Lyon - Part Deux

Turns out, all of Lyon is situated on a hill - not just Vieux Lyon. The countless stairs shorten but also steepen the walk around it. Though definitely it is a trek to explore the city, the elevation reveals beautiful paysages, which are certainly worth seeing. 

 Le Parc de la Tête d’Or is the ‘Central Park’, as Niels the receptionist described it, of Lyon. Just off the east side of the Rhône River, it is a vast green area with a lake in the center on which people can paddle and row boat. On Sunday, half of the Lyonnaise were out with their families enjoying the nearly-summer day - rollerblading, boating, biking, picnic-ing, reading, playing soccer, relaxing. 



Turns out that in Lyon, Sunday dedicated completely to relaxation and spending time outside with family because everything is closed. Practically all of the stores, restaurants, bars, 
cafés...everything.  

 A typical Sunday in Lyon should be spent as follows: sleep in, go to a farmers market (which are everywhere in the morning!!!) and buy some fresh produce, picnic in a park and spend some quality family time strolling and having fun, go back home and make dinner with the market groceries, and have a peaceful night in with and early bed-time. This is definitely a tradition I am 100% okay with.


After enjoying the park, I walked to the Lyonnais Olympique Stadium - the Lyon soccer team, which had a game that day. Though unfortunately it turns out the game was not at home, it was interesting to see the stadium and to talk to Niels about how big of fans the Lyonnais are. Soccer (real football) is followed and enjoyed by all of Europe, and the major towns are typically very supportive of their home teams. Yet another reason for me to move to Europe... ;)

 Having walked around (and up and down) all of Lyon during the day on Sunday, I met up with two girls who I had met in my Paris hostel, who happened to also be staying in Lyon on the same nights the I was, and who happened to be in a hotel located half a block away from mine. They were from Kansas, my age, taking a semester off from college, and traveling through Europe...so many coincidences! 

We got together and scoured the south area of Lyon for an open restaurant on a Sunday night. Finally, after about half an hour of looking, we found a small mall in which only a select few restaurants were open and everything else was deserted. But we made it work and each enjoyed a glass of wine with our dinners - cheers to friends in foreign places! The mall was situated on the bank of the Saône River, where we sat in the fresh night Lyonnaise air, enjoying the view and company. 

 Though short, my stay in Lyon could not have been better nor more satisfying. The people were all so friendly and when I spoke with them in French they actually responded in French to me and helped me with my grammar and vocabulary, unlike the Parisians who seemed to always be in a rush and immediately switched to English, not giving me a chance to practice. The weather couldn’t have been better - a warm, sunny summer day (I even got a little bit sunburned). The food was remarkable, my strolls were interesting and a good work out, the cute and quaint town was peaceful and relaxing, and the atmosphere was pure joy. I loved every minute of my time here - definitely recommend visiting. Though I was told that during the summer it gets up to 40/45 degrees Celsius, so beware!  

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Lyon. The friendly people, welcoming atmosphere, relaxed way of life, stunning views, historic architecture, and delicious food made my visit remarkable. This is certainly a city that I would love to live in the future - to explore more thoroughly and completely indulge in its splendor and magic.