{"id":9539,"date":"2019-01-23T13:47:39","date_gmt":"2019-01-23T17:47:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/?p=9539"},"modified":"2020-08-20T10:42:30","modified_gmt":"2020-08-20T14:42:30","slug":"living-in-lyon-as-a-foreigner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/2019\/01\/living-in-lyon-as-a-foreigner\/","title":{"rendered":"Living in Lyon as a Foreigner"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Recently, I spent several months living as a foreigner in France. More specifically, in Lyon<\/a>. As a Brit, I didn\u2019t initially have that great an impression of France (perhaps due to the lazy stereotypes perpetuated about them!). Living there, I found this to be totally wrong. As a student of French, studying at a university (Universit\u00e9 Jean Moulin) while I was out there, I quickly found that, if you make an effort to speak French, the locals will instantly respond better to you, even if you only speak a few words. As an ERASMUS student, as well, there is a great nightlife culture, and you will quickly be welcomed into the throws of French life!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lyon life did require a bit of adaptation. The discovery that most shops were either closed or open for just a few hours on a Sunday was a particular culture shock, and the first time I went into a supermarket to get groceries, the woman in front of me in the line paid using a check, something no-one\u2019s done in the UK for around twenty years! The lifestyle is pleasant, though, with a great wine culture. Again, to compare with the UK, there is no binge-drinking culture such as exists in the UK (though that\u2019s not to say that you can\u2019t enjoy a fab night out \u2013 more on that later!). Instead, the French will generally take a long lunch, usually sharing a bottle between two before returning to work, relaxed and happy, making for an overall more pleasant atmosphere across the city. As well as the wine (you\u2019re just a 30-minute drive from some of the best wineries the Rhone Valley has to offer), the food is some of the best in the world. In fact, Lyon is known as the gastronomic capital of Europe! You should definitely check out a food tour of Lyon<\/a>. Even on my student budget, I was able to eat like a king, with a phenomenal selection of steaks, foie gras<\/em> and many, many more types of food! <\/p>\n\n\n\n