catching up on my adventures

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Dear all,
the main focuss of my travel entry is to inform those who would like to visit Lyon of the exciting things the city has to offer, whilst detailing a few of my experiences here.
I arrived in late September after a long summer spent working in Germany, and i was really looking forward to my new start in FRance with a whole new culture to discover.
it did not dissapoint.
the weather in September was gorgeous and the architecture, food, ambiance all typical of the stereotypes circulated about France and the region. simply divine.
Lyon is the capital of French gastronomy apparently, so you can imagine there is a delicious Lyonnais Bouchon around every corner with traditional dishes waiting to be discovered.
these are the things you have to come out and try for yourselves!
I came to Lyon with a purpose and a mission in mind however; i am an Erasmus student from the UK and as part of my studies i was accepted by the Musée des Beax Arts for a three month internship supervized by the museums Webmaster.
So far i really have proffitted from my experiences at the Museum!
from my very first day i was introduced to all the staff behind the scenes in the main Museum building, they all welco,ed me with open arms and encouraged my rusty French and mad eit easy for me to settle within the first week. My supervisor was equally as welcoming and made sure i got to grips with the layout of the Museum with all it's little intricaceys, back stage corridoors and secret wings, as well as the floor plan for the exhibitions inside the museum.
i went on several organized guided tours with the médiateurs (the people who take tours around the museum and who explain different sections of art)
this helped me to orientate as well as giving me a flavour of life at the museum and reengaging my interest and passion for Art. it was the first time i'd ever received professional advice and information of this sort.
i was lucky enough to follow the children and help them in the first weeks, and i ate my lunch with the young stagaires.
i got to go to parts of the Museum the public never see, and see works of Art in their rore form, without frame or embellishments. the staff taught me a lot about Art history and the running of the Museum and it is far more complex than i would ever have imagined! so much thought goes into every detail, from the positioning of art works on the wall for example= everything must be placed at average eye-line level, and each work ina section relates specifically to a genre/school of Art/ Theme or sometimes all the works belong to the same artist.
the arrangement of the light and temperatures in the Museum is very important too!
if you pass through the exhibitions or the permanent collections and you notice a curious looking box on the wall or in the corner, this is the temperature gage and it makes sure that the climate remains at an apropriate level for all the paintings. this is important not only for the preservation of the works but also for the protection of the loans. the loans are pieces that have come in from other institutions and for insurance reasons the musem must do everything in its power to protect it from damage.
The museum itself is an architectural wonder, a piece of living art in itself with old marble stair cases, decorative murals and large halls decorated with priceless sculputres and paintings that have been there since the nuns resided in the ex-abbey.
there is also the delightful courtyard garden just at the entrance of the museum, and people often go there to enjoy this little oasis of peace secluded from the bustling place des terreaux outside. others go to reflect and then there are the students and bohemian types who sit and chat, eat, sketch etc.
the museum is the second largest in France after the Louvre.
I find its collections outstanding. when i started my stage (work experience) here i was lucky enough to see how the works are borowed, the processes invloved in negotiating this, how the media and publicity works to enourage young people to get involved and to come and visit the museum, and how the médiateurs work to transfer information about the collection to different age groups and to the wider public especially schools and other educational institutions.
THe museum is at the center of the community in Lyon and is accesible to all (that being part of its policy)
homeless and unemployed as well as pensioners and students are welcomed for free.
come and see for yourself this little treasure at the heart of France's second city.
check out some pictures of Lyon and the Museum on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=mbalyon&w=all

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