Blogs from Lyon, Rhône-Alpes, France, Europe - page 8

France,Corsica,France,Monico,France,Torino,France,Geneva,France. I think I got them all. Torino was interesting. Went and saw the Shroud. Oddly enough the church that houses it doesn't look that much like a great cathedral on the outside, Inside is a completely different story. All around the church there are ancient Roman ruins that are continuosly being excavated. Very interesting place from a historical perpespective, Sunday morning in Torino the streets are lined with book sellers. It's sort of like a giant flea market up and down both sides of the street but only selling books. There's a bridge that runs from the end of a tunnel on the way to Geneva that has to be the longest and highest I've ever been on . Remember the bridges in New York? Well this one makes them look like a puddle jump ... read more

Annency Last week (Yes, it's been that long since I wrote my last entry), the university had organized an excursion to Annency, a small town with a gorgeous lake surrounded by the Alphes, located 2 hours from Lyon. Although I must admit that the lake and the mountains surrounding it were absolutely stunning, I was slightly disappointed by the town itself, which was packed with tourists and tourist shops...not my favorite thing in the world. The part of Annency that is closest to the lake is filled with lovely old building and bridges, giving it a very romantic view. But then again, if you walk 5 streets further you see the normal part of Annency, which is not that interesting really. As I had enough of the pretty but typically touristy parts of town, I climbed ... read more

Last week was my birthday and I must admit that it was quite odd to celebrate that whilst not being around the people I have known for more than just 2 weeks!! Fortunately, skyping and calling with people from back home and all the birthday wishes I received both virtual and in real life, made me feel like I was not too far from home. My birthday actually started with a excursion with the summerschool to Perouges, a medieval village an hour from Lyon. Perouges is quite a lovely village, but very very small, and thus after walking around for 2 hours, you've seen everything about twice. However, that doesn't make the old building less lovely. Also, I tried some Galette, a local specialty that looks like a pizza slice but it's sprinkled with sugar, which ... read more

The cruise is coming to a close and we have truly enjoyed every single day. We met and hung out with a really great couple and will share contact with them. Today we are in Lyon, it is the 3rd largest city in France according to our tour guide after Paris and Marseilles. We went with the cruise motor coach city tour in the a.m. We generally avoid these types of tours but they will drop us off in the heart of the restaurant and shopping district so off we went! First we went by some roman theater ruins and then on to the highest viewpoint in the city where the people of Lyon built a beautiful catholic basilica to honor the virgin Mary. The exterior was beautiful but the interior was completely being renovated and ... read more

I'm back again and will be practicing my multitasking skills by writing this blog and cooking at the same time! So, to come back where I left off, after I had managed to get to Lyon by train the 26th, I had to continue my journey with bus that brought me to the address I was supposed to be at. Now, where I was expecting a mere apartment building in a suburban neighborhood, I was actually at a full grown campus location with lots of buildings and confusing roads. After dragging my suitcase and backpack around the entire campus, a nice English speaking student (HALLELUJAH!) showed me where I had to arrange all the paperwork and I finally could get into my room. My room and campus Fortunately, I have a room of my own with ... read more