It may be for the best that I couldn't go to Lyon today; from what I hear, the striking has intensified a bit this week into more active displays of dissatisfaction with the government. Some of the profs were saying that Bellecour, where I was last weekend, was completely blocked off today to reign in protesters, who are displaying their anger by setting trash cans on fire (also on strike are the trash collectors, so there's plenty of material available to burn for those so inclined).
Between learning we can't have our own internet and the strike undermining everyday life, I think my blogs have had a little bit of a negative air, but I'm still really happy to be here. Just have to get around these obstacles and make the best of it. Now picking up where I left off earlier in the week: Lyon in less riotous times!
I had a lot of free time to explore on Saturday since Fanny was at a German teachers' conference all afternoon. To the left is a picture of a very strange sight, a centuries-old church next to the modern monstrosity that is a Monoprix department/grocery store. The perspective in my picture is a little off, since the two are actually about the same size even though the Monoprix looks bigger. I guess the building itself is actually pretty cool for a department store, but next to the church it's just strange. You do see a lot of this in France though, beautiful old buildings eclipsed by newer, sleeker designs.
Also of architectural interest, though in a different way, is this awesome-looking offbeat bookstore I came across. I love that there are so many independent bookstores in France rather than just the big chains like Barnes & Noble and Borders in the US, though there are also the big book/media stores here too; FNAC and Virgin Megastore are the two most well-known, and they're also the places you go to for concert/event tickets.
After a day of wandering and window shopping, I met back up with Fanny to cook dinner at our hosts' apartment. We'd gone to the marché that morning to buy veggies and fish, so dinner that night was a dish that Fanny cooks often but that is so delicious I could happily eat it every day: sliced onions, olive oil, fish (a light, white variety), tomatoes, and blue cheese all baked together, served over rice. Next time we cook it -- probably in a couple weeks, after break -- I'll have to take a picture, since it looks almost as good as it tastes. A few other German assistants came over after their meeting and joined us for dinner, which became more of a late-night social event than just a dinner. Thankfully everyone was speaking French for the most part so I was able to understand!
With transportation still being a tricky issue, Fanny and I wanted to head back to Feurs fairly early on Sunday, but we first hiked up to Notre-Dame de Fourvière, the church that looms over the city. It was a bit too hazy and rainy to take a good picture of the view from the top of the hill, so I'll have to try and do that another day when the weather is more accommodating. Fortunately weather doesn't matter so much on the inside of a church/basilica, and this one is especially gorgeous. The earlier incarnation of the basilica was destroyed in the Franco-Prussian War, so this one is fairly young for a church (built from 1872-84). I don't know that my picture captured it very well, but the sheer magnitude of this building with its colorful, gilded interior is absolutely breathtaking.
Ok, only a couple minutes of internet left, so I'd better wrap this up. This may be my last blog for a while, as the internet will be shut off this weekend and then I'm off to Paris and London next week with Brooke and Josh. Bonne vacances!
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