and we can find new ways of living...: Lyon and other things

Salut!

So it's been over a week since I went to Lyon, and I finally have the chance to write a little about it.

...where to start...

No doubt, one definitely eats well in Lyon, though the fare is not exactly light. For example, at every Lynnais bouchon we went to, sausages, foie, and heavier dishes were standard menu options. For those who like foie--liver, that is--it's really delicious! I also had a really good chocolate mousse at a bouchon that was called Bouchon Lyonnais. (not sure how helpful that is, because there were about 55 "bouchons lyonnais". but that's no matter.) Most good places charged between 13 and 18 euro for a prix-fixed meal complete with about 3 to 5 courses. Definitely worth it!

I thought it was kind of like a mini-Paris, complete with a river (the Saône), bridges, renaissance architecture, and a scaled down (and frankly, far less appealing) Gustave Eiffel monument. In terms of nightlife though, it was definitely not like Paris, at least from my experience. By the river bank there is an area filled with bars and clubs. The good clubs all charged an insane cover, so I would say the bars are a better option. We went to this Scottish pub that was pretty fun, though nothing special. Overall, it wasn't a great experience, because the club that had been recommended to us (Le Loft) took 20 minutes to get to by taxi, was in the banlieue (suburbs) and therefore the bouncers found it appropriate to tell us to be quiet--outside of a club!--because children were sleeping. They charged a 15 euro cover in addition to that, and some of us were in enough of a bad mood that it just wasn't worth it, so we went back to the hotel.

The sightseeing, in my opinion, was far more interesting. Despite the fact that it was absolutely freezing outside, we still managed to see a good amount of the city. The Roman amphitheater was interesting, but not as impressive as I'd expected. My favorite sight was the Basilica Notre Dame de Fourvière (pictured).

The best anecdote I have from the trip is the Auberge de Jeunesse fiasco:

There is but one single hostel in Lyon, the Auberge de Jeunesse du Vieux Lyon. I booked it thinking that it would be the perfect option. Based on the website, the place seemed totally legit and relatively cheap, and it is situated in a prime location with a nice terrace. I did not know, however, that to get there, one has to ascend a wee mountain. The pretty terrace pictured on the website is really a chair outside

adjacent to the cafeteria, which was not properly cleaned nor sanitized. The storage closet smelled of strong b.o. and rotten eggs...you get the idea. Anyway, it would have been bearable if it weren't for the auberge charging us an extra fifteen euro per person because we didn't have an auberge de jeunesse card (which isn't even needed at most hostels). In other words, we would have spent more to sleep at that place than if we stayed at a three star hotel...So we did. We found an excellent little hotel (the hotel de residence) on the Rue Victor Hugo--the same name as the street I live on in Aix!--for almost nothing split among four people.

The best moment of the trip, by far, was the relief felt by all of us upon finding the hotel--knowing that we wouldn't have to stay in the Auberge de Jeunesse. Of course, to retrieve our bags (which were stored in the auberge's foul-smelling closet), we would have to trek up the

mountain again. Luckily, two of my girl friends (one of them my roomie) were in the cafeteria/lobby of the auberge waiting for a verdict on the hotel. So we asked them to carry all of our bags (about 8 bags in total, including theirs) all the way down the "mountain" in exchange for free alcohol. Though reluctant, they obliged, and saved the day! Such troupers! (the photo of them meeting us after the bridge with the luggage is the first pictured).

That's it for Lyon.

As for Aix, it's been a lot of fun, as usual. Schoolwork is starting to pile up, but it's been manageable thus far. We had an around the world party between the different student apartments on Friday night, and Hugo's theme was Ancient Rome. (Don't ask. I would have done Brazil if it weren't for several factors...it's a long story.)