Living in Lyon (aka: I <3 Drawers)
Ahh Lyon! My home for the next month!! I have no words to describe the overwhelming joy I felt at having DRAWERS for the first time in over a month!! We are staying at Le Villemanzy, right in the heart of the city, and I don’t know how I got so lucky, but I have a room all to myself!! You walk in and are greeted by a small living space, a kitchenette, and a bathroom (including a tub!!!). Then you take a small set of stairs on the side up to my lofted bed! Is this heaven!? How did I go from couch surfing to this??
I am in a program here for four weeks with other UVA students, and it has been the most wonderful time. We are required to speak French at all times, and my language skills are drastically improving by the day. I am taking two classes here; one on Lyonnaise history that includes trips to museums, mosques, churches, and places of importance around the city. The other is a film class, which fits perfectly with my Media Studies major. Lyon is one of the world centers for film, as the Lumière brothers were from here. The Lumières competed with Thomas Edison in the race for moving pictures, and are considered the pioneers of film in Europe, much as he is the father of film in the States. They helped create the video camera we use today, along with other incredible inventions including a salve for burns that is still used in all French hospitals. We have seen several of their first films, gone to the site of the first ever moving picture, and spent countless hours in the Lumière museum. We have watched movies in the park (Parc de la Tete d'or), shot our own still frame films, and had an absolutely incredible time learning about the history and culture here!
I absolutely cannot wait to fall more and more in love with Lyon by the day! The city is so beautiful and unique, situated at the intersection of the Saône and Rhône rivers, and the people have been so friendly (much more friendly than Paris!). I am so happy to be staying here for awhile, and can't wait to explore everything Lyon has to offer!
Read more about my time in Lyon here.