Lyon, France: Cobblestones, Crepes, and a Whole Lotta Confusion
okay, so lyon. where do i even begin? i just checked and it’s drizzling a persistent, almost apologetic rain there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. i’m still trying to shake the dampness from my bones, honestly. i was supposed to be here for, like, four days. ended up staying six. it just…happened.
my whole thing is busking, right? guitar, a few original songs, some covers. trying to make enough to keep the ramen flowing. lyon…it’s complicated. the vibe is serious. like, people are intensely focused on their baguettes and their conversations. not a lot of spontaneous applause, you know? i tried playing near the *Place des Terreaux - beautiful square, by the way, check it out on TripAdvisor - and got mostly blank stares. one guy threw a coin in my case and muttered something about “noise pollution.” charming.
but then! then i stumbled upon this tiny little courtyard near Vieux Lyon, the old town. cobblestone streets, ivy creeping up the buildings, the smell of roasting chestnuts…it was magic. i started playing a bluesy number, and this old woman started tapping her foot. then a couple started slow dancing. suddenly, i had an audience! it was glorious. i made enough for a decent bottle of wine and a crepe (nutella, obviously).
“Apparently, the best place to busk is near the Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière. But be warned, a local told me, the pigeons are ruthless. They’ll steal your hat.”
Speaking of Vieux Lyon, seriously, wander around. Get lost. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site for a reason. The traboules - those secret passageways - are insane. I spent a good afternoon just exploring them. You can find some maps online, but half the fun is discovering them yourself. Check out this local board for some hidden gems: https://www.lyon.fr/en/discover-lyon/hidden-lyon.
food. oh god, the food. i’m a sucker for a good pastry, and lyon did not disappoint. I overheard someone at a cafe saying that Bouchon restaurants are the way to go for authentic Lyonnaise cuisine. Apparently, they’re a bit pricey, but worth it. I didn’t quite have the budget for that, but I did manage to find some amazing street food.
“Drunk advice I got from a guy near the Rhône: ‘Don’t trust the cheese shops. They’ll try to sell you something you don’t need.’”
I also spent a day wandering around Parc de la Tête d'Or. It’s huge! A proper escape from the city. I even saw a few people practicing yoga in the rose garden. If you get bored, Grenoble and Saint-Étienne are just a short drive away.
Honestly, lyon is a bit of a puzzle. It’s beautiful, historic, and full of amazing food, but it also has this…undercurrent of seriousness. It’s not a place for loud, boisterous tourists. It’s a place for people who want to wander, to explore, to get a little lost. And maybe, just maybe, to find a hidden courtyard where you can play your guitar and feel like you belong. I’m already planning my return. Check out Yelp for some restaurant reviews: https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=restaurants&find_loc=Lyon,+Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes,+France. And if you’re into street art, there’s a decent scene around Quai Saint-Vincent*. I found some cool murals while I was wandering around. https://www.streetartlyon.com/
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