Right now, I am sitting in first class on a TGV train from Strasbourg to Aix-en-Provence. I have spent the past week traveling around different parts of France and Switzerland – Lyon, Geneva, Strasbourg, and Aix-en-Provence – by train with several friends.
Why am I exploring France this week and not going to class? For those that don’t already know, my course at the Toulouse Business School is designed as a series of week-long international business seminars taught by different professors from around the world. The school was unable to schedule a seminar this week so we will have two seminars during one week in the future. That will be a tough week, but it was nice to have some time off to travel!
Our first stop was Lyon, the second largest city in France. Many say that Lyon has the French charm that Paris once had. That is very evident. The city was beautiful and had features similar to those of Paris. We spent most of our time exploring and wandering about the city. We found an open-air used book market (Which of course captured my attention! I left with a book of French fairytales and a copy of Around the World in 80 Days), climbed up the Fourvière hill, visited the Place des Terreaux and Hôtel de Ville, saw the Roman Theater ruins, spent some time in Place Bellecour, and wandered the narrow cobblestone streets of Vieux Lyon. My friend and I also got some traditional Lyonnais food! It was very good!
The next stop was Geneva, Switzerland. The train ride was exquisite as we approached the Alps. The terrain began to undulate as we passed through tunnels and French countryside. When we arrived we had a beautiful view of the surrounding majestic snow-capped mountains. The day was lovely and we explored the city on foot seeing the cathedral, the Reformation wall, and the famed flower clock which is literally a clock made out of fresh flowers. That afternoon I bought some delicious Swiss chocolate and walked to the United Nations offices on the other side of the city. My only two complaints for the day would be (1) the fact that we had no hotel and had to carry our luggage with us all over the city which wears you out much more than you would imagine and (2) the high prices of literally everything – especially food! It was difficult too because we were only there for one day and didn’t want to end up with leftover Swiss Francs which are pretty much useless anywhere else.
After Geneva, my roommate and I returned to Lyon and left the next morning at 6:00 a.m. for Strasbourg. We were unbelievably exhausted and had gotten virtually no sleep. We slept on the train and got coffee as soon as we got to Strasbourg. Bolstered by a little rest and a lot of caffeine, we explored the beautiful city of Strasbourg that afternoon. It was probably my favorite part of the trip so far. It was so charming and relatively slow paced. We saw the cathedral, La Petite France, and the covered bridges. We also found an open air flea market to explore and had dinner at a traditional Alsatian restaurant. It was absolutely delicious! Today, we saw a little more of the German influenced parts of the city which are completely different from the quaint, charming French centre-ville.
Now, I am on my way to Aix-en-Provence before returning home to Toulouse. I feel very ritzy on the second floor of this TGV in my oversized first class seat (first class was luckily the same price as second class for us!). I absolutely love the French train system. It’s so easy to travel! You can literally show up one minute before the train leaves. The TGVs are amazing too! They feel a lot smoother than normal trains and go so much faster!
It’s been nice to see all of the different parts of France. Each region really does have a certain uniqueness about it. I’m glad I got to see these other cities, but I am glad I live in Toulouse! It’s such an ideal place for students!
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