WEEK 3 Recap: Silk Factory, Macarons, and London

I’m definitely starting to get in the swing of things here in Lyon. We have class from 9:30-12:30 every day except Wednesday, when we go on excursions. This Wednesday, we went to Croix Rousse, which is one of the big hills in Lyon. It’s home to three very special things:

1. Maison des Canuts (Silkworker’s house)

We watched one of the men who works at the museum actually making a piece of silk fabric – it was so cool to see how skilled he was.

2. Big Wall Paintings (La Mur des Canuts) 

Amazingly enough, this is the flat surface of one building, and all of the ‘buildings’ are just a big, building-sized mural. It’s crazy how life like it is in person – it even confuses your brain a little. There's tons of these all over Lyon and they're updated every so often to reflect the current time period.

3. The best patisserie in Lyon, 'Bouillet'

Words can’t even describe my love for French macarons. They seem like they’re hard and crunch but you bite into them and they’re so perfect and fluffy. They’re one of my favorite things ever – chocolate and raspberry being my favorite flavors. I bought a box of macarons for Daniel’s cousins that I visited in London this weekend, which brings me to Part Dieux of my blog post:

London was AMAZING as always.

I took the high speed TGV train from Lyon the Paris, then the Eurostar (aka chunnel) to London. It was super easy and I couldn’t stop staring at the beautiful French and English country sides as we zoomed past them. I went to London for two reasons:

REASON ONE TO GO TO LONDON: To see my beautiful friend Maggie, whose interning/studying abroad in London this summer.

We walked through Trafalgar Square just before the sun was setting – it was so beautiful! Maggie’s roommate Tori came along too. I loved meeting all of her fancy London friends!

I had been dying to go to Gordon’s wine bar ever since I was 17. Here’s the story: My mom, dad, siblings, aunt, uncle, and cousins all went to London when I was 17. We all walk into Gordon’s wine bar and I get so excited. The food, the drinks, the atmosphere – it all looked so cool. Apparently, the adults thought it was too cool to experience with us kids around, so my dad gave me 20 quid to take us all to Pret a Manger – and my 17 year old self started crying right there in the middle of London as I ate my stupid organic sandwich. Going to Gordon’s Wine Bar 3 years later met all my expectations and I’m so glad that Maggie and Tori and I FINALLY got to experience Gordon’s Wine Bar.

On Sunday I headed into London early for a really special church service. My brother is very involved at a church in Dallas called Fellowship Church, and they just opened a branch in London. He suggested I go to the service and I decided that wasn’t a bad idea. It ended up being really cool! It’s been really interesting to go to random churches in different countries – it’s something I’d definitely recommend. After church, Maggie and I went met at a little pub by her flat for a pint (hey – Jesus drank wine, too! Although, I picture him as more of a Strongbow type of guy…). 

Anyways, we decided it would be a good idea to get food with our drinks, and I must say we made a very poor decision in ordering nachos. I’ve been craving Mexican food for weeks now, and let me tell you this did not hit the spot. The ‘salsa’ was actually Jalapeno Pepper Tomato Relish – not the world’s best invention by any means.

 But, it was still decent enough to devour since we were starving before dinner. After the pub, we left to go to daniel’s family’s house, which brings me to…

REASON TWO TO GO TO LONDON: To visit some of Daniel’s family who live close to London

Daniel’s mom, who is from England, has a lot of family near London. When they came to visit in April, we talked about how I should stay with them sometime this summer – I wasn’t going to turn down that offer! I stayed with Daniel’s aunt and uncle and their adorable little boys, Matthew (5) and Adam (9).

 I arrived on Friday night to the warmest welcome and even a customized door sign for the guest room.

Staying with them in Woking was so much fun and I already miss them :( The two little boys have more energy than I’ve ever encountered, and I’m soo thankful to Daniel’s aunt and uncle for letting me stay with them this weekend. It made for a really special weekend that I’ll never forget!

WEEK 2 RECAP: School, Tour of Lyon, and the Beaujolais

My first week of studying in Lyon flew by faster than I could blink. We had school Monday-Wednesday, then we had excursions Thursday-Saturday. I slept all day Sunday so I could wake up this morning and do it all over again!

On Monday, I got my first taste of cafeteria food à la France. It was...fine. Super super cheap, so I'll take it! We had class Monday through Wednesday, starting with a 2 hour language class. Sitting in a class for two hours with a mean french professor is rough, let me tell you that.

On Thursday, we went to Fourvière, one of the two big hills in Lyon. You can see the whole city from the top! 

There's a huge basilica on the top, la Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière, and the story goes that the Lyonnaise people made a promise to the Virgin Mary that if she spared the city from the Prussians in the Franco-Prussian war in the 1860's, they would build a basilica in her honor. In my opinion, that's pretty messed up logic but either way, Lyon didn't get invaded by the Prussians, and they broke ground on the basilica in 1872.

After we visited the basilica, our professor gave us each 20 euros to try a true Lyonnaise dish at a bouchon (Lyonnaise restaurant). I tried pâté. It was disgusting. At least I tried it?

The bouchons are all in 'Vieux Lyon' or 'Old Lyon', where the Palais de Justice is also located. They even have a court of appeals in France, dad!

Friday was a really fun day because we got to go to the market that they have each weekend along the Saone River. It's so cool to see an actual French farmers market - way cooler than in Dallas. They literally had EVERYTHING there, even things I did not want to see (like ducks with their feathery little heads still attached, and skinned whole rabbits). 

We went on a cruise on the Saone and the Rhône rivers later that day, officially making it the most perfect day I've had so far in Lyon. Just look at the clouds!

Saturday was the day I had been looking forward to the most - the medieval village of Pérouges, followed by the Beaujolais (aka wine country!). It was all so overwhelmingly beautiful. 

We went to the home (well...giant chateau) of a wine maker and he let us explore his house. Can you imagine growing up getting to swing on that swing set overlooking French wine country? Their house was breathtaking inside and out, exactly where I imagine the owner of a French vineyard living.

Lastly, I found this today in the grocery store and it kind of makes my heart sad. They don't have salsa here, although I spend 30 minutes scouring the itsy bitsy grocery store for it...all they have is fajita sauce. I don't know what the heck fajita sauce is, but WHAT THE HECK, I'm calling their bluff, it's not real. I will keep you posted as to when I find real salsa in Lyon, because I. WILL. FIND. SALSA.

WEEK 1 RECAP: Jetlag, Exploring Paris & Versailles, and Traveling to Lyon

I've officially been traveling for one week now and it's been so crazy!

TUESDAY | On Tuesday I arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport and I haven't stopped since. Jetlag is literally my absolute worst enemy and it hit me hard a few hours after I landed. So, I just powered through until 7:30 that night when I took some Zquil and fell hard asleep for the next 12 hours.

My first glimpse of Paris from the airport bus

WEDNESDAY | We started out by going to the Louvre first thing in the morning (TIP: Go really early. By the time lunch rolled around, the like appeared to be at least 2 hours long to get in. The line at 9:30 a.m. took about 10 minutes). The Louvre was amazing and very overwhelming. I honestly paid more attention to the beautiful architecture of the building than the paintings...the Louvre used to be a palace and it is breathtaking.

To me, the statues were way more cool than the paintings

I also really liked the architecture of the palace a lot, too!

Outside the Louvre

After the Louvre, we crossed Pont Neuf where thousands of couple place 'love locks'. Not sure about the tradition, but the effect of all of the locks on the bridge looks really cool. There was even one from the 1970's!

Then, a few people went to a spot in Paris off of the metro stop 'Trocaderos' where you have a great view of the Eiffel Tower. It was the first time I had seen it except for from the airplane. It's basically magical.

First time seeing the Eiffel Tower! With Monica and Mallory

A couple taking wedding pics...how perfect?!

THURSDAY | We took the RER to Versailles on Thursday and the day started off on a sour note because it was freezing, pouring down rain, the lines were so so so long, and it was very very crowded. But, after you finish the tour of the palace and start to explore the rest of Versailles (it's literally the size of an entire town), it's so much less crowded, very pleasant, and breathtaking. I think this is what I'm most excited to go back to when Tara and I go to Paris.

I bought a brown pancho in my umbrella-less desperation...

The line was super long!

But it turned out to be a beautiful day! (I actually took this picture!)

After going to Versailles (and taking a nap), we went on a river boat tour on the Seine. It was just at dusk (which is at 10 p.m. here!) and it was a very cool way to see Paris. (TIP: If you're always freezing like me, take a million jackets or do a tour that's not open air. It's soo cold!) Seeing the Eiffel Tower light up from the river was basically magical.

FRIDAY | Friday was packed with different sights and museums. We started the morning with Norte Dame which is a lot bigger than it looks from the outside. Then, we went to Saint Chappel which I had never heard of but was such an amazing place to go. It has huge floor to ceiling stained glass windows depicting over 1,300 stories from the bible. It's under renovation right now but you can still go in and see the parts that they're not currently working on.

The Museé d'Orsay is in a converted train station and it was very manageable. It houses a lot of impressionist art and can be easily done in around two hours. After Museé d'Orsay, I went to the Museé Rodin with a few other people. I think that this was my favorite thing I did, tied with Versailles. This museum is not very 'museum-ey' at all and is actually in on the grounds of an old mansion in the center of Paris. It houses the famous 'The Thinker' sculpture among many others. The grounds are almost as beautiful as the sculptures.

'The Thinker' famous statue

The world's most perfect house

SATURDAY | Saturday was quite an experience. The one thing that I had been dying to see was the Catacombs. Basically, it's a mass underground grave where millions of old skeletons are buried and stacked very neatly in designs and you actually see and come very close to the bones. It's something that I'm so glad I got to experience, but I'm not sure if I'd ever do it again. Nothing puts reality to the history textbooks like coming face to face with millions of human skeletons.

After the catacombs, we went to the Basilica de Sacré Coeur de Montmartre. It's that giant church on the top of the hill where you can look down onto all of Paris. Breathtaking yet also very freezing, rainy, and windy (in my experience).

The view from the top. Look how it's raining way off in the distance in the very middle

SUNDAY | Have you ever heard of that Australian church called Hillsong that has locations all over the world? Well, they have one in Paris and my friend and I went and it was so awesome. It was such a blessing to be able to worship God in different languages with people from all over the world. Also, I learned my new favorite saying:

Aimer Dieu --> Love God

Aimer Les Gens --> Love people

Aimer La Vie  --> Love life

We raced back to the hotel after church so we could catch the TGV train to Lyon. Sunday was mothers day in France, so I stopped at a florist to get some roses for my host mom. My heart was racing as the train approached Lyon, wondering what my host family would be like. My host family is basically perfect in every way. I'll tell you all about them next week, but for now here's a picture of the view from my backyard in Lyon!

À bientôt!

STUDY ABROAD WEEK 1: Why I Chose To Study Abroad

I hate to roast everyone whose said to me, "Why would you spend all that money to just have to study all day in a foreign country when you could just go on vacation?" but ask my roommate Lindsey and she'll tell you how much it annoys me. I'm fully aware of the fact that I may spend a few hours in my room studying even though I have beautiful France at my fingertips. I'm aware of the fact that not every moment will be the absolute best moment of my life. I realize it will be challenging.  But I chose to do it this way

I've done the stay-at-a-holiday-inn-with-your-parents-and-go-to-museums type of European vacation - and it was soooo wonderful. It was my introduction to Europe and one of the best experiences of my life, but it was such a surface level experience because I was never immersed. You know that saying 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do'? I don't think you really can unless you are there for an extended amount of time.

Maybe the type of people who ask me that question aren't after the same experience. For me, when I think of why I want to study abroad, here's what comes to mind:

• I want to live and experience everyday as the people in my host country do
• Because of how the world works, this includes either work or school
• I want to learn the ins and outs of their culture and cuisine
• So, no free continental breakfasts
• I want to learn and become fluent in their language
• I want to make lifelong friends
• I want to get outside of my comfort zone for long enough that I begin to learn more about myself

Don't get me wrong, I love European vacations and will continue go visit different countries for the rest of my life. But I know that studying abroad will change my life and my view on life far more than spending a week in a Parisian hotel. 

That's why I chose to study abroad. 

Anyone can do it. 

And I think everyone should.