My Lyon, Your Lyon: A Different Perspective of Lyon

A Different Perspective of Lyon, an Interview with Dan Brown

I believe it's truly a different experience living in Lyon than visiting it for only a few days. When you live in a city, you have more time to experience everything it has to offer. This time allows you to do whatever you want whenever you want, or to put off doing something because there's always tomorrow. The time allows you to adapt to the lifestyle and feel of the city. Oftentimes, this excess amount of time even causes you to become a little lazy.

Without this luxury of time, you often feel pressured to use your time wisely. You feel obligated to take advantage of the city as much as possible, from the food to the tourist attractions. You don't have the time to adapt to city and peel away its layers to discover the truth. You are motivated because you're in a new city away from home.

As a tourist, you're in the city to get away from your daily life, but for me, Lyon is my everyday life, so in many ways I have a different viewpoint than that of a tourist. People who are only in town for a weekend don't have the same worries as I do.

It isn't a problem for them if there isn't food in their fridge on a Sunday afternoon. They don't have to ride the always-crowded T2 tram all the way to Brom several times per week. The terrible Wi-Fi connection in university residences isn't a problem for them, and they don't have mountains of homework to complete as an Erasmus student.

I believe my opinions are very different than those of a tourist, so I decided to ask my boyfriend for his opinion. He has visited Lyon twice now, and each visit was very short. However since we've been apart for several months, any amount of time spent together is appreciated no matter how small.

What mode of transportation did you use to get to Lyon?

I noticed that there are many different ways I could use to get from London to Lyon. At first I considered flying with Easyjet from London Gatwick. Second, I thought about renting a car from Victoria Station, and third I looked into taking the train from London St. Pancras.

A roundtrip flight from London Gatwick was around £65, which didn't seem too expensive. The first time I visited Lyon, I took a plane. I don't like flying very much so this time I looked into different options. I had to keep in mind that London Gatwick is nearly an hour away from Clapham Junction Station and would cost me an extra £20 roundtrip (assuming that I'd return to London Gatwick). Additionally, when I arrived in Lyon I had to take the Rhône-Express tram, which cost around 15€ each way. So, in the end, it was slightly more expensive to fly, around an extra £105 not including the baggage fees you often see with budget airlines.

Renting a car wasn't expensive at all, though with a 15 hour drive to Lyon it didn't seem worth it. If you're on a tight budget you could easily find one-way tickets for £30, but you would probably have to switch lines in Paris.

When I came to Lyon for the second time in February, the best option for me was the train. On Eurostar's website, you can reserve train tickets to Lyon. You have to switch from the Eurostar to the TGV at Lille-Europe or in Paris. I changed lines in Lille because it was easier. Roundtrip train tickets from London to Lyon cost the same as the flights, and on trains you have more space during your trip and can bring (within reason) as many bags as you'd like. Also, if you take the train, you can arrive in the center of town at Lyon Part-Dieu instead of having to take the Rhône-Express from the airport or the bus, which is what I did my first time visiting Lyon.

The train ride between London and Lille-Europe was about an hour and a half, and the ride from Lille to Lyon was about three hours. If you have a laptop the time passes very quickly because you can watch a movie or TV show during the trip.

It's important to remember that your phones loses internet connection when you arrive in France, so you have to make plans with friends on social media before your arrival or call them once you get to France. There's no free Wi-Fi on the TGVs or Eurostar, but you can pay around 10€ for three hours of internet access on the TGV.

What did you think of Lyon?

It was very interesting arriving in Lyon for the first time. Even if the city is lively, it's nothing like London. During my first visit in October, the weather was nice and I didn't have to wear a coat. During my second visit, the temperature was the same as it was in London and it was snowing. I will add that one of my first impressions of Lyon was that the air is cleaner here compared to the air in London.

Saiesha took me to the Part-Dieu shopping mall and we ate at McDonald's. I always think McDonald's is a good place to start in a foreign country. The familiar food calms you down and makes you feel more at home. In France, there are machines where you can order your food. So it's very easy even if you don't speak French!

In town, which restaurants did you visit?

I have to say that the best restaurant we visited was GoMex in the Confluence shopping mall. It's like the Mexican chain restaurant "Tortilla" in London. The server spoke English too, so I felt very welcome and it was easy to enjoy the experience.

Additionally, in October we ate in Bellecour and Vieux Lyon. The restaurants were a little pricey but the meals were very high quality, except that there weren't many choices for vegetarians. These areas of the city are best when the weather is nice because you can eat outside, which is very charming.

Describe public transportation in Lyon?

I paid 16€ for 10 tickets. I like the public transportation system here in Lyon. After validation, each ticket is valid for one hour, and you can make multiple trips in this hour using the bus, metro, or tram. The system is better than the Oyster in London, where you have to pay £1. 40 for each trip.

Generally, the public transportation is in good condition, and I can't remember a time when I had to wait longer than 10 minutes for the bus or tram.

Describe the accommodations?

After hearing several horror stories about student housing, I was a little nervous. However, the rooms in the Andre Allix residence impressed me. They were roomier than most of the rooms in residences in England, and each room was equipped with a fridge which is a luxury! The kitchens were the main problem in the residences. They were in horrible shape and didn't have an oven.

The showers and toilets were pretty standard - if you've already shared a bathroom in a student residence, these won't be a problem for you.

In terms of noise, the residences were good, too. Everyone I met was always friendly and said « bonjour » and « bonsoir ».

What would you recommend doing in Lyon?

Since I love football, I had to go to Gerland Stadium to see an Olympique Lyonnais match. I've always loved Lyon's team, especially when they were winning the championship with Juninho, Fred, Benzema, Lloris, Bastos, Toulalan, Coupet et Carew. Additionally, the stadium was used for the 1998 World Cup, and the quarterfinal match was between Germany and England.

The last game I saw at Gerland Stadium was between Olympique Lyonnais and LOSC Lille. Sadly Lyon Lost 2-1, and they are now 6 points behind Paris Saint Germain. But the supporters at the stadium were extremely loud throughout the entire match.

In the northern stands you could see the "Bad Kids", a big group of Lyon fans, and it was a highlight for me to see them as someone who loves football. There was a man with a megaphone, so the chants were easy to learn. In the southern stands, there was another smaller group of fans. The tickets cost between 12€ and 50€, and I would recommend choosing seats in the highest part of the stadium if you want a good view of the match.

Transportation to and from the game was well organized, with metros arriving at the stadium every two minutes. You should print your tickets before the match instead of picking them up right before the game because the lines were very long and you'd risk missing the beginning of the match.

In general, the football game was a great experience - Go OL!

I would recommend visiting friends in foreign countries!

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