Brown
in France
Student Reflections
Lyon
is one of France’s best kept secrets. As France’s
second largest city, it is found at the intersection of the
Rhône and Saône rivers. Accordingly, it is smaller
than Paris, life here is a little calmer and you’ll rarely
hear English spoken in the street. Historically, Lyon was an
important silk-making city, and many of the traboules (hidden,
covered passage-ways, used to keep travel between manufacturers
and sellers out of sight as well as dry) in the Croix-Rousse
neighborhood are beautiful reminders of that. The city also
holds a place of prominence as one of the birthplaces of film.
The Lumière
brothers filmed some of the first motion pictures ever here,
and the Institut Lumière is home to exhibitions and screenings
of some of the world’s most important films.
Students who choose Lyon can study at the
main university (Lyon II)
as well as at Sciences Po-Lyon.
Like in Paris, on-site coordinators will help to navigate the
system and give students the information to make the best choices.
The artistic diversity of Lyon can be seen through the plethora
of architectural styles found across the different quartiers
of the city, which can be navigated on foot but are also linked
by an efficient Metro/Bus/Tramway system. Cobblestone roads,
ancient Roman ruins and dozens of used booksellers characterize
Vieux Lyon while the Parc de la Tête d’Or and some
of the city’s newer, hip restaurants mark the 6e arrondissement
in the north of the city. At night, the city is breathtaking
with it’s well-lit bridges and façades that highlight
the artistic genius of the buildings.
Finding great food in Lyon will not be any
problem—daily markets in almost every part of the city
are a great place to get the freshest cheese, meats and produce.
People from all across the city flock daily to Les Halles, the
place for fresh seafood, vegetables and cheese. Known as one
of the gastronomic capitals of France (which makes it one of
the gastronomic capitals of the world), Lyon is also home to
Paul Bocuse’s famous restaurant as well as four smaller
bistros the celebrated chef has opened in the past decade.
When it comes to culture, the city has something
for everyone. Whether you want to get a season-long abonnement
to watch Olympique
Lyonnais trounce some of the best soccer teams in France,
or catch an unforgettable evening performance at the Théâtre
des Célestins after spending the day at the Musée
des Beaux Arts, you can do it. Hundreds of cafés dot
the neighborhoods and can be found all along both rivers—the
ideal place to grab a drink and study!
Lyon’s location, two hours southeast
of Paris by train, is also ideal. It’s situated a short
bus ride from some of the best Alpine skiing that Europe has
to offer and day-trips to Paris or the south of the country
can be made easily. Trains leave from Lyon to locations all
over the country and Europe, and the St. Exupéry Airport
offers frequent flights as well.
To help you get settled in your new life in
Lyon, the Brown in Lyon staff—Site coordinator, Academic
advisor, Languge Tutor—is there to assist you. They can
help you with everything: the fine points of the university
bureaucracy, going over an essay, recommending teachers and
classes, finding accommodation, or simply recommending good
restaurants. Also part of the program, once a month, Brown-in-Lyon
organizes cultural outings- always something different, but
always of excellent quality- dance, the opera, the circus, a
play. And once a semester, the Paris and Lyon students get together
for a 3-4 day trip to another part of France.
If you're interested in immersing yourself,
making a bunch of French friends and hanging out à la
française at a café, library, the park or one
of the floating nightclubs on the Rhône, you've picked
the right place.
-Ben Petrosky (Brown Class of 2003)