Wanderlust: The One Where I'm in Lyon

I am really behind my blog posts. I don’t think I will go back to my Paris trip. Too much stuff to blog about everyday!! I will just post a link on where you can find my photos. As much as I would love to post my photos on Flickr, I never post the complete set there as I reserve my Flickr account for my “best” photos. So, if you would like to see my photos, you probably have to be my friend on Facebook.

Anyway, it’s my third day in Lyon already, it’ll be my fourth in 15 minutes actually (as I am typing this blog post). I toured the city of Lyon yesterday and went to some of their famous tourist spots like Parc de la Tete d’Or, Notre Dame de Fourviere, Theatres Romains de Fourviere, and Place Bellecour. It was very nice to walk around Lyon too as you will always find yourself walking by the beautiful rivers of Saône and Rhône. It is absolutely beautiful at night too as you can see the buildings that are lit up by the water. It’s nice to bike around the area and take a nice stroll, or even just sit by the steps. So romantic… yes, I am a lovesick puppy (sadly).

By the Rhône River

As for today, I met up with my friend, Diana, who is staying at the same apartment building as I am. We went to school to do some errands. The system was quite disorganized and the International Office staff seemed overly flustered and frustrated all the time. I guess there were just too many international students she had to handle and the other staff member said she was new too. Anyway, we didn’t get much done because we were lacking some important documents. So we just went back to the hotel to get things done and checked out our apartment at Le Moliere as well.

My very empty room.

Our apartment building was okay. My room was actually pretty spacious, I expected something smaller. However, my place was empty so I had to buy a lot of stuff, which is what we did. We went to La Part Dieu Mall again and bought a bunch of stuff at Carrefour. The mall is seriously amazing. It has EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING!!!! I would love to just stay there forever and just shop and eat… and use their wi-fi. I am moving in tomorrow with all my stuff just because my dad’s leaving early morning on the 29th. I am excited to fill my room up with my stuff. WOOHOO!

Last but not least, Lyon’s very unique BOUCHON CUISINE!!! My friend suggested that I should try some dishes like the Salade Lyonnaise, Quenelle de Brochet, and Andouillette. Last night (August 26th), I had the salad and quenelle from a restaurant called Les Pampres-Rouges and they were both good. I loved the idea of having poached eggs on the salad. The quenelle was something different. Oh, we sat outside along the street just because it was a nice sunny day and we enjoyed the fresh air. 

Salade Lyonnaise, Quenelle de brochet sauce crustaces et aux écrevisses, and Ile flottante

For dinner tonight, we also tried the same cuisine at a bouchon restaurant called Les Ventres Jaunes. I had saucisson for my appetizer and poulet with cream sauce and mushrooms for my plat or main course (? :D). Their servings were actually pretty good and you even get dessert and this all cost 19euros. Way cheaper than in Paris and I like the food here more too! PLUS, their red wine is trés magnifique! I was never really a fan of drinking wine, I just do because my dad loves to drink wine. But the wine they served us was very light and you could just drink it easily. As a matter of fact, I had a little too much to drink tonight… it served as a good nightcap though (sort of contradicting myself as I am still awake typing this post).

Saucisson de Lyon chaud cuit dans sa brioche and Poulet fermier à la crème

In case you didn’t know:

1) Bouchon – a type of cuisine unique only to Lyon. Bouchon in French just means “traffic jam” though.

2) Quenelle – is a mixture of creamed fish, chicken, or meat, sometimes combined with breadcrumbs, with a light egg binding.

3) Andouilette – chitterling (small intestines of pig)

4) Saucisson – Lyon sausage (tastes like chorizo)

I am two days behind blogging about my Paris trip. I am getting lazy….. I am now in Lyon and I don’t see it as a priority to still blog about Paris. 🙁 Owell, maybe I will…. after this. Maybe just a short one?

Anyway, I’m in Lyon! Finally! The city where I’ll be living in for four months.. Oh, boy. Lyon is totally different from Paris. There are more locals here and definitely less tourists and Asians. For the first time, I actually feel like I’m part of a “minority” group. I just try to act as if I’m a local and that I know my stuff… NOT. We are staying at Best Western Hotel Du Pont Wilson, total downgrade from Mandarin Oriental in Paris (OMG I sound so spoiled).

My dad and I walked to the Part Dieu Commercial Centre/Mall from our hotel, which wasn’t a very long walk. I think I will hang out a lot in this mall. It’s pretty huge and has a lot of the good stores. We had dinner at Quick just because we were desperate to eat. I had caramel biscuits and speculoos from Haagen-Dazs after. I have been wanting to try speculoos because my friend said it’s even better than Nutella. Something better than nutella? Hmmmm, I definitely gotta try it. After all, I am the nutella monster. Meow. =3 We bought some sandwiches for breakfast from Brioche Doree and then I shopped a little at Bershka (one of the brands that I will absolutely love, according to my friend).

Caramel Biscuits & Speculoos from Haagen-Dazs

We stopped by a grocery store on the way home as well and bought some things for my apartment and….. of course, SPECULOOS!! I found the spread!! Wee! Can’t wait to try it. <3

My dad and I took a walk along the Rhône River, which was close to Guillotière (a.k.a. a place I should avoid at night.. :O). Interesting fact about the Rhône River: “Before railroads and highways were developed, the Rhone was an important inland trade and transportation route, connecting the cities of Arles, Avignon,Valence, Vienne and Lyon to the Mediterranean ports of Fos, Marseille and Sète.” – Wikipedia

It was beautiful, but then I got a little paranoid with what my friends said so we eventually headed back to the hotel.

I also felt homesick awhile ago. I guess the weather and the environment of Lyon just made me feel that way. Streets were empty, sky was gloomy, and everyone just seemed unfamiliar (obviously).. but they give off a different vibe than the Parisiens. I hate being homesick, makes me miss Vancity so much. 🙁 But.. I knew what I was getting into.. I hope this feeling goes away soon though. 🙁

Seriously, I was standing up and walking for at least 7 hours for this day (22nd of August). No exaggeration at all. We arrived at Versailles a little past 10am and we left a little past 5pm. Holy frick, the Versailles Palace is bloody huge… and so was the line up. -_- But despite my sore back and legs, I am very happy that I was able to see Château de Versailles. Finally, something off my bucket list! I can’t even begin to describe its spectacular opulence, its intricate and detailed architecture, and its vastness. It’s definitely a must see when you’re in Paris! I gotta say, I have never walked so much in my entire life. Also, I have never gasped in amazement so many times. I was just admiring the palace’s beauty and how I wished I was King Louis XIV’s wife or something. I may have my own “summer estate” too if I were living in that era. I am still speechless and find it a tad bit difficult to describe the palace. My writing skills can do no justice. Maybe I’ll leave that to the gazillion photos I took. After all, pictures are worth a thousand words. Yes?

(Click to enlarge) From L to R: Entrance to Château de Versailles, Hall of Mirrors, and one part of the palace

Also, Château de Versailles was rich in history. Stories from King Louis XVI-XVIII, Napoleon Bonaparte, and other important figures in French history. The gardens behind the palace are……………………… Again, just wow… Seriously. WOW. They are gorgeous. Hands down to King Louis XIV! The palace also had summer houses for these important figures called Grand Trianon, which is almost a 20-minute walk from the palace at least. Marie-Antoinette even had her own summer estates. Sadly, that was the only place we weren’t able to go to because it was another 10 minute walk from where we started. But based on the video they were showing earlier inside the palace, her estates looked beautiful as well (surprise, surprise -_-). Okay, I will seriously let the pictures do the talking now.

Latone Fountain and Parterre & Swiss Lake

After our long day at Versailles, we walked around Champs-Élysées up to Arc de Triomphe, which looked more beautiful at night because of the lights.

Arc de Triomphe

Cheers,

-R

Bonjour, mon amis! Forgive me for forgetting to blog about my first day in Paris yesterday. So I arrived in this beautiful city around 11am on the 21st of August. Still felt kinda crappy with all the adjustment I had to do for three different time zones. -_- Anyway, it was a normal taxi ride to the our hotel, Mandarin Oriental, until we started passing by some buildings with old architecture. Before I knew it, I see Arc de Triomphe from afar and I am amazed at its beauty.

I took this photo from our cab.

We were greeted well by the hotel staff. We even get to enjoy free internet for our whole stay, which is why I am able to update my blog. Anyway, we didn’t waste any time. After a quick and refreshing shower, my dad and I walked around the area and found ourselves amazed at the beauty of Place de la Concorde, Jardin des Tuileries, Musée de Louvre, Seine River, and St. Germain area. I took tons of photos to make sure I got a good shot of each “famous location” in every angle. Typical me. Good luck to me when I want to try and edit all my photos. Here’s a sneak peek to some of the photos I took (they haven’t been edited either).

(click to enlarge) From Left to Right: Musée de Louvre, L’obelisque at Place de la Concorde, and Seine River

After walking around and exploring these areas, we had lunch at Les Deux Magots. I had the Croque Monsieur and my dad had the Croque Madame. The dishes looked pretty simple, but I really enjoyed it just because the cheese tasted incredibly good. I don’t know, I guess I’m a sucker when it comes to cheese. We headed back to the hotel after this because we wanted to rest. It was around 3pm. We ended up taking a nap close to three hours because we left the hotel again at 6pm to continue our tourist-y activities. Damn you, jetlag.

Croque Madame on the left and Croque Monsieur on the right!

We went around Place Vendôme and other places close to it. We stopped by Galaries Lafayette, which is considered France’s largest department store. We ended up buying some duck and pork paté, baguette, and brie cheese to eat for breakfast (P.S. I tried it already and they taste fantastic. I have a new love for paté!). We had dinner at Chez Clément after and I finally satisfied my craving for duck confit!! HOORAH! I think I will get fat in France because they tend to serve a lot of deep fried potatoes and frites… my weakness.

Lastly, my dad and I headed to one of the most romantic places in the world…. Le Tour Eiffel aka The Eiffel Tower. <3 I was totally reminded of Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf…. No idea why though. Weren’t they supposed to meet on the top of the Empire State Building back in NYC? I am confused. OHWELL. Anyway, I took a whole lot of photos. Every angle of the tower just looked magnificent, especially at night. For every hour, its lights will also start flickering for a few minutes just to even fascinate more the very amazed people already. It was just beautiful. We didn’t bother going up because the hotel concierge told us that tickets are fully booked for the next three months. That sh*t cray.

The Eiffel Tower

And I guess that concludes my first day in Paris! Stay tuned for the next post as I will blog about the suuuuuuperrrrrrrr beautiiiiifuuuuuuuuuul Château de Versailles. 😀

–R

This is it. This is really it!!!! I am heading to Paris in a bit! Luckily, I also got upgraded to business class for my flight to Hong Kong. How I wish it was the same for my flight to Paris too. Ohwell, better than nothing. Doesn’t help that I am still suffering from a cold. I am generally just tired, sleep deprived, and still jet lagged. Sigh.

I am so sleepy. I am about to pass out as I write this post at the CX lounge. T_T Anyway, I had a great day today. Spent my last day by having a long brunch with Szam and Trish. It was great seeing them as I won’t see them until January of next year in Vancouver. Will miss those girls very much. Always a laugh and a blast when I’m with them.

Afterwards, Beefy, Ange, and Josh came over my place to chill and sort of prepare me for my trip. Again, thanks for coming over, dear friends! I can’t wait to see you all again in December when I come back. <3

Okay, I am getting groggy, irritable, and I am very hungry. I will grab some food first… and I guess that’s it for now? My next post might be when I’m in Paris already. How exciting…. and still surreal!!! :O

-R

I am currently in Manila… arrived here 11:00am-ish. Feels great to be back home, but I swear… it is too hot here. I think I need to shower at least twice a day. It’s too humid.. I am a sticky and sweaty mess. -_- Earlier today, I was feeling dizzy just because of the heat.. I wanted to faint already.

Despite the “unbearable” weather in Manila, I had a very busy day. I had a lunch date with my little bro at Sunrise Buckets. Surprisingly, their chicken wings were actually pretty good. I was surprised they even had poutine on their menu. I wonder how poutine in the Philippines tastes like…

We went to Eastwood after to buy some school supplies for myself and look around a few shops. Then, we went home to prepare for the ADMU vs. FEU game! It’s been at least two years since the last game I watched live and I was glad I was able to watch this one, especially it being Nico Salva’s last year playing in the UAAP. It was a great game as well as Ateneo was able to catch up and win the game in the end. I miss cheering like a crazy fan girl for my favourite UAAP team, but hey, I am more refined now than I was before.

After that exciting game, I went to Fort Bonifacio/Bonifacio High Street to have a “reunion” with my barkada and some of us brought our own dates. 😉 Just kidding! It was great seeing them. It feels like nothing has changed between us and conversation just flows smoothly and naturally whenever we are together. We ate at Cue Modern Barbeque and to be honest, I think I have spoiled myself with the excellent food quality in Vancouver. At this point, I don’t know how I was still awake and successfully fighting off my jetlag. Well, sort of. I fell asleep in the car two times. We went to my house after to chill and have some banoffee pie. Extremely satisfying…as always. But I think I have had enough for one trip.

And now, it is past 2am and I think I have passed my “sleepy state” already. Good luck on trying to make me sleep now and waking up “early” tomorrow.

I am currently typing this blog post at the Vancouver International Airport. Yes, I never thought this day would come. Until now, I am still in utter disbelief that I am going to be living in Lyon for four months. It just seems too unreal. I think I will finally believe it once I set foot in France… on the 21st of August. Awyeah!

I am headed to Manila and I will be there for three days. I am actually more excited for that because I will get to be reunited with my family and even more of my friends. However, I my sleeping schedule will be terrible. Talk about triple jetlag. -_- Ohwell, I will manage. As they say… YOLO. 😛

I’ve had a great last week here in Vancouver. Two surprise despedidas?? I have the greatest and the “best-est” family & friends in this world. I’m not here to brag about the going away parties they have thrown me, but I’m here to brag about how incredible these special people are. I can’t even emphasize how each and everyone of them plays an important role in my life and leaving them for 5-ish months is really something difficult for me to do. I am surprised I haven’t cried when saying goodbye to any of them. Maybe it’s just the Lord’s way of helping me have a strong mindset, in preparation for my exchange experience… ANYWAY, the point is, I will miss them very much and I am only as excited to explore Europe as I am to seeing them again when I come back. 🙂

I am waiting for my flight, which is at 2:45am… I will find some other things to do. Maybe go watch my TV series. I’ve loaded my iPad with GOT, Suits, and I’ve got some catching up to do with PLL, Baby Daddy, and SYTYCD. Hmmm.. okay, that’s all for now. Will check in again when I arrive in Hong Kong.. or Manila.

-R

I am leaving tomorrow night… well, more like Friday morning since I’m catching the 2:45am flight to Hong Kong. Point is, I still haven’t finished packing. There’s just too much stuff I want to bring. After filtering through my huge pile of clothes, I am still left with a lot of stuff. This is so frustrating. I wish someone can pack for me.

Also, it doesn’t help that I am sick with cough and colds…. Great. Just before I leave. I’m in for a crappy plane ride for sure. -_- Oh, and guess what, I got into a car accident two days ago so I have to deal with that sh*t too. AGGGHHH. Such bad timing.

I am now off to do more chores my sister wants me to do before I leave and of course, pack pack pack!!

-R

Updates, updates!

I still can’t speak or understand French to save my life. I swear, this language barrier is going to bite me in the a$$ very, very soon. I tried buying my train tickets yesterday and had quite a challenging time doing so. I had to ask my friend who went on Exchange last year to help me out. I would have been lost without her as she knows her stuff more than I do. Luckily, I was able to successfully purchase my dad and I’s train tickets from Paris to Lyon and vice versa. Hooray. And yay, for Google Translate for helping me understand all that French jargon.

I have started organizing my things and writing a list of things I need to pack, buy, and etc. for Lyon. For example, I bought two universal chargers yesterday and also made copies of my passport photo, in case I need it in Lyon. I have brought out three of my French “pocket dictionaries” as well. Hopefully, I will get a start on learning some useful phrases to better prepare myself for this trip.

That’s it for now. Goal for today is to bring out my suitcase and start packing. I still can’t believe I’m leaving in one week. Holy moly.

– Raissa

Hello, everyone! As most of you may know, I am leaving for Lyon, France in less than two weeks for my Fall exchange program. I won’t be back in beautiful Vancouver until January of next year. I can’t believe this experience is about to take flight very soon. Up to now, it still seems so surreal. I might just need someone to pinch me in order to tell me this is not a dream.

Anyway, I just want to let you all know that I plan to update all of you about my different experiences in Lyon and my travels around Europe through this blog. I have decided to take my friend’s advice on keeping a blog so whenever I would like to reminisce all the wonderful (hopefully) memories I will have made in Europe, I can always just refer back to this. I will do my best to keep this blog as updated as possible. Please bear with me if I don’t!

That’s it for now, folks!
Raissa <3