After I was finally able to peel my eyes from the Arc de Triomphe, I had my first Metro ride in Paris (before I continue, I promise you this whole recount won’t be this detailed. It’s just that first-time Metro rides are important to me). There were musicians playing in the Metro, giving off a distinct aura of surrealism in the flourescent-lit underground. Through all the train rides, both in Lyon and Paris, these musicians played at a professional level. And indeed, they were no amateurs – I was informed that they had earned every right to be there, having to play in front of a panel of judges to prove their prowess in music (Beck played in French Metros for a few months, apparently, so they know talent when they hear it).
After a wonderful night’s sleep in his Aunt’s tasteful flat in Paris (where I was once again reunited with fromage), Julien and I took the TGV to Lyon. The two hour ride would have been an excellent opportunity to succumb to jetlag but the scenery just wouldn’t allow me to. The spray-painted walls of Paris dissolved into picturesque green hills and postcard-perfect little villages (complete with the cows!). As the saying goes, it’s the journey, not the destination…
Lyon
But in this case, it’s the journey AND the destination, as we were deposited in the center of Lyon’s crowded train station. After being away for more than a year, Julien noticed the little details as expected (“They changed it? This wasn’t here before…”). I did, too, but on a totally different level (“Where am I? This wasn’t here, ever…”)
Lyon, the second largest city in France (if you include the suburbs. Some books say it’s the third, after Paris and Marseilles) and the largest in the Rhone valley, is known as the gastronomic heaven and haven (Paul Bocuse, world-reknowned chef of French cuisine, hails from Lyon), and also hosts gems like the Cathedral of Saint Jean dating back to the 13th century, to the well-preserved old quarter of town, to the Museum of Beaux-Arts (allow yourself more than 4 hours to visit this or everthing will be a blur, I swear). Two rivers meet at Lyon, the Rhone and Saone, making it accessible for trade and industry when the ol’ Romans found it way back 2000 years ago. So they declared Lyon their chief city. After the French revolution, loom helped kick the city’s industry back to life – silk manufacturers worked in Croix Rousse, one of the two hills in Lyon. As a result, high ceilings that used to accomodate the looms are still present.
Soleil
The only thing about the sun is that in summer, it shines till around 9:30 pm. I’ve heard about that before of course but obviously, this was the first time I’d experienced it. Since I don’t wear a watch (time is going to move whether I have one or not, anyway, plus I’ll never catch it so what’s the use), I was always yawning like a laaaazydays bear wondering why I was so tired at four in the afternoon. turns out it was always around nine in the evening. Errr.
To be continued
