Adventuring in the South of France: Lyon + Montpellier
France |
48 Hours in Lyon
My mom and I decided to spend a few days in France before we met up with the tour group in Spain. Excellent decision on our part, I think! But first, here's a pro tip: don't eat the "fresh" fruit cups at London Heathrow International Airport. 99.9% sure said fruit cup gave me food poisoning promptly upon arrival in Lyon. My quest for healthy food after what seemed like ten million hours of plane travel backfired, big time. I spent the first 24 hours or so in bed, brushing up on my language skills by watching French television channels (the only variety available in our closet-sized room in a charming European hotel) and staring out the window at the gorgeous old apartments across the street, dreaming of a life in France. Fortuitously, we arrived on the night of a music festival, so I got to listen to beautiful live music performed by musicians in the public square practically right below our hotel room window. When in Europe.....
On the other hand, it didn't really help that we arrived in Europe right at the beginning of a nightmarish heat wave, with temperatures soaring to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit in Lyon. A day or so later, I dragged myself out of bed and onto a bus for a sticky, sweaty tour of the ever-so-beautiful, 2,000-year-old city of Lyon (as touristy as it was, I literally couldn't stomach a walking adventure) - and it was totally worth it. We saw remnants of Lyon's historic silk industry in the Croix-Rousse district, trekked around the gorgeous riverfront, saw some incredible sights (including the literally ancient Roman amphitheater and some incredible modern architecture), and, in my case, gazed a bit mournfully at all the extremely rich French food that I simply couldn't stomach. |
24 Hours in Montpellier
After a bit of a bumpy start to our trip, my mom and I left Lyon and headed even further south to the colorful coastal city of Montpellier. Check out the gallery below to see highlights of our wanderings there!
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