So much for what I said about Lyon not being a tourist destination. For once, I was in Lyon throughout the whole weekend, a feat not accomplished since late September, and to take it one step further, I actually hosted a visitor who came to Lyon out of his own free will! Yes, strange but true, but Spencer Glantz, of Madrid fame, repaid me the visit in my home-away-from-home, and as such I once again took advantage of all the finest tourist traps Lyon has to offer. Going into the weekend, I was a bit concerned we would run out of things to do, but we ended up having to run just to keep up with our itinerary.
After he arrived late in the afternoon on Friday, we took in a few of the sights on the way back to the house, where Spencer had the fortune of meeting the host family. Now, Spencer speaks no French (despite what he may believe), and I had warned my host mother about this much earlier in the week (she even speaks a little Spanish, which Spencer is far better at). However, at dinner she kept insisting on speaking to him in French, with a “welcome to France, now speak French” attitude. Thus, even though she had prepared us a wonderful French mean (as usual), and was trying to be very nice and welcoming, I think Spencer’s head was spinning as she continued to ask him questions in French. I tried to come to his aid, but by the end I was only rephrasing words in French for him, not translating, as the language barrier was playing mind games with all of us at the table. It was a train wreck, but in the end an enjoyable experience, and both parties left with positive impressions of each other. The nightcap was a movie on the big screen, Wedding Crashers (again in French, but it translates pretty well), and we hit the bed early to rest up for our big day on Saturday.
We woke up Saturday not to the sun that we had hoped to find shining through the windows, but instead to the gray clouds that seem to perpetually hang over Lyon. But, no worries, we ambitiously started off on our way. Everything from the iconic Basilica of Fourviere, to the crumbling Roman Amphitheater to the seven hundred year old clock inside the Cathedral of St. Jean, we did it. As is every European city, Lyon has many historical artifacts, and if you take a second to think, it is almost unfathomable that something could have been standing there for more than 2000 years. So many changes have come to the surrounding areas and people, but some of those stones in the Roman theater are still hanging out there. Or take the astronomical clock in St. Jean, which still functions today, yet makes references to how the sun revolves around the Earth. Makes you wonder what will still be standing seven hundred years from now, and what historical oddities will be worth mocking at that point in time.
We did it all on Saturday, and by the end of it we were exhausted. We headed over to Lyon’s central park (a recent discovery for me) for a relaxing break from all the picture taking, yet were unfortunately rebuffed by a surprise early closing for the day (no explanation, but it’s the French, so what do you expect). We were able to get a little Penn group together for dinner, and as usual we all tried to combine our French to decipher what exactly was on the standard Lyon menu, yet still were pleasantly surprised when we actually received what we had ordered. No major concerns (or eggs), and considering he comes from a program in which he is one of two Quakers, I think Spencer enjoyed getting back into a group of Penn friends. We tried to show him Lyon’s “wild” or “fast and furious” nightlife (according to my European travel book), but we quickly remembered why that definition is so far off after being turned away from two places because they were simply too full (with few options, everyone seems to congregate in just a couple places after midnight). But, with an early flight back the next morning, we were more than content to head back up the stairs for the night.
I sent Spencer on his way Sunday morning, and I think he left with a positive impression of Lyon. After playing tour guide for a weekend, I am starting to realize that maybe I have been a bit harsh on Lyon over the past couple weeks. Spencer said he was expecting a “small village,” but instead I was able to show him a thriving (and charming) European city. Still no Paris, but I realized this weekend that there is definitely plenty going on in Lyon on a regular basis. And if that is not enough, apparently most of the city is a UNESCO world heritage site, quite a prestigious award for a second city.
The weeks keep rolling by here, and I’m starting to realize that eventually this semester will draw to a close. As this weekend only confirmed, I’m definitely going to miss this city.
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