Adieu, Lyon!

Well, our seven-month contract here in Lyon has finally come to a close. We’ve had ups and downs, like with anything — but overall, Becky and I agree that we’ve had a fantastic time. We’ve made some wonderful friends, and have had a chance to experience a taste of French and European life.

Things I’ll miss about Lyon:

1) People!

Big thanks go out to Wolf, Rebecca, Romix, Lucy, Loïc, Brad, Nicole, Birgit, Clément, Didier, and many others who made our time here unforgettable. We can’t wait to see you guys again soon!

2) Size!

Lyon has the trappings of a big city, but in reality it’s not that big. Wikipedia will tell you that the city itself has a population of under 500,000 — and yet’s it’s the second (or third, depending who you ask) biggest city in France. What that means is I can bike from our suburb of Villeurbanne to downtown Lyon (around five kilometers) in 20-30 minutes or so. It makes the city very livable.

3) Beauty!

Those Romans were some smart dudes. In addition to building lots of awesome stuff all over the place, the Romans were smart enough to found Lugdunum, the city that we now call Lyon. It’s famous for being the place where the Rhône and the Saône intersect. It’s got hills and flatland and everything you could possibly want.

4) Markets! (and Food!)

Back in January I made a Google Map of the street markets of Lyon and Villeurbanne. I couldn’t possibly have hit all of them — the best ones were the ones that I just happened to stumble on at the right time. Definitely though, Croix-Rousse takes the cake. We’ve done our best to sample the local food, from high-brow bouchons, to the low-brow kebab place called “Casa di Tacos.” Not to mention delicious bread and pastries on nearly every corner. Our favorite bakery in town is on the corner of Cours Vitton and Rue de la Tête d’Or (M: Masséna), with our local favorite within walking/biking distance of the apartment is Boulangerie Jacquier. We’ve enjoyed quenelles, sausage, countless cheeses, and an astonishing amount of cheap and good wine. Plus, a few surprises, like Ninkasi beer, and the cha shu bao bought from the Vietnamese grocer on Rue Passet.

5) Vélo’v!

Especially in the last month now that the weather has been gorgeous, I’ve been Vélo’ving everywhere. 5€ got me a subscription to participate in the famed bike sharing program. This type of system only works because there’s about 350 stations all over the city and immediate suburbs. Within a three block radius of our house, there’s four that I can think of without even trying. San Francisco, Washington DC, you guys really need to get on this — and stop dicking around with this 10 station nonsense. Lyon has over 300! You gotta have that many to make it worthwhile.

6) Games!

“Moi, je m’en fous je triche” (I don’t care, I’m cheating) is a fantastic local game club. Among our American circle of friends, we called it the “game bar” (often sung to the tune of this Electric Six tune: “Gay Bar”). Locals just call it “La Triche.” You pay 6€/yr (September to September) for an annual subscription and then you have access to 800 games. The spot, which is staffed entirely by volunteers, is open every day (except Monday) — and it feels like going to your geeky board game friend’s basement.

Just as burritos, beer and Catan are a favorite weekend activity for us in Oakland, this was the next best thing. Catan still dominated, but we also took on Carcassonne, Puerto Rico a couple of times. We’ve also been fascinated by watching people play “Cash N’ Guns“.

La Triche is also the host to Lyon’s famed “Pacman @ Lyon,” which I really hope to bring to California. If you come here to play, say hi to Clément and tell him I sent you.

Oakland, here we come! Becky arrives on Sunday evening, while I get there Monday afternoon.