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So the french have such a reputation of arrogance, of rudeness, super chic-ness, of being ridiculously bureaucratic, stylish, sexist etc etc etc. And having lived in France for over 2 months, all the while doing some serious people observing, I’ve decided that they aren’t so much the above (apart from the bureaucratic part - that is undoubtedly and highly annoyingly true!) as much as they just really don’t care what people think. I reckon they are stylish because no one really follows trends, they all just wear what each of them think is cool and it is, because then they don’t all look like the wannabe glassons mannequins. And they really don’t seem to care whether you think they are rude, this could just be my experience of the incredibly rude lady at the bank or the ridiculously bad-mannered woman at the post office. Or you could be lining up at the supermarket and the line is growing longer and longer as the check out girl is just chatting away to her friend across the isle, and no matter how many annoyed glares you cast in her direction, she just really doesn’t care!
And yesterday was full of random French people who just couldn’t care less what people thought of them. We saw a man on their weird springy stilt things, clown like baggy pants, going for a run in the park, bouncing along. There was a brass band playing in the middle of the main street all wearing completely random outfits, from santa hats to men wearing fluffy pink dresses, they would randomly break in their playing and burst into song…
On days where I don’t have to encounter the terribly slow service at the supermarket, or the woman who keeps reading her magazine when you desperately need to buy something before the bus leaves, or the bank system that takes over 2 weeks to get a replacement bank card (which I still don’t have!) I think its absolutely hilarious and have some serious admiration for this attitude! (On the other france-hating days this is clearly not the case…).
But all in all I absolutely love Lyon. Such a perfectly sized city too… completely accessibly on foot or bike (made all the more perfect due to the fact its flat) and in a gorgeous setting with the two rivers flowing through the middle. Yesterday we went to check out the park which was amazing – huge, with a big lake in the middle, beautiful old trees lining the paths, people playing soccer on the grass, whining French kids having tantrums next to the candyfloss stand, reindeer (real!!!!!) in a stone wall lined enclosure…
I think one of my ultimate favourite things about Lyon would be all the different markets that appear around street corners on all days of the week in all parts of the city. People are so cheerful “Mademoiselle, over here, the broccoli of your dreams!” and the atmosphere is always great. Fresh fruit and veges, clothes, books, fresh cheeses, wine, chocolate, jewellery, artwork = amazing!
Please can someone come and visit me in this city? I feel that, far more than I ever could in Auckland, I could actually show someone around with tonnes of pride - “Well yes, I live here, in Lyon, yes yes I know, its ok to be envious” kind of thing…
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