Phil Mercer's Home Page 2010

So I have been visiting Lyon. I'm not explaining why, but needless to say i don't take much persuading to go somewhere new.

I've once again proved to myself that i need to get a handle on a second language. It's not that i haven't been made welcome, the people here have gone out of their way to be friendly and inclusive. It's just that if i new a little more of the language i could actually engage others in conversation.

I still think that my lack of knowledge of English is my constant failing point.

I've always loved France and have gotten to know Paris and areas like the Loire (see my other blog for information) and spent many weeks as a child under canvas around Normandy and Brittany. Lyon had never come up as a place worth visiting. I suppose in a lot of ways it is the Birmingham of France. The second city, very industrialised but with a historic core.

Actually that is where Brum and Lyon become very different. Lyon is very old. It dates right back to the Romans (when it was called Lugdunum), in fact was the capital of Gaul for many centuries.

In the usual European way, its a city that has seen a lot of planning. British cities seem to just grow organically, which leads to bad communication links, no consideration for future capacity and ultimately congestion and frustration. Lyon seems to have expanded in a more composed way. Yes, the city centre is medieval and therefore has lots of tiny streets, but once you move out to the districts you find wider boulevards with capacity for bus lanes and trams. This is the city that the architect Tony Garnier had a big effect on.

Until visiting Lyon I had no idea who he was. It turns out that we have all experience and seen the results of his ideas. In an area of the city called Etats Unis, you can find what look like ordinary housing estate blocks of flats. On the sides of many of them are huge freezes that show Garnier's ideals. A city where accommodation was kept away from the polluting industries. A city that brought communities together with housing around a central hub of transport interchanges, shops and libraries. Everyday now, but back then it was all cutting edge.

I spent one day pottering around the shops and climbing the hill that has the roman amphitheatre and basilica. While sat in Quik eating a burger I noticed that walking the shopping streets was as dangerous as it can be in the UK.

The phenomenon of Chugging is something that really winds me up. I can understand why it exists, as it does work. A charity employs four or five people to stand around with clip boards, approach passing shoppers and try to get them to sign up for a direct debit.

They are however, very annoying. You are walking down the street trying to mind your own business, when they pounce on you. At that moment you have a choice, to feel guilty as you cross the road to avoid them, or end up paying money to a charity you possibly can't afford to support. Its the guilt factor that earns the charities the money. It should never be right to use such an emotional way to raise funds. Yes, use a tertiary appeal... something that would compel me to approach the person with the clip board... but hunting me down is unacceptable.

Craziness occurred several times during my stay, while I was in the Quik a mad woman started screaming at the staff and queuing customers. One evening while in a restaurant, an argument broke out between the proprietor and a customer. It ended with the two shouting in the street and the rest of us customers getting locked in until the problem maker went away.

Its nice to know it doesn't just happen in the UK.

Lyon has some great little bars and eateries. It is well known as a place for gastronomy. My host took me to some wonderful places and I ate very well. Some of the traditional Lyonaise meals used parts of an animal I really don't want to think about. They tasted great and were very filling! It is not a place for a diet!

I was surprised about the size of the Bear community (something which I should discuss in the future, I think!) in Lyon. I can recommend the Station B and XL Bars. Both were very friendly and nice and chilled out. I managed to time my trip with Mardi Gras, so had the unusual feature of drinking beer and eating pancakes at the same time. A strange mixture, but one I can recommend.

To sum it up, Lyon is a great city break destination. With great museums, wonderful history, fantastic food and a chilled out nightlife. I hope to return soon.

Labels: Destinations

# posted by Phil @ 7:08 pm

Thursday, March 01, 2007