By Ashley C., guest blogger studying French in Lyon, France
On Street Performers:
In Lyon, street performers, more often than not, are well-dressed people who seem to perform primarily out of passion for whatever instrument they play or show they put on. There?s a very put together woman who plays the harp at a local market, and while she does put a cup by her feet for donations, she seems more concerned with pleasuring her audience with beautiful music. In the states, I rarely see a street performer who isn?t primarily concerned with obtaining donations. However, A frequent (and awful) site in Lyon are women who beg on the street while cradling their babies. If the child cries, the mother will often just set the baby on the ground allowing him or her to cry (I think), so as to draw sympathy from those who pass by. Perhaps this isn?t a site particular to Lyon especially, but it?s one I rarely ever see in the states, and have already, in my three weeks in Lyon, seen several times here.
On When Things are Open:
All the stores aren?t open all the time as they are in the states. Salons aren?t open Mondays, and virtually every restaurant other than those serving Kebab (for whatever reason) are closed on Sundays. Generally, Sundays are a good day to travel around France, because Lyon is just dead that day. Once you realize that certain stores are closed on Sundays and Mondays, it?s easy to plan your schedule around their open hours, but I do wish I?d known earlier that I wouldn?t very easily be able to get a croissant on Sunday…
On Manners:
Even with the language barrier (which is gradually decreasing!), I?m realizing more and more that people are just people everywhere. Be nice. Be polite. Say “Sil vous plait” all the time. Smile a lot. Always say “merci” or “merci beaucoup” and “au revoir” when you leave a store. I get lots of smiles when I make a point about being polite and kind to the French people. Many times, people will even ask me where I?m from, and start up a conversation with me.
Click for more information on AmeriSpan’s French school in Lyon, France.
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Read all of Ashley’s blogs from Lyon France.
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