The weekend before last was the Fête des Lumières, Lyon's annual light festival. It's the largest festival in Lyon, attracting 2 million visitors, which is over twice Lyon's normal population. Needless to say, the city was pretty crowded.
I loved the Fête des Lumières. Unfortunately, I broke my cameraphone (my only remaining camera apparatus) the morning before the festival started. So instead of showing you what it was like, I will try to describe it to you.
The festival takes place for 4 days across the city. Officially, it's supposed to be a celebration of Thanksgiving to the Virgin Mary who is credited for saving Lyon from the plague during the Middle Ages. On December 8, the actual day of the religious festival, the people of Lyon place candles in their windows to commemorate the event. The city of Lyon added 3 days of the festival to make it a commercial tourist attraction, but it was no ordinary fête.
I went out to the festivities the first night and the last night because they were least crowded. There was a lot to see. Several different monuments and squares in Lyon transformed into living light spectacles. Giant light shows were projected onto buildings, and they were made to fit the outline of each building perfectly. We watched in awe as the lights created the illusion of the buildings being built, painted, and destroyed. My favorite of these spectacles was at Cathedral St. Jean. There, they created a show that showed angels and gargoyles raising the tower, transforming it, and ultimately burning it to the ground. It was so incredibly beautiful that I felt transported to another world, almost.
Here's a video of it, if you want to get an idea of what I'm talking about:
St. Jean Cathedral Light Display
We also strode up and
down the main shopping district, Rue de la République, which was lit up with Christmas
decorations. Where there is normally a fountain there was a huge dragon made of
traffic cones and other recycled materials, all lit up. We also saw a short
film about whales projected onto a fan of water at the Confluence, and we
walked through a tunnel transformed into a ghostly sea of floating fish in the
air above us as they twinkled through smoke. I feel so lucky to have been in
Lyon during the festival and to have had the opportunity to see it with my
friends here. I will miss them so much when I leave.
Now, I’m going to list
some of my favorite things I like to do in Lyon, in no particular order. I’ve
focused so much on my travels in this blog that I haven’t had much time to
discuss my everyday life in France.
1.
Writing at the Roman theaters. I
mostly did this when it was warmer here, but it has been one of my favorite
things to do on a free afternoon in Lyon. I love sitting amongst the ancient
ruins, ruminating on past civilizations, while looking down at the view of the
modern city and writing in my journal. It just feels like something straight
out of a Keats poem. I love it!
2.
Studying at Little. Little is the cutest café that my
friends and I have discovered here. It mainly sells adorable little cupcakes,
which are absolutely delicious. One of my favorite types is their nutella
cupcake. They also have tea, couches, and free wi-fi, which made them a great
study destination. I am really going to hanging out there.
3.
Strolling down Rue Victor Hugo. Rue
Victor Hugo is possibly my favorite street in Lyon because it has some really
affordable places to eat and to shop. I love getting a bagel from the American-style
bagel store, Bagelstein, which has really weird pictures of American pop stars
in it from different magazines. I also am tempted every time I walk by the
candy store, Tentation, which has a giant bear in front of it. You can load up
on as much candy as you want from their selections of gummies and other
delicious treats for just .75 euros per 100 grams. Also, Rue Victor Hugo is
named after my favorite French writer, so how could I not like it?
4.
The Lyon Christmas Market. This only opened in
the past month, but I have visited it many times and really like it. Most of
the gift items there are a little on the pricey side, but they have great
holiday-themed hot food. I love picking up a bowl of soup d’oignon or buying a
cup of vin chaud from one of the booths.
5. Rue de la République never gets old, although I hardly shop from any of the stores there. I
mostly just ogle clothing that I can’t afford. There are some cheap French food
chains that I like to visit for their baguette sandwiches there: Brioche Dorée
and Pomme de Pain. I also love visiting Fnac, which is like combination of Best
Buy and Barnes and Nobles. Its bottom floors are devoted to technology, but it’s
top floor is filled with books. Of course, there’s the ridiculously overpriced
Starbucks, which is nice to visit whenever I start feeling a little homesick.
And finally, I think I’ve visited H&M more times than I can count, just to
check out the latest clothes there, although I don’t think I’ve actually bought
anything from there.
6. Taking the Metro. Okay, well I don’t really have a choice on this one. But I do enjoy the
efficient public transportation system around here, although it often has a few
hiccups. The metro, though is nearly untouchable. With trains arriving ever 2
or 3 minutes, you never really have to worry about missing a train, because
another one will come before you even know it. Although I won’t miss being
pressed up against way too many bodies on the metro during rush hour, I will
miss having the independence that Lyon’s public transport grants me without
having the need for a car. And I’ll miss the comforting voice of the
disembodied lady who announces the metro stops. I have every station’s announcement
memorized.
Thank you so much for
sharing my adventures with me! I will really miss France, but I am so grateful
for the amazing experience I have had here. Happy Holidays everyone, and have a
great 2013!
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| My friends and I at the Fête des Lumières |
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