I got to Lyon last night and walked a solid 2km to get to the Airbnb, which is honestly one of the most beautiful homes I’ve ever seen. The owner of this place has everything in her house colour coordinated to match with teal and white walls. It’s extremely pretty, and the way the light hits the apartment makes me want to spend the entire day on the sofa and never leave. Unfortunately, this is a trip for exploration and not a staycation.
We celebrated Aunty’s birthday (I’m here with very very close family friends, who are basically family to me) by cutting frozen pizza we had cooked off. Breakfast was boiled eggs. And brunch was the greatest combo: a galette and a crepe. Since I’ve gotten to Lyon I’ve been really impressed with the “chill” vibe that the city gives off. It’s in the air, I think. People seem to be alright relaxing and getting things done in their own time, and it forced me – as an Indian person used to quick-service delivery and with a sense of urgency to pause. I’m enjoying that. I’m also enjoying a lot of the French I’m speaking. People are willing to correct me where I make mistakes – largely in the form of tense corrections, and appreciate the effort, which is honestly all I can ask for as a non-native speaker.
We went to the Lumiere Brothers Museum. I’m always amazed at how these cities preserve elements of history that they believe deserve conservation. The museum itself is astounding and inspirational, and the entire time, I was thinking of my maternal grandfather. I know how enthralled he would’ve been by some of the installations, because he used to make similar installations and illusions for me to look at and marvel at when I was younger.
We also did a boat cruise on the Rhone river. As a friendly tip, I will tell you this. Ask someone how to get to the cruise. Google Maps is wildly unhelpful and walking two hours in the heat is not worth it (although the view is beautiful). The cruise was insane, and I’ve discovered that these kind of things are far better to get a birds’ eye view of the city.
Dinner was the best burger I’ve ever had in my life.
Can’t wait to see what tomorrow holds.
Tejas Rao 