Roaming La Croix-Rousse

On a cold afternoon stroll in the hillside neighborhood of la Croix-Rousse ("the redhead/ginger cross"), named after a reddish stone cross that stood at the old city gates

Old archways of this former silk working town led us into cross-cutting alleyways

A small park was smattered with imposing vines and neon chairs

and community notices, art and ancient history.

A medical office offered hynposis

We popped into this oddball bar for an afternoon panache 

Celebrity faces gawked at us from the walls

Johnny Hallyday made a second cameo by the liquor, looking terrifying as ever.

Teaching in France

I've been teaching at an international school and there are three things that repeatedly amaze me each day:

1.  Kids smoke on the school doorstep during break.

The school is located right on the river, with lush lawns for relaxing and kicking around a ball on break. Even in the five-minute break halfway through my two-hour lessons with 16-year-olds, they run outside to play a few frenzied minutes of rugby before racing back in at the sound of the bell. Amazingly those who choose to take a cigarette break don't bother to take more than a few steps past the school front door, and apparently no police or staff bother telling them otherwise. There is a casual "Do not smoke on the doorstep" type sign but I think it's referring to the literal doorstep and by no means the school grounds as a whole.

2.  There is a condom distributor inside the school.

Yes, it's true. This blue box is actually mounted in the corner of a stairwell, for all the elementary, middle and high school students to see. But as Mathieu argued, if some teenagers are going to have sex, better to provide access to condoms in a safe environment when they might be too shy to buy from a pharmacy.

3.  I teach Islam.

I actually teach the History of Islam as required by the French History & Geography curriculum: its origins and its spread of trade, architecture and art in competition with the other warring empires of the time. In the first few classes we had to get through some touchy impressions that these 13-year-olds brought from home and the media (beheadings! The Taliban! The veil! And even, bizarrely, child brides!), in order to get to the creation of the religion which was largely founded on a monotheist empire inspired by Mohammed's exchange with Christian and Jewish people during his travels as a young man, and converting the tribes back home away from their polytheistic beliefs. The histories of Judaism and Christianity and the Crusades are already built into their French classes (they have different subjects in different languages. Amazing.) Next we will delve even deeper into the barbarism of the times with Medieval Europe - featuring a clip from A Knight's Tale. Hoping that I don't tear up in front of the students when I see Heath...

For the 16-year-olds, we are studying the current global population explosion and sustainable development (and unsustainable development, for that matter). Comparing countries and looking at economic trends creates many opportunities to discuss my experiences in Egypt, Australia and Cambodia and extract opinions from these surprisingly mature teenagers. My coworkers have already planned a simulation game with consumers and resource developers and a debate where students will act as country leaders to defend or reject government intervention in population development like China's One Child Policy. I'll savor this period before we move onto our history curriculum: the Renaissance. The adventure continues...

Loving Lyon

After dwelling nostalgically about what I've been missing about Cambodia and eagerly awaiting my trip to Virginia next month, I'm turning my gaze to the present to appreciate the benefits that my new home city of Lyon has to offer.

European charm

Haussmanian architecture, walkable neighborhoods, local produce markets, ample green spaces, and trains ready to whisk you off to Switzerland, Italy and the Mediterranean coast...Lyon has France's beauty and famous cuisine without the Parisian grumpiness, crowds, dirty public transport or constant grey skies.

Mounting the cobblestone streets of la Croix Rousse neighborhood

View across the Saône River of Fourvière Basilica atop a hill

Parc de la Feyssine at sunset

Colorful buildings lining the Saône River

View of Lyon from the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière

Double the rivers, double the fun

Being navigationally challenged, I always appreciate a city lined by a north-south waterway. I spent my year in Paris with my nose in my GPS. But Cairo and Phnom Penh pass the test. Lyon, with two rivers weaving through the city, decorated with charming little bridges, gets double brownie points.

In the wake of sea and mountains

French people's favorite thing about Lyon seems to be its proximity to both the coast and the Alps. For the sake of counting Lyon's blessings, let's say, hypothetically, that I am not terrified of skiing. I would be ecstatic to be perfectly situated for weekend getaways to the mountains. Oh, the skiing opportunities! Getting crushed by hoards of expert athletes who have been on skis since toddlerhood, being nearly bumped off cliffs in narrow turns around mountains, gaping at the vast Alps all around me while my knees wobble in terror. Since the solstice recently marked the longest day of the year, the summer season is feeling shorter by the minute and I'm hearing Game of Thrones voices in my head ... "Winter is coming."

We went to Chamonix to experience springtime in the Alps - little did we know it would snow on us during our first hike!

Glaciers clinging to the mountaintops in springtime

Chamonix is in the valley below Mont Blanc, Europe's tallest mountain

We also went south to the sea, just a few hours away where Mathieu's uncle lives in Port Frejus on the Mediterranean coast (French Riviera). We stocked up on family time, seafood, hiking and, rather than bathing in the still-frigid waters, sitting on a bench and staring shamelessly at shirtless volleyball players competitively throwing themselves across the sandy beach.

Catching up with friends

We've already been excitedly catching up with friends from past adventures. Noelle and Alex, who originally introduced us in Cairo, now live near Paris and came to visit for my birthday:

Cairo roommates reunited

Two friends from Phnom Penh, Claire and Maxime, also moved back to France and in their usual fashion are being great hosts and party planners - this time reminding us that France is not only about pastries and cheese; it's about hiking in the Alps, breathing fresh air, being cold and wet, and over-indulging on very greasy locally made saucisson. But really, they showed us a great time in Chamonix.

Having a beer in Chamonix town center

Checking the map during an unexpected snowstorm in mid-May

View from the mountaintop: we took a cable car up but many mentally unstable people prefer to hike/ski/ice pick their way around this adventurer's playpen:

Adventurers making their way up Europe's highest mountain peak on foot

History and modernity

Lyon was the ancient capital of France (Gaule). Roman ruins of an amphitheater still top the hill overlooking the city. Yet Lyon knows how to keep with the times - and even ahead of them. Lyon is connected to France's other largest cities, Paris and Marseille, by the high-speed train (TGV). It has an international airport (named after Antoine Saint-Exupery, pilot and author of Le Petit Prince). And Lyon is the site of the first movie theater in the world.

Ancient Roman ampitheater overlooking Lyon

City bikes

Twenty years ago, Lyon created the first city bike, the velo'v. I can pick up a bike from any of the 348 stations and drop it off wherever I end up, using my phone app to locate the nearest stations.

Velo'v bike station near my apartment

Under my yearly subscription (25 euros, roughly $28 usd these days), it's free for the first half hour, which is plenty of time to cross the city. Lyon is also a very bikable place: most drivers and even buses don't honk at a cyclist in their way (not to say there isn't the occasional road rage...), and there are bike lanes in most places to avoid overlap with cars. Greatest of all - bikes sometimes get their own traffic lights:

Bicycle traffic light

...Did I mention the food?

Devilishly good food, everywhere!

Crepes and waffles in the park

Raw oysters at a corner bar

Cheese at the outdoor market along the riverside

Cooking class at l'Atelier des Chefs

Cheese tasting at the market Les Halles Paul Bocuse, organized by the American Club of Lyon

And yes, there is an American Club of Lyon! Even among all the delightful Frenchness of Lyon, this group shows new arrivals an amazing welcome and is easily one of the best things about this city.