low country margaret: June 2009

La Criox Rousse, Lyon from the Rhône river

After visiting with Christine again, I trained down to Lyon, the second-largest city in France behind Paris and ahead of Marseille on the southern coast. I went to see Shirin, Gabby and Micheal who are "studying" there this semester (quotes due to the crazy strikes that have been gripping the French univeristy system this past year, not as a reflection of the aforementioned upright scholars' academic prowess). We had an amazingly relaxed week in Lyon which mainly consisted of long afternoon walks up and down the banks of the two rivers in the city and trekking across the hillside above the city. The best part of my trip was the timing. The weather was exceptional and there was a huge music festival in town, Les Nuits Sonores, at the same time I was there. There were a ton of free musical and artistic performances throughout the city during the days and certain special evenings, and we bought tickets for the Friday night extravaganza at the multi-stage electro-hip hop dance venue. Needless to say, it was a stellar introduction to the city and a welcome chance to relish in the company of good friends.

Shirin & Margaret in Vieux Lyon

Fizzy "Diablo" drinks with Peach and Violet syrup

View of the Fourvière hill from the Saône river

Margaret, Gabby, Elizabeth

Abandoned old Lyonnaise fort in the forest outside of the city

Outside the dilapidated fort were beautiful flower and vegetable

garden plots managed by residents

X marks the spot

Free outdoor music for the Nuits Sonores festival in the city center

Poster in town from Nuits Sonores in Lyon

Dirty dance floor battle feet after an amazing night of

electronic hip hop at a night of Nuits Sonores.

So many French dudes danced on my toes.

Hôtel de Ville de Lyon

Lyonnaise silk flats

Reeds in the Rhône

Les elephants heureux

Hilltop

"Fuck Sarko"

8-hectare Parc de la Tête d'Or, Lyon, the largest municipal botanical garden in France

Memorial at the entrance to the city park, Lyon

Sweet squiggle creature with a message:

"Répression, Oppression, Ripostons"

Gabby & Margaret climbing the hills

Rocky hillside

La Saône

Views of Hôtel de Ville de Lyon at a gallery

Gallo-Roman ruins on the Fourvière hill overlooking the city

Sunny ruins

Roman ampitheatre

Jardin d'archiologie

Last night on the town

On my way to Lyon, my train stopped in Paris, so I got a chance to meet up with Christine again for one more day in the city and to spend a day in the village she grew up in, Compiégne. Her parents and younger sister still live just outside the city of Compiegne in a tiny village, Villet sur Coudan, about 80 kilometers north of Paris.