When planning our itinerary just a few weeks ago Magen and I didn’t really know how we were going to cut the train routes down between Paris and Florence so I reached to an article I had cut out of National Geographic’s Traveler magazine titled “109 Places to See Before You Die.” “#14: long famous for cuisine, Lyon, ‘one of the most impressive places in France,’ earns lavish compliments for its ‘authenticity, recreational amenities, sustainable development, and impressive archaeological remains.’ The old town’s alleyways and courtyards are a pleasure to wander, although modern Lyon is fast encroaching.” Boy did this city live up to its reputation. I can’t tell you how excited I am that Lyon made it on our itinerary and the surprises it held.
We were so impressed with the excellent transportation system they had set up including buses, metros, and trams. Every system had its own form of informational advertisements that we have lacked everywhere else in Europe but wanted badly. You would have to be a bit challenged to not find your way around Lyon. From tickets that worked on all systems, to color coded mapping, to countdowns at every stop on when to expect the next train, it was fantastic, kudos Lyon.
I must say my favorite part of Lyon was its Old Town. As backpackers you come to discover the best way to get to know a new city is to simply push yourself to get lost in its backstreets! In Lyon it’s funny though, you stay so busy with the varying atmosphere around every corner that you don’t happen to think ‘where am I’. With cobbled streets, impressive churches that seem to glow with a holy presence, Frenchmen with hearty laughs, and French women of a classy caliber with dark hair and light eyes ( ; ) ! ) Lyon was a sight to see. It’s one of those places I could see myself returning again for sure, it provides a special privacy if desired but also the busy shopping streets covered with bargain seeking spenders. As our travels come closer to an end we realize the over-budgeting we’ve done so we decided to find a few bargains for ourselves before leaving. Shopping in Europe is an interesting experience, it’s funny the styles that work here that would never seem to fly back in the states, it was kind of fun. We also enjoyed the friendly restaurant atmosphere where there’s just a certain comfort to walking in a place, grabbing a small table, exchanging smiles with the elderly eating their ice cream sundaes, getting lost in the aroma of coffee beans, and scrolling through the menu by gazing through the pictures only. I can’t help but stop and deliberately remind myself that “Tyler . . . you are in the south of France sipping a cappuccino next to a building that was built over 200 years ago, do you realize how lucky you are?” And the answer is yes I do (sorry to brag a little)!
We ventured to a park/garden area on the northern side of town and were greatly impressed by not only its beauty but its accessibility as well. Runners were everywhere mid morning, and oh how I wish I could just uproot that park and bring it back with me to Lubbock. From the rose gardens, to the floating swans, to the children having field trip day, it was perfect. Along the outer rim of the pond we found our way to a surprisingly free mini zoo. With a small selection of big cats, elephants, birds, monkeys, giraffes, and a little more I enjoyed it and I’m sure the animals thought they were in heaven in the low 70’s weather. There was this one leopard that looked a little threatening though as it seemed to be licking its chops with a death stare on one of the babies nearby, the parents didn’t seem to get the hint, let’s hope the child is not traumatized now haha.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Lyon, a city of secret passageways, hidden alleys and courtyards tucked away behind modernizing fronts, I would say it’s a diamond in the rough, but the south of France is anything but rough. Maybe a gem in disguise is more fitting. The locals seem to know they’ve found a hidden secret while the tourists don’t realize they’re in for such a treat upon arrival. The churches, the bridges, the shops, the cuisine, the nice French people (definitely disproved their common reputation), the slick transportation, the picturesque hillsides, the single person alleyways soaked in the smell of tomatoes and chocolate, the specialized shops where every need can be met, and the list goes on . . . ‘ONLY LYON’ has it all!
As we prepared for another train trip using the French train system we knew it would probably be a stressful one. Waiting in line and finally getting to the counter we discovered we couldn’t get all the way to Florence as hoped so we settled for Milan. I’m sad Magen will not get to see the magnificent David, but Milan’s Duomo is pretty impressive and I have a feeling it will suit us well, and it’s much closer to our final stop. What I’m going to miss most about a second stop in Florence is all of the street vendors actually. I just love the areas lined with all sorts of different knick-knacks you can bring home from Italy and the desperation in the vendors voices just trying to make a buck, it’s exciting.
Our train ride actually consisted of half bus ride, thanks to Magen’s discovery through tinkering with the information offices, that turned out to be one of the prettiest rides I’ve ever witnessed. I’ve heard about the beauty that awaits in the south of France, bordering Switzerland, but man was it breathtaking. Ranging from steep mountains, thriving agriculture mega centers, to hillside villas that I’m pretty sure I would sacrifice most of my life if I could just live in one of those mountain villas. After a stop in Chambery, France, we stay entertained by watching various people running to catch their trains and observing how the locals handle the confusing systems by reading only their facial expressions! I couldn’t help but add to the serendipity of the situation and turned on Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, who sang me all the way into Italy’s borders. I find myself randomly smiling all the time throughout our trips, it’s hard not to be happy when you’re backpacking through Europe, even if the train systems can be a bit un-agreeable. I’m sure I’m that guy that most of the locals look at in question and wonder what my problem is, but it doesn’t bother me. They could use a lesson in the benefits of smiling as opposed to frowning all the time.
Milano:
Now we’re in Milan and I would encourage you to see my first blog on the area, the quick weekend trip we took while I was still in the study abroad part of my adventure. This time we actually got to go in the Duomo though which was pretty impressive. We’ve seen greater churches in every area except the design under the arched ceilings and the shear height of the church. No photos could be taken which as good backpackers we respected, but many tourists missed the memo obviously. Magen did a little shopping, I found some more souvenirs for friends, and there’s really a limited amount of things to do here. We missed seeing the Last Supper by Da Vinci due to a lack of pre-planning to book reservations ahead of time but oh well, we’ve seen so many other fantastic things we’re okay with it. After an unexpected metro shutdown this morning we put our broken in soles to work and walked through the busier parts of Milan this morning. We were very glad to see the stations back open just in time for us to return to the hotel. It’s warmer here now but it’s a welcomed heat. We’re now debating a take away pizza from a nearby street restaurant and taking it easy for a bit. As our trip has now made a full circle around Europe I’ve literally loved every second, even the dragging around of my red luggage that should have been in a storage locker this whole time, but we are slowly winding down and missing those back home. If only we could bring everyone we know and love over here we would be perfectly fine staying another few years haha. We venture to Siestere, Italy for almost a week stay in Palace Residence II, a winter ski resort open during the summer, thanks to my parents who used some RCI points and were going to come spend it with us but backed out when they discovered their definition of ‘adventurous’ has a few limitations, so we will have it to ourselves. We are interested to see what exactly the area holds besides the beauty of the Italian Alps, but plan on doing some resting and relaxing. Thanks mom and dad, wish you and the rest of them could have made it! We hope to maybe do a day trip into Switzerland, pretty much for the scenic train ride, but getting back to the train station might be more of a hassle than we think, so we will see!
Ciao for now friends, gracie for reading (it’s nice being back in the land of the Italians where I learned at least a little lingo), and for the public Facebook pictures link click below (Only Lyon through this link, I have a previous album covering Milan already):
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