trois semaines

The weather was unusually warm today and it was a nice preview to what the city is going to be like in the spring.  I spent the afternoon at Le Parc de la Tête d'Or which translates as the park of the gold head. Inside is a huge botanical garden, huge lake, and a zoo that is free to the public.  

french graffiti 

the gates to the park

this was my favorite sign at the zoo, because it essentially says don't give baguettes to elephants.

Differences Cont. 

10. It is completely acceptable for cars to park on the sidewalk

11. razor scooters are still very cool, and can be ridden by adults while smoking cigarettes  

La pluie tombe fort

I should have known it was going to be one of those days when I left my apartment without an umbrella. The constant drizzle and flooding gutters didn’t really bother me, but the rain added weight to the grey streets and the lack of other senses seemed to point out the stench of the city.

I wouldn’t go as far as to say it was culture shock, but today I definitely felt very frustrated with being in France. The language barrier, once cute or endearing, is starting to feel like a huge burden, and when I can’t understand the people around me, everything in the world feels off limits.

To watch the presidential inauguration, I went to a pub in Vieux Lyon and the whole place was empty except for some other Americans. The pub was showing the English CNN coverage of the inauguration on a big flat screen tv, but the volume was on low and the bar continued to play loud pop songs that provided interesting background music to Obama's oath. After being there for about half an hour, the bartender came over and told the group I was with that "In France, people can't just come to bars and sit without ordering anything." She seemed very disinterested in what was happening on the tv, but I went to a different bar last night and every French person I met asked me if I had watched it. It became so annoying that by the end of the night I started saying I was Canadien if only to avoid questions.

Differences cont.
8. In The United States “oh la la” is usually said with a sexual undertone, but in France oh la la is equivalent to saying “oh geeze.” If you drop something, you might look at it and say oh la la.

9. In the United States you might say that something is “sick” implying that it is actually very good, and in France the same goes for saying something is terrible. If you like something, amongst your friends you might say c’est terrible.

Une Petite Ville

Today I went on a day trip to Perouge, a small medieval town about a thirty minute train ride from Lyon.  It was really fun to take the train and see some of then French countryside, and Perouge was unlike any place I have ever seen.  The city is known for its medieval architecture because the main city center is enclosed within stone walls that resemble a castle.  There were a lot of small shops and restaurants, and people actually lived in the stone houses.  I also ate two peices of Galette, a cake that is unique to the area but kind of just reminded me of dessert pizza.

Bouchon

I went out to eat last night for the first time since I have been in France. I went with a group of people from my residence to Restaurant Le Gone, and it was everything I imagined France to be. It was a very small restaurant with only a few servers, the decor was very simple, and the food was absolutely delicious. Lyon is the gastronomic capital of France, which means that Lyon is famous for the food here. I ordered a salad that came topped with goat cheese, then my main dish was salmon that melted when you touched it, and for dessert I tried Crème brûlée for the first time. The Crème brûlée might have been the best dessert I have ever tasted.

la Crème brûlée

Difference cont.
7. It is impossible to find tacos in France

une semaine

I have been in Lyon a little over a week, and I have decided to keep a blog. This will be more of a record documenting the things I have seen and the places I have been so that I don't forget them.

I have made an ever expanding list thus far of things (beyond the obvious) that are different in France than in the United States:

1. The toilet paper is pink

2. There are no shower curtains

3. All of the pillows are square instead of rectangular

4. Most of the streets are one way

5. There is dog poop on all of the sidewalks

6. You are not given free bags when you buy groceries

My first week here I have spent a lot of time exploring the city. I hiked up the Fourvière Hill where the Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière looks out over Lyon.