geneve and lyon

So I did indeed finally make it to Geneva.

My friends and I spent the day roaming the little streets of the quaint yet expensive lakeside city. As we shivered through the label lined streets we dodged the human mannequins swaggering in their diamond watches and fur coats. Despite the obvious wealth the cobbled, cafe lined streets of Geneva still welcomed us drawing us into dusty antique books stores and warm cafes with hot mulled wine to defrost our painful fingers and toes. And I must say, the drive itself there and back was as breathtaking as the city itself, as we drove down into Switzerland from the Haut Jura the sun light sent slivers of silver shooting across the snow coated fir tress that cling to the steep slopes there.

That night we spent the evening in one Champagnole's landmarks. Big Ben's. Big Ben's is an anglomaniac's dream. The walls are coated in everything from Guns and Roses posters to slightly distasteful postcards featuring ornate genitalia. (hilarious). There is not much else to say about this little corner of the world but they do say a picture can say a thousand words...

france, a country of art, culture and class

The remainder of the week consisted as always of Italian class, which I am growing fonder of by the day - just can't seem to learn enough quick enough! Mas parlo un po italiano! (or something like that anyway). And tutoring my lovely Swiss family. We also spent a night making homemade pizzas with friends followed by cidre bretonne and too much lemon cheesecake!

And that brings me up to this weekend, which I spent in beautiful Lyon!

I met two very special friends at Part Dieu on Friday morning for what was to be a weekend to remember in a sun flooded Lyon. We spent the day wandering through the streets, trouv-ing ses marques, drinking Starbucks (shameful in France, yet necessary when enjoying a little weekend of home comforts). We took lunch in a little Italian restaurant and filled each other in on life in France before returning to what turned out to be a great little hotel. That evening we met up with Audrey and her lovely fiance David for 'un repas traditional' in 'un bouchon' which is a small Lyonnais restaurant which specialise in local delicacies. The name 'Vielle Canaille' which I think translates to something like ' the old rotter' haha. We ate Salade des Quenelles, Cervelles de Canut and Reblochonnade. (apologies for any awful spelling errors in advance!) It was fantastic to see Audrey again and chat away in French - made us all realise how much our French has improved during our time here!

reunited 

kid skate boarding indulging me in my attempts to take cool shots of the skate park

perfect

The next day we met Audrey in order to explore Le Parc de la Tete d'Or (which I would reccomend to anyone planning on taking a trip to Lyon - http://www.lyon.fr/vdl/sections/fr/environnement/parcs_jardins/tete_or_1/_ )

The park boasts a lake, botanical gardens and a zoo full of interesting animals. We strolled and laughed in the morning sunshine forgetting all our worries and homesickness. 

 We ate lunch at Audrey's place and met her two little babies (cats) who were adorable, and tool quite a shine to Megan! After lunch, loaded with a map and a mission we headed off to find Le Basilique Notre Dame and the ancient Roman theatre. Both of which were stunning, the Basilique offering a breathtaking view over Lyon.

We spent our final night in Lyon watching the France vs. Scotland game in an Irish bar 'The Smoking Dog' in the old quarter of Lyon, the atmosphere was fantastic and the Guiness far from disappointing. Afterwards we once again hunted down some more Lyonnais traditional food at Chez Louise. We sat chatting and laughing to the point of tears into the early ours. Just what we all needed to pull us through to the next holiday!

Megan and her phallic boudin. No more needs to be said on this matter.

A lazy morning eating crepes and gauffres, slurping coffee and relaxing on the riverbank softened a sad goodbye and made a perfect ending to a perfect weekend. I've already started planning a trip to Marseille for after the vacances! 

Bern this weekend, until then, au revoir! x