1. THE food! you all know I love food but there are so many things that I wish I could have here in the States... I think I wrote boulangerie/patisserie as my first thing I love about France but we'll just say its all kinds of food haha... I love gratin dauphinois, the mini tarte aux framboises, the tarte aux pommes John's mom makes, the Lyonnais quenelle, foie gras, salade Lyonnais with the lardon (cooked, haha), saucisson, pate croute, steak hache, the mustard mayonnaise that John loves, the baguettes, pain au chocolat, croissants, crepes... and how odd they are sometimes... who eats a sandwich with ham and butter? and puts their hot dog in a baguette... its all so good though... their little Kinder chocolate eggs... They are divine and I bought a handful of bags that I was so scared they would find and take away from me when I got to customs haha... I could go on forever...
2. The Olympique Lyonnais! It's hard not to fall in love with football (soccer) when you're a city of fans who are so passionate and the team never fails to deliver. I'm not even sure if I should say soccer know that I'm back in the States since I've gotten so used to football. I was thrilled to have watched their 7th Championship win before I left Lyon. I really love the team and I get anxious hearing about who made the French team and who will be leaving and joining the team for the next season.
3. The shopping, the clothes, their style... I would have to say our peers in France... really know how to dress. I'm not sure if it was just the school we attended but the girls always looked put together. And the guys, too! It wasn't like in the States where you can just roll out of bed and go to class in sweats. I loved everything from their boots, jackets, scarves, skinny jeans and bags...
One thing I didn't mention... that I've been meaning to blog about was the music. Their popular music is a mix of French and English music. The English music is from American artists, as well as artists from UK and the rest of Europe. Their club songs were just a little bit behind the U.S. but perhaps even more wildly popular. Europeans like a lot of house and trance and then there's the weird French rap... lol. Oh, and I sort of rediscovered Mika there. I have heard Mika on TV shows and commercials but only in France did I find out who he was.
Some of the most popular songs:
Rihanna - Please Don't Stop The Music
Britney Spears - Gimme More
Alicia Keys - No One
Yael Naim - New Soul
Yelle - Je Veux Te Voir
Renan Luce - Les Voisines
Melissa - Cette Fois
Sheryfa Luna - Il Avait Les Mots
Ida Corr - Let Me Think About It
Laurent Wolf - No Stress
Sugababes - About You Now
Superbus - Travel the World
Kylie Minogue - In My Arms
Daft Punk - Around the World & Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
David Guetta - Delirious
Other things I love include the cleanest and fastest metro I've ever ridden. And of course, this honor belongs to Lyon. :) I like that they know how to take their time and relax. No need to rush. Lyon is in the heart of France and is just two hours from Paris and from the Mediterranean. This makes it easy to travel and by plane you can get anywhere in just about two hours as well. I love that you have everything you can ask for in a city when you're in Lyon. You have beautiful buildings, park, two rivers, nightlife, restaurants, culture, history, shopping... all packaged nicely for you into one city. You can probably guess what my 7th love was... It starts with a J and ends with an O-H-N. Haha. John really made my time in France just that much more interesting.
I truly do miss the life there. When I first came back, everyone asked if it felt weird and if I missed it. At first, I didn't. I was excited to be back. I had missed so much here at home that I didn't really realize what I had left behind. It worries me because I tend to forget things quickly. I don't ever want to forget walking around the streets of our neighborhood and shopping in the grocery store not understanding the labels of what you're buying. I don't want to forget how uncomfortable it can be living in a culture that does things a little different and how I had to learn to listen and try to pick up the language. If I could do it all over again, I would in a heartbeat. It wasn't a perfect experience but I think that's the beauty of it. The imperfections are what teach you to try harder next time and keep an open mind. I'll never have the life I lived there again and that saddens me. But I am a lucky girl to have had it at all. I can't tell you how important it is to give yourself a chance to try it. It is really one of the best times of your life.
