France
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Only Lyon: France’s Best Kept Secret
What I love most about France is that each region of the country is so different from the next. There are so many different cultures and traditions within this country alone! Lyon is the third largest city in France, behind Paris and Marseille. Situated in the middle of the RhΓ΄ne-Alpes region, this city is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It used to be an important site for silk production. Lyon sits right where the RhΓ΄ne and SaΓ΄ne rivers meet. Plan your visit and check out my hotel recommendations! The FΓͺte des LumiΓ¨resΒ takes place in Lyon every winter. Another interesting tidbit involving the term LumiΓ¨re – Lyon was home of the…
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Lyon’s FΓͺte des LumiΓ¨res: A Celebration of Lights
Every year, Lyon hosts the amazingΒ FΓͺte des LumiΓ¨res (Festival of Lights). It takes place over a three day period on a long weekend. About a month ago, I headed south to Lyon with a friend to explore the city by day and the lights by night! The FΓͺte des LumiΓ¨res website provides an idea of the different installations there will be ahead of time. I didn’t have time to check out the website beforehand, but luckily all the hotels and hostels in Lyon are prepared with tons of pamphlets for the festival. Check out my recommended hotel picks for Lyon if planning a visit! There was also an app for…
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Finding a Residence in Lille
I wrote in my last post how my friend very graciously allowed me to stay with him in his Paris apartment for ten (yes ten!) whole days before I moved to a residence in Lille. Β Honestly, I’m shocked he is still speaking to me! Β I’m not sure if I could even live with myself after sharing a bedroom like that! Β Anyways, I gave myself a 24-hour period upon arrival to not stress outΒ about the fact that I still didn’t know where I was going to live. Β Immediately following that 24-hour period, I entered near-meltdown-mode! Shakka patiently helped me draft a 2-3 sentence message that I could send to potential leasors.…
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Paris is always a good idea.
“That Paris exists and anyone could choose to live anywhere else in the world will always be a mystery to me.” I may not have given myself very much spare time off of work in the US, to prepare for my big move (spoiler alert: I packed the day before my flight) BUT I made sure that I flew into France early enough to give myself some time in my favorite city before moving to Lille. Β I still had no idea where I was going to live in Lille when I arrived in France. Β However, arriving early really played to my benefit! During my timeΒ studying abroad in Paris between 2012-2013,…
