Fontaine Bartholdi
Last month I had the good fortune of traveling to Lyon for work. My French-speaking coworkers functioned as my interpreters during the week, but the weekend I arrived I was on my own. I'm embarrassed to say I returned without any noticeable improvement in my French, but I ate incredibly well and got to experience Fete des Lumieres.
Below is my experience and lessons I learned.
Book early. During Fete des Lumieres Lyon's population triples, making it nearly impossible to get restaurant and hotel reservations if you don't book far in advance. By the time I booked my trip there were no hotel vacancies, so I stayed at my first ever AirBnB for the weekend. The location couldn't have been better, the price was much more reasonable than that of a hotel room, and this allowed me to cook dinner the first night I was there. For these reasons, I recommend you consider renting an apartment over a hotel room.
Eat everything. I got in mid-day Saturday and immediately went to Les Halles de Lyon for lunch and to pick up ingredients to make myself dinner. Lyon is known as the gastronomic capital of the world and Les Halles is said to be where the top chefs in Lyon go to stock up on premium ingredients. It has the most impressive assortment of food I've ever seen - I wanted to try everything, but settled for oysters on the half shell and sea urchin for lunch and a foie gras and fig terrine and escargot for dinner. I'm still quite proud of myself for cooking the escargot properly.
Dinner. I need to work on my food photography skills.
Plan your nights around Fete des Lumieres. After dinner I set out to see Fete des Lumieres. The origin of the festival was when the plague struck Lyon in 1643. The town councillors promised to pay tribute to the Virgin Mary if the town was spared. Luckily, Lyon was spared and a tradition of lighting candles and giving offerings in the name of Mary (Marie) on December 8 was born. These days, the city puts on an impressive array of light shows and art installations for three days to celebrate.
These displays are all over the city, so comfortable shoes are a must. It's also worth noting that many major streets are closed to vehicles, so the only ways to get anywhere at night are the metro and walking. The city distributes maps of all of the attractions and recommends routes for people to take, making it relatively easy to see everything. I am a bit crowd-averse and found only the Place de Terreaux to be overwhelmingly crowded.
These displays are all over the city, so comfortable shoes are a must. It's also worth noting that many major streets are closed to vehicles, so the only ways to get anywhere at night are the metro and walking. The city distributes maps of all of the attractions and recommends routes for people to take, making it relatively easy to see everything. I am a bit crowd-averse and found only the Place de Terreaux to be overwhelmingly crowded.
Check out local landmarks during the day. On Sunday I did some sightseeing and got a chance to see the beautiful Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourviere, Vieux Lyon, the Roman Ruins, Cathedral St. Jean Baptiste, Place Bellecour, and Croux-Rousse. I walked everywhere, which was about 7 miles spread out over the day. If that seems like too much, all of these areas are easily accessible by Lyon's metro system, which I found to be quite reliable.
Clockwise from top left: front of Notre Dame upper sanctuary, back of Notre Dame upper sanctuary, looking out over Vieux Lyon, Cathedral St. Jean.
Learn basic French before you go. France is not a country where everyone speaks, or wants to speak, English. When I arrived in Lyon I knew about 5 words in French and had to rely on google translate wherever I went, which might have been ok if my pronunciation wasn't horrible. Next time I'll make sure to master some basic phrases to help me get around.
Overindulgence is part of the deal. Monday I started work and quickly learned that my American metabolism wasn't ready to handle French meals. Every lunch was a sandwich and a massive pastry. Dinners were three course affairs accompanied by good wine. Between all of this food and the lack of a gym in the hotel I must have gained 5 lbs over the course of the week. I'd happily do it again.
I loved my time in Lyon, despite the language barrier, and can't wait to return. If you have recommendations for next time I'd love to hear them!
Overindulgence is part of the deal. Monday I started work and quickly learned that my American metabolism wasn't ready to handle French meals. Every lunch was a sandwich and a massive pastry. Dinners were three course affairs accompanied by good wine. Between all of this food and the lack of a gym in the hotel I must have gained 5 lbs over the course of the week. I'd happily do it again.
I loved my time in Lyon, despite the language barrier, and can't wait to return. If you have recommendations for next time I'd love to hear them!
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