


Also, I had no Rick Steves to guide me through the sights, give interesting (though often inane) commentary or ratings regarding the sights. What three pyramid attractions should I visit, Rick!? Without you how will I travel Europe through the back door?

I managed fine.I kind of liked the feeling of being on my own that first day when I walked the old city by myself and somehow actually ended up seeing a good amount of sights. I also ended up groaning my way through a lunch transaction, something which, although incredibly frustrating, felt somehow rewarding in the end.

Lyon is a much smaller city than London, but then again, London is a megametropolis, so that isn't saying a whole lot. Lyon is still pretty big in relative terms as it's the third biggest city in France. I found it to be a nice size, and to have a really interesting layout. It's a pretty compact urban area with two hills, one of which has an enormous glistening white basilica on the top of it. Also, there's a random satellite tower next to it which I am not entirely sure how I feel towards.

It definitely is a city with character.

A final observation regarding size, I was surprised to see how incredibly small the airport was in what is supposed to be the third biggest city in a leading industrial country. It's nice and all, but there's only a single terminal. It reminded me of the Santa Barbara airport in terms of sparseness and smallness.

It makes sense in terms of the geography, though. As my cousin Kati explained to me, France isn't necessarily made up of bustling urban areas, something which, I wasn't particularly aware of.

Although I already mentioned finances, I have to say that the euro treated me much better than the pound, although, it's somewhat worrying that I'm getting used to the fact that eating at a fast food restaurant usually costs more than eight dollars for a somewhat satisfying meal (it is only truly satisfying if at the end of my meal, I feel like I never want to eat at that establishment ever again). Oh well.

Originally, plans included perhaps making a day trip to Paris, but upon realizing how busy my cousin Kati would be, along with my real life tired state after the whirlwind that was England, I took it a lot slower. I walked a lot (most of the city in fact, it's not that much of a walk). Saw the sights, and even stumbled my way through some conversations through which I was somehow able to communicate my desires. Great!

Surprisingly, I really, really liked France. It is, perhaps, my favorite European country so far in which I don't understand anything that is being spoken. Nonetheless, it's hard to figure whether that opinion is completely unbiased, or a product of the great time I had due to the company of my cousin and her friends.

Anyway, I'm excited to go back next month and see Paris. Also, I've been in Madrid for about a week and a half. I'll write more about that later, but suffice it to say that I'm enjoying myself, adapting, and that I like my homestay. The food on the other hand...

The Beginning

Rather than write a laundry list of things I’ve done during the past week, I’ll try to write a decent narrative of the last week. Here goes.

I arrived in Heathrow confused, queasy, but ready to begin my adventure. Finding my travel companion, Nick, was not too difficult. My late plane ended up arriving minutes before his so we actually saw eachother before we even left the terminal. It was comforting to have someone there who also had no idea how this whole being abroad thing was going to work. I guess the European light country that is England, though, is probably a good place to start.

The plane ride wasn’t too bad. It felt pretty short since I slept through a lot of it. I was feeling kind of nauseous for most of it for absolutely no reason. I’ve got to say, though, British Airways has a pretty thorough choice of airline entertainment. Any airline that allows me to watch the last episode of Spaced back to back with the completely unnecessary cinematic excursion that is Shrek the third is okay in my book.

London is an incredible city. The history, diversity, visual splendor, culture, and overall largeness of the hub of the UK are an impressive sight as well as a lot of fun to explore. I’ve never experienced such an awesome public transportation system. It’s pretty easy to get lost in central London due to the short streets, unmarked street names, and constant changes, but figuring out where you are with a map isn’t too difficult, especially with the ubiquitousness of tube stops. Can’t complain about our hostel either. Despite staying in a 28 person room for 3 nights, it was not that bad. Curtains really go a long way to creating a better sleeping environment. The odor could have been improved, however.

I'd like to mention a shout out to Max who played host to Nick and I for two of the days we were there. Unfortunately, his schedule didn't allowing for him to join us on some of our excursions, but his company was much appreciated when it was available. Here, now look at this picture.

I saw most everything I wanted to see, but was slightly disappointed by the closing of several wings of the National Gallery. If I had more time I’d probably have visited the Tate Modern, the Churchill Museum as well as the National Portrait Gallery and the inside of Westminster Abbey.

I’ll have plenty of time to see excellent art elsewhere though, so missing out on the art museums is not too big a loss.


Despite my enjoyment of the place, I’ll be damned if it wasn’t really expensive. Especially when you take into account that I saw two musicals into the equation. As for those, Spamalot was actually somewhat underwhelming, but Wicked was quite impressive. The songs didn’t catch me as particularly ear-catching on first listen, but repeat plays of the soundtrack on my Ipod have been happening recently, so I guess that means something.

Also contributing to my loss of funds was a general ignorance of the way things worked in London. By the time we left, though, I think I basically got the hang of it. Too bad that is when it was least useful.

As for the populace, I was impressed as well as surprised. Brits were more or less friendly, although this might have something to do with the fact that they were robbing us blindly (The smallest bill denomination is the equivalent of ten US dollars. That is asinine!) I didn’t expect too much considering it was an urban environment, having grown up in LA, but London was different. People actually acknowledged the fact that you exist.

We ended our stay in the city of Bath which is to the southwest of London, close to the coast. Although the historic nature of the bath spas and their general condition was not as impressive as I was hoping, the city is quite beautiful. As is often the case, this is mostly the result of a government institution with strict mandates on architecture and building materials. The city does a well job of marketing itself though, what with free walking tours as well as a generally friendly attitude towards tourists.

Other highlights of the trip include a discussion of comparative real estate with our honorary guide on the walking tour, as well as a conversation with a student at the University of Bath who aspired to go to phoenix in order to further his research on public spaces and hot weather.

I kind of wished we had had more moments like that with the locals, but those that did happen were pretty enjoyable, and occurred more often in Bath than in London. Anyway, I’m looking forward to these kind of interactions when I’m settled in to Spain, especially since I read that the Spanish are such big fans of random conversation.

I think it’s true that you can’t really form a valid opinion on travel experiences until while after they happen. While I was in London, I constantly had to sort of shake myself to help myself realize that I was thousands of miles away in a foreign city of vast international significance and such strong influence.

Sometimes it’s easy to get used to the fact that you’re so far away from home seeing incredible sights. Like most anything, you just get used to the fact that you’re far away from home and having so many new experiences.

Anyway, I’m in Lyon now. But I’ve been a homebody pretty much all day. We’ll see how tomorrow goes, especially since I’m venturing by myself and don’t speak the language at all.

Bye!