Anyways, Liz met me at the train station and we took the metro a couple of stops to Bellecaur. It's the main square in Lyon that used to hold buildings but now is an empty square with a statue of Louis XIII in the middle. Liz's family has an apartment right over the square. In her room, there is a lofted section with two mattresses where we slept. I was so tired from the three trains that I spent about 12 hours on that day. For some reason I can't fall asleep. I think it's because I have a feeling I will wake up and all my possessions will be gone. (Or something like that...)
The next day Liz did not have class so we did a little sightseeing. Before commencing this though, we headed to Paul's, a cafe off of Bellacaur. I got a croissant, a molleux de chocolat and a coffee (or what the French think a coffee is, basically a shot of espresso with a teeny bit of milk). Now croissants in France do not compare to anything else. I could eat ten big ones in one sitting. However if you really want a slice of heaven then there's the molleux de chocolat, which is a cross between a chocolate torte and pure happiness. I was tempted to get another one, but I do have some self restraint.
After enjoying the cafe culture, we went into the old section of Lyon, which has been there since the Middle Ages. The buildings and streets, and of the course the church, are all very old and built into the hillside along the Sonne, one of the rivers cutting through Lyon. There are a lot of secret passageways, which have a French name that I don't remember, that connect several of the streets. Vieux Lyon is the main street there and is the most touristy area in Lyon. There are a lot of restaurants and bars and a few souvenir shops.
Stain glass window from inside church near Vieux Lyon
We took the cable car up the hill to the Roman Ruins. This is the thing about Roman Ruins, somehow they are everywhere. I feel like every place I have been in my life has some trace of the Romans. Here in Lyon, there was an amphitheater completely intact where they still hold outdoor concerts in the summer. How cool is that?! The weather was turning ominous on the hill so we boarded the cable car again to Fourviere. (I should mention that nothing I write in French is spelled correctly).
In front of the amphitheater
Fourviere is an open square on a hill top that holds a beautiful church. It overlooks all of Lyon. At night they light up the church and the mini Eiffel tower next to it and you can see it shining on the hill top from downtown Lyon. Apparently, this is a city known for it's lights and it's true. They light up anything they can at nighttime, like liz's university building. We got a good look at the city but it had started to rain so we headed back down the hill.
Back into the cafes, we got a lunch special which included a ham, egg and cheese quiche, a mixed berries tart, a lemonade and a coffee. Apparently, quiches and tarts are a big thing here, so I had to sample. Liz and I did a little shopping since I needed some leggings, and then retreated to the apartment. It was nice to lounge around a bit before getting ready to meet Liz's friends for dinner.
We went to a typical Lyonnaise restaurant nearby and got the menu option, which included an appetizer, entree, and dessert for 14€. Add three pots of wine to that and I paid 19€ for a whole lot of meal. I tried ratatouille which comes with some salad and is served under a poached egg, yeah random. Then I had a piece of beef with potatoes and some pumpkin polenta thing which was gross. The dessert was delicious and the company was wonderful. Most of liz's friends are British or Australian because it is very hard to make friends with the French students here. Their accents are the best to listen to, but you do have to pay attention to what they are saying since there is a lot of slang.
That night Liz and I watched Music and Lyrics, a great movie, and then I passed out!
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