30/11/12: The Museum of the History of the Resistance and Deportation, and the Lyon Christmas Market

Museum of the history of the resistance and deportation, and the Christmas market

Friday 30th November 2012

This blogging competition became more difficult, so it's imperative that I ditch the warmth of my room at my residence, André Allix, for the streets of Lyon and the winter's elements; it is very cold currently. So, although I want to win the competition, I firmly believe that my first priority should be to give you information and advice on the subject of cities such as Lyon, and perhaps London, by drawing from my own personal experiences and from things that I myself have done in Lyon. It's impossible to give you such information if I spend all my time in my room, and spending the whole day studying is not very interesting for me, and especially for you, and it's not very relevant. Also, if I tell you about the things I am watching on TV this evening. I don't think it will prove to be very useful information.

So, I spent a week going out and experiencing what Lyon has to offer, and I had some mini adventures which I am going to share with you. This is not something that I will stop doing. Yet if I did have to spend a whole day in my little white room studying or doing other mundane tasks that I could do anywhere in the world, luckily for you, it would not be something I'd tell you about.

I woke up this morning and I wasn't sure of what I wanted to do today, I felt little inspiration. The Christmas Market on Carnot square, near Perrache station was on my list, mainly because the previous evening, I got a little taste of the market when I was on the way back to mine via the city centre. However, I wanted to go later in the day after the sun had started to set, as I wanted to enjoy the Christmas lights as well as the natural sunlight too, so I could return to mine quite early because I need to get up very early tomorrow. But I wanted to do something during the day.

Carnot Square without the Christmas Market

Source

I had considered some small museums, including the Gallo-Roman one, near to Fouvriere, however I knew that by being up on the hill's summet I would be more exposed to the winter's elements as there was a horrible, arctic wind and I knew from the numbers of layers I wore, that I would need more!

Lyon in winter

Source

Also, I considered going to the Museum of Contemporary Art, which is located near the Parc de la Tête d'Or. It was inevitable that I would go to the park as I did last weekend and I spend my time seeing all the animals there and it would be tempting to see if the tigers were out, as last week I found that there are tigers in the zoo and that day they stayed hidden away in their little house! I also feel that I walk about the park a lot and I need to not mention it for a while!

I thought and thought of things that I could do today, and eventually, I had a good idea: the Museum of the History of the Resistance and Deportation, which would be open. It was something which is apparently very interesting, and going round the museum takes a long time. In addition to this, the second world war is something which I am very interested in as it's difficult for me to understand how some of the terrible events were allowed to happen.

Museum of the History of the Resistance and Deportation

By the time I eventually left my bedroom, it was quite late because I had turned off my two alarm notifications on my phone to ensure they would not sound again during my classes. I'm pretty sure that I must have been really tired especially as during my Languages and World Culture class, my friend accused me of falling asleep for a bit! I knew it was dangerous but the temptation to close my eyes for a few moments was too strong, but I'm sure I was the first person to fall asleep in this class! Anyway, I was so tired that I slept for ten hours. It was obvious that I needed a rest. The morning was taken up by thinking of the things I could do today and finally I decided that it would be a good idea if I got out of my warm and comfortable bed.

I waited at the bus stop for sixteen minutes. It was not particularly pleasant because the weather in Lyon has changed a lot and the temperatures have abruptly dropped. It was a cold and chilly afternoon, but despite the temperatures, I knew it could be worse because throughout the day, on Tuesday it rained non-stop and on Wednesday it snowed a little, and rained continuously too. The hills that I can see in the distance from my window were covered by a small amount of snow. Nonetheless, I must say that although everything is pretty under a blanket of snow, I am not prepared for the wet weather!

I got on the first bus which arrived, although it would have been easier to go Perrache, from where I would have taken the T2 tram which stops right infront of the Museum, and then the T1 tram followed by a short walk. Instead, I took the C20 bus to Bellecour, crossed the University bridge and the Rhone, passed the buildings of Lyon 2 University and the hospital and eventually turned left and got to the museum. It is not very far from Bellecour, and the trip was very easy because I had done almost the same journey the previous evening when I needed to go to the University.

The Museum of the History of the Resistance and Deportation was closed for several months for renovation works and it had re-opened a few weeks prior. I had wanted to go there for the re-opening, however I thought that there would have been a lot of people there.

Because I am only twenty, entry to the museum was free. I think they just assumed that I'm a student. I have to mention that I was about to say that I was eighteen years old. The last two years have flown by, probably because I really enjoy University life!

I handed in my coat to the cloakroom, which was also free, so I had no issues with being cold whilst in the museum as I was wearing: a thick jumper, a cardigan, a long-sleeved t-shirt and a vest. And on my bottom half, I had on a pair of tights and two layers of leggings! However, I can recall that whilst inside the museum, I was indeed cold, but I think this is only because of my poor circulation.

The centre itself was really interesting and guided you through the museum and building's history, and its various uses. From the construction plans in 1889, it was intended to be used as a medical and military school, however its function rapidly changed after the building was completed in 1895. It served as a depot centre for German artillery as well as a base for the Gestapo during the second world war, as the city was affected. There is also information about the events that led to the war and Nazi Germany and fascist Italy. There is also information about the Jews of France and their fate under the occupation.

A lot of the information in the museum is presented through written French. However at the end of my visit I realised that it is possible to rent an audiovisual guide if you don't speak French. Having to read all the information in French was quite tiring as there were a lot of thing to read and I had to translate it all in my head. However, the information itself was not difficult to understand.

For those of you who don't like having to read everything, there are little screens where it is possible to watch and listen to people who were affected by the war. It was all fascinating. You can listen in English or French and there are also subtitles. For me, it was very interesting to listen to stories about the war from people who were there, as the stories were more personal and it was fascinating to listen to their take on what happened. These people had participated in the French Resistance and they were Jews and refugees from Alsace and Lorraine. The atrocities of WW2 become far more real when you can better understand the feelings and emotions of those affected, something which is difficult in a classroom or when you're watching the TV because those focus on certain things and statistics.

It was very interesting to listen opinions and perceptions of Hitler and of events as they were happening. A woman tells the story of the Olympic Games in 1936. She walked in a parade there. She describes Hitler's reactions when an American athlete who was an African-American man, named Jesse Owens, won three medals. To her, his reactions were very exaggerated and she didn't think much about what Hitler was capable of. The woman also says that in France, no one took Hitler seriously at first.

I should add that some of the touch-screens do not work very well.

In the history section of the Centre, there were several objects and artefacts such as photos, letters and documents, like lists of refugees from Alsace and Lorraine. Some of the displays also include weapons such as pistols and grenades.

It all became even more serious when I turned and saw striped pajamas, worn by a prisoner in a concentration camp. I started thinking if the person who wore these pajamas had survived the German camps.

I also saw a huge Nazi flag, which I believe was my first time seeing a real one that wasn't on a TV show or in a photo. It was quite shocking. There was further information on the work and concentration camps and where they were situated in Europe. It was a terrible era, and unfortunately in certain countries little has been learnt from the events of WW2, as genocide continues to be something which happens.

In another room, there was a long list of French people who were Jewish and were departed. The list was projected onto the wall. There were loads and loads of names- At times it was hard for me because this is an extremely sad era in the world's history, and it's really disturbing that humanity is capable of doing such horrible things to other humans. It's completely repulsive.

The next section in the Centre focused on transport during the 'black era', when lights were forbidden at night in order to disorientate airplanes. You walk along a street in Croix-Rousse. On the walls there were forties-style signs. You can see the little town of Lyon below the streets of Croix-Rousse. Then you enter a room in a forties-style house where you can listen to the announcements and the music of the era on the radio, before going down the stairs for the final part of the center, where you can see a film.

The last film has quotations on the wall about the importance of knowing about the terrible events of WW2. One was: 'those who do not remember the past and condemned to re-live it', which is a quote from George Santayana. I thought of college and the history classes in which certain students were of the opinion that the second world war was not important, that it was not necessary to learn anything about the Holocaust.

However, it is clear that if we do not learn anything about the atrocities of the Second World War, under certain circumstances, we can find ourselves in a similar situation where we turn against others by believing that some humans are better than others. I remember that a few weeks ago I read an article about problems in Greece where some people attacked immigrants because they think they are one of the causes for the lack of work in the country. I believe it is imperative that others are well informed about the genocides of the Second World War and the other genocides which have happened, since they are a reminder that genocide is not a thing of the past.

To me, the museum was really informative and fascinating. It is something which I would recommend. It was interesting to see the role the Lyon played during the war especially now that I knew the city better and have a better knowledge of some of the neighbourhoods mentioned in the museum. I intend to return but perhaps next time I will rent the audio guide, although I don't think it is completely necessary.

I left the center and I felt quite sad, so I went out in search of something to lift my mood. Outside the center, I met a politics student who was trying to sell me a satirical student newspaper that would be useful when I start studying satirical press for my history of the press module, but I did not Wanted to pay a euro for the paper! But thanks to my charm, I was given an older copy for free!

From the Museum of History of the Resistence and Deportation, I went to the city centre to go to the Carrefour City shop near the town hall. There was a problem near to the entrance of Perrache involving gypsies, so I continued along Victor Hugo Street, from where I took metro line A. I had bought some things which I didn't need because tomorrow I am going to Pérouges with Lyon 2 University, but it would appear that I am going to be eating a lot there. Then, I went back towards the Christmas market.

The Christmas Market

The sun was disappearing and the cold was becoming more icy. It was hard to bear. But I kept walking around the Christmas market to seek out possible things to buy. Before now, I had never been to a Christmas market. I do not consider yesterday's as a visit!

There were many people and I kept a close eye on my bag because I have seen the types of people who like to spend the day near Perrache! There was the smell of mulled wine and it was very appealing, but I was a bit unsure as I normally hate the taste of wine.

Nothing in the market really appealed to me. A man was selling hermit crabs which was just bizarre, but I did think that it make for a different present and I have always wanted a pet but I think I would have some difficulties returning to the UK with a crab!

In all honesty, many things in the market seem like a waste of a stall, and none of it would make a good gift for the people I love, but instead of going home with nothing, I bought a piece of Polish cake, but afterwards I realized that for the size of it it was very expensive!

I returned to Bellecour where I took either the C2 or C20E bus which goes to my residence, but I realized it was the one hour strike period during which some buses don't run, although I was in Bellecour at the same time last night and the C20 and C20E buses were still operating, so I had hope. Still, when I got to the bus stop, it was like everyone was waiting for a bus too. I did not want do nothing when waiting, so I decided to take some photos. Yet after a few minutes it had become more difficult to use my hands thanks to the icy temperatures. So I put on my faux-fur gloves, which are impractical due to their size and eventually I just waited with the other people.

I turned around bravely and saw my Brazilian friend. She told me she has a lot of work to do for University before Christmas. Nevertheless, it was good to see her, and we chatted on the busy bus with all the other people there. There was too much human contact!

When we arrived at the residence, there was another C20 bus behind us, if we had a little more patience we could have taken it instead! I was not the only person going into the building where I live; there was also a French man there. As I climbed the stairs to my floor he started talking to me. After a few normal questions, he asked me if I was Brazilian. Me? Then I returned to mine. I now need to sleep a lot as tomorrow I am going to Pérouges and have to be in Bellecour for 8:15 in the morning!

Photo gallery