Tout Est Bon A Lyon
21st November 22
GSCE and A Level French students had the wonderful opportunity to immerse themselves in French language and culture over the October Half Term, in the beautiful, historical and gastronomical city of Lyon!
Mornings were spent in language school Lyon Bleu, where our students were able to practice and develop their French with other students from around the world. In the afternoons we experienced what the city had to offer.
Lyon is a city built on the silk trade, the houses running down the hillsides to the banks of the Soane and Rhone rivers, which are separated by the poetically named Presque Ile (almost island). In order to protect the silk that was manufactured at the top of the city, in areas like the laidback Croix Rousse, tunnels and covered walkways called traboules were created – a series of now almost secret passages running between buildings down to the riverbank. We had a couple of very enjoyable afternoons watching Pauline knock on doors and press buzzers like a member of the French Resistance, in an attempt to discover where these passageways were, mostly with great success.
Our students also had the opportunity to take part in a French cookery class on the Wednesday afternoon and then on Friday, explore the mouth-watering food stalls of Les Halles de Paul Bocuse, named after the celebrated chef. Cheese, oysters, cheese, chocolate and more cheese were everywhere to be seen.
I became a bit of a Lyonnais commuter for the week as I have family living not far from the city, and so took the morning and evening train in and out of the city each day, allowing me to enjoy a bit of the French countryside as well as experiencing the vibrance and colour of lovely Lyon itself.
Cliff Bevan, Head of Photography
