25 mai 2025 - Blog de Ben Bao
I honestly didn’t think much when I first got on the plane from Amsterdam to Lyon. All I cared about was sleep, sleep, and sleep. I kept looking out of the window in the plane, dreaming about having a nice bed to lie down on instead of this snug leather seat that’s also making my neck hurt. The nice view does negate the pain a little, however.
As I arrive, I am greeted by Khalil’s mom and Khalil. We exchanged some words before driving off. I didn’t talk much given that I was completely exhausted. I wish we could go straight home, but Khalil’s mom insisted we go out to eat before heading home. I eventually agreed. I enjoyed the views of Lyon and found it to be way more tropical than Boston, yet there is no sea. Modern yet also traditional, for when you feel this place is too modern, especially looking at their metro, the old cathedrals and century-old castles downtown neutralize it. The train looks like it’s made by Tesla, with how it’s almost all glass and see-through.
Back to the present moment, I have come to realize that maybe exhausting myself even more by going out to eat and somehow then further agreeing to touring downtown was a fantastic experience.
We first went and took the metro to downtown Lyon, where red castle roofs and sand colored brick walls were all that you saw from the brick walls, carved out cafes and restaurants, and modern clothing stores. On our way walking, we also saw the cathedral, which was stunning. It had Roman-inspired architecture, and though it looks like your average Roman cathedral from the outside, you would be shocked when you walked inside.
The pillars on the sides go up to the ceiling, which felt like a bold statement as to how grand this whole architecture is.
On the sides, there were old Biblical paintings, which, even if you do not understand, add to the overall biblical atmosphere of the interior. (Even more exemplified by the singing of the priest.)
We later took the time to sit down and eat. I found myself struggling to communicate with the waiter about the food, but eventually got by. This food felt very traditional, as it wasn’t fine dining nor fast food; this meal felt tailored to my surroundings.
The next course was a shortbread, in soup that tasted somewhat like curry, it was delicious and filling. I mashed the bread and mixed all the sweet rice in it; that was amazing.
At this point, I was getting sleepy, but my intentions to go home were soon interrupted when I saw people dressed up in costumes and play-fighting each other with metal swords. I wondered what today could have been for people to be doing this, but my curiosity led me to watch them fight each other for a couple of minutes.
Finally, Khalil and I went home to get some rest. He lives in a penthouse, and I’ve never seen that big of an apartment unit; it had stairs.
As I reached my bedroom, I shoved all intentions to do anything else for the day to the back of my mind. I deserve the rest.
I slept for 4 hours before waking up to Khalil calling me, he said "We’re going out to eat," again. I wanted to refuse, but I knew that I would still live even if I didn’t rest. And Khalil decided to get dinner at a Taco Kabob and Shwarma place. I reluctantly agreed because Khalil kept bragging about how Lyon has the best of those. We eventually met up with Khalil’s friends, and we all walked to the joint.
This was delicious. I thought I couldn’t finish the whole thing, but the taste kind of reminded me of a Big Mac. The bread was perfectly baked, it was crusted, and the meat kind of melts in your mouth because of the sauce.
I liked it, and that was the end of the day as we all went home for bed after dinner.
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