Au revoir for now!

If it’s one thing I learned this summer (besides Western blotting of course), it’s that one should not judge a place by how big it is or how many souvenir shops line its streets, but rather by what each place has to offer – and believe me, there is something unique about each and every place I’ve been to this summer, from the magnificent gardens of Versailles to the majestic snow caps of the Alps. But perhaps the place I underestimated the most was none other than the quaint, but ever so magnificent city of Lyon. Maybe it was the fact that in our history classes, we were never taught about how it was a place of resistance during WWII, with secret tunnels (“traboules”) running through the city. Or, perhaps it was the fact that I always knew it was just a tram ride away, and was too busy exploring the typical touist-y cities of London & Paris, but I finally got to see the city for everything it is and more, when my friend Evan (an Emory graduate who actually studied in France) came to visit. 

inside a secret "traboule." From the outside, they look just like doors to residences.

But there was no better time than my last weekend here to explore the beautiful city of Lyon for all it's worth, from Les Halles (the foodie central of Lyon, started by Paul Bocuse himself) to biking down the Rhone River trail, where one can pass by Interpol and end up in the heart of the city, l'hôtel de ville.

Scenic view of the Rhone River from one of the biking trails in Lyon.

Interpol headquarters is in Lyon!

One can spend days just wine-tasting at the different brasseries and bouchons of Lyon, and never try the same wine twice. Personally, I prefer to go big or go home, so we went to the very Lyonnaise <<Brasseries George>> where I finally tried some escargots and even la tête de veau, or calf's head! I have to admit, feel free to quote me on this, snails are delicious - but when it comes to eating animal heads or liver (foie gras, which literally means liver fat, is a paste made of goose liver and a very expensive delicacy at that), I prefer just sticking to some fresh regional French cheeses with some wine at the local cheese bar.

Cheese-tasting at Formagerie Mons in Les Halles.

An escargot. Yum!

From the amazing infrastructure of the city (one of the days, we navigated the entire city by an iPhone map, bikeshare and by foot), to the indescribable view of the city from the top of the Fouviere church, I have fallen completely in love with the city of Lyon.

The gabillion stairs up to the Fouviere.

Completely worth it though. (The pointy building they literally call "the pencil.")

Not to mention, it has some of the nicest people I've ever met - my PI's took me out to jazz music and ice cream one of my last nights in Lyon!

My PIs Nathalie and Jean-Francois with me in "le grand labo"

Pistachio&hazelnut flavored.

I knew goodbyes were never easy, but with the view of the seemingly endless Atlantic over my right shoulder and the book "The Lyon That I Love" (which my PIs generously bought me as a parting gift) in my lap, I truly realised how lucky I was to be able to do what I love with such awesome people in a truly magnificent city. So thank you Dr. Roesch, my Emory PI's Drs. Wei and Yu, and finally my French PIs Jean-François and Nathalie, for giving me an amazing summer of knowledge, of discovery, of laughs that I will remember as long as I live.