La Lyonnaise Va Au Parc

I'm back! It's been a while, I admit. This morning was my first oral presentation in French, the dreaded 'exposé', which was in my French class for foreign students. My teacher seemed impressed enough, so I was thrilled that the first articles that I found on Islam and the Suburbs online, doing a simple google search seemed like the right ones!

After a quick lunch with a friend, Laura (also from Melbourne) in Vieux Lyon at a quirky pub/café, I strolled along the cobble stone streets in my new Italian leather boots with numb hands shoved deep in my pockets and was happy that there was a little bit of sun in spite of the cold. I walked along past the cathedral, past all of the lynonnais 'bouchons' (which are small brasseries) and then over the bridge to the centre of town. I then had one of those 'I LIVE IN FRANCE!!! THAT  IS SO COOL!!!!' moments, did a lap around the town square and took the metro home.

Last week I went to Le Parc de La Tête d'Or for the second time since I came here. You may remember it featured in a post published in August. The last time I went there I didn't really walk around though, as Chloé was eager for us to get some sun and read... so when I went back last week I was blown away by how beautiful it is and how much there is as well! Unfortunately last week I forgot my camera, so today when I went on my walk (yes, I am trying to walk some of the excess bread fat off), I tried to capture how alive and magnificent the park is...

And if you're tired of seeing  photographs of autumn leaves... I suggest you don't scroll down.

                                           I crunched through crunchy leaves...

I saw great animals...

Thought about buying some fairy floss...but kept walking

I saw children playing in the leaves and the autumn sun peeking through

  

Soaked up the atmosphere...

There were hungry ducks and setting suns at 4pm...

 

I thought about waltzing lonelily through the rose garden..

This lake is a 10 minute walk from my house...what have I been doing at home all this time?

I wasn't the only one marvelling at our beautiful autumn...

In Lyon we recycle our leaves and our doggies have their own 'doggie business' space at the park...only in France.

 So à la prochaine...tomorrow I am off to Metz to visit Sophie (an old French friend) and spend up big at the Christmas market (thank you Gran for the spending money). I'm excited ! (unfortunately the 4 and a half hour train trip isn't short enough to justify not studying...we all know why I'm really here and YES! I'm getting on that!)

Miss you guys.... it's cold here (don't let the sun make you think otherwise)

Alice


PS. The photos wouldn't sit straight. I tried to fix it... sorry.