Photobook: Lyon, France

I haven’t been to Lyon in a few years, but I still think about it. It was my first trip outside of my town that wasn’t Marseille, the biggest city closest to where I was based during my year teaching abroad. I and a fellow teaching assistant stayed in an Airbnb, which would be my first of many Airbnbs. It was a charming, but rather large, flat on the newer side of town. Many other travelers rented out the three other rooms in the flat during our stay; in another room were two girls from South America who were on their way to work at a ski resort somewhere near Champagne. Once we walked down the five flights of spiral stairs, it was only a 10-minute walk to the river. Don’t forget anything when leaving to explore Lyon or else you’ll really have leg day!

I loved traveling with other teaching assistants. Usually, our shared language was French. Granted, none of us spoke perfectly so there was always a bit of bumbling and lots lost in translation, but we always had a blast. We explored the museums, candy stores, vaulted cathedrals, and bustling tourist shops.

My second time in Lyon was with my brother. I got to hit up all my favorite spots again and venture a little out of the city. We explored different neighborhoods and parks with spectacular greenhouses. We also stayed at a hostel that, while not terrible, had a plumbing problem and absolutely reeked all five-ish nights we stayed there. It had a TARDIS in the kitchen, which was pretty much the only reason I booked it – that and it was cheap.

Something that really drives me to Lyon is the history. Its drooping walls in old town ooze with stories and secrets that I’ll never know. The cobblestone streets are smooth from the millions of steps that came before mine. 

One day I’ll be back. What are some of your recommendations for seeing the best of Lyon?

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