Yesterday I went on a school trip to Lyon for the day. Lyon is such a great place! There are two lovely rivers running parallel through the city centre, the architecture is gorgeous and the vibe is just fantastic. Here are some things I did in Lyon:

• Walked up about a million stairs. There’s a basilica high up on a cliff overlooking Lyon that we were meant to visit, but once we got up there the interior of the church was closed for construction and we couldn’t go in. I didn’t mind too much because the view of the city from way up there was really beautiful, and the architecture of the church’s exterior was very cool.
• Had true French cuisine for lunch with…our teacher and the bus driver? After wandering around checking out the menus of different places in Vieux Lyon we were really perplexed. We came across our teacher who was chaperoning the trip and told basically told him “we don’t know how to eat.” We got a lesson in French dining as well as free wine compliments of our teacher (who ordered a flaming crèpe for dessert). The meal was only half awkward. Also, Lyon is the capital of French gastronomy. I had French onion soup (otherwise known as gratinée lyonnais), a sausage dish and a chocolate crèpe for dessert. How français.
• Taught the French bus driver the word ukulele while standing outside a music store. I really miss my guitar!
• Rode the Roue de Lyon, a big ferris wheel in Place Bellecour, the town square.
• Wandered along the Rhône, one of the rivers that runs though the city. We walked over a bridge (one of many) to the other side.
• Crossed paths with Nicolas Sarkozy’s presidential convoy on the highway.
• Remembered how much I used to love field trips. Had many a flashback to Quebec City in middle school and BHS music department trips.

Basically, I love Lyon. Dijon is a really great place, but it’s almost too fairy tale-like for my taste. When I first got here my host mom explained that Dijon is historically a very rich city because it was the home of the Dukes of Burgundy, which I guess explains why everything is so picture-perfect and luxurious looking. Lyon had a much more laid back but vibrant feel to it, and of course the rivers were an especially welcome presence for this Maritimer.

Paris is up next!

Here is a list of facts about my life.

- I have friends! They are cool. 3/4 of them are from ‘murka.
- One of the buildings at my school has a glass-encased courtyard that houses some chickens.
- My host family always sets out a Canada mug for me that they must have gotten from another Canadian student they hosted. It’s cute.
- The Swiss girl who is staying here for two weeks looks a lot like Lindsay Lohan, and laughs like her too. Today we bonded over an inside joke. Our host mom was telling us about somebody’s kid who goes to a daycare called “Le Petit Fack.” We giggled immaturely throughout the rest of the conversation. Obviously.
- We went to Beaune with the program on Tuesday, it was freezing freaking cold but it was fun. I’ll post some pictures next. This morning we had a little tour of Dijon, and I went along even though I’m pretty familiar with the place by now. It’s really not that big. Anyway, it got really cold after a little while but it was also a good time.
- I signed up for school trips to Lyon, les Chateaux de la Loire, and Provence. My friends and I are also planning on hitting up Paris the first weekend in March, and one of their host parents’ daughter offered us her apartment for the weekend! So exciting. Also, thinking the south of France for spring break. Marseille, Nice, Monte Carlo, and Corsica.
- I find out things like my class schedule and my level tomorrow…what suspense!
- My friends found a place that gives segway tours of the city for only 19 euros beginning in April. Guess what we’re doing April 1st. My techy geek brothers will be so envious.
- That’s about it. There are other things I can’t remember right now but I’m not too concerned.