Three Months in Lyon During Covid Times (late 2021)

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This past July we were able to leave Oregon for a three-month stay in France, and in the fall there our children attended a public school in Lyon. Throughout our stay we were so grateful to be able to be in France at all. I had been checking airfare prices for more than a year prior to our trip, but the French borders remained closed to Americans until early June of 2021. When the borders were opened at last, we decided to seize the opportunity to visit, and even though Covid and the pass sanitaire made life more complicated in France, I’m so glad we were there anyhow.

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Metz is a Must: What Makes This French City a Hidden Gem

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Metz is a beautiful city and a hidden gem since most visitors to France aim for Paris and France’s other large cities like Nice, Bordeaux, Lyon, and Marseille. Metz, in contrast, is a key city in le Grand Est (the vast east) and requires special attention to reach on its own. It’s about two hours east of Paris by train, and it’s only about 30 miles (50km) from France’s eastern borders with Germany and Luxembourg. It’s a city that has been established for thousands of years at the beautiful confluence between the Moselle and Seille rivers. Initially it was settled by Gauls and Romans, was once the capital of Austrasia (a Frankish Empire), and in the past two centuries it was twice occupied by Germans before France gained it back as a key city in Lorraine. (It seems that all of France has adopted a love for the quiche lorraine which originally hails from this region. The family who agreed to let us stay in their Metz home was kind enough to make this regional dish and keep it in the fridge for our arrival!)

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Mourning Notre Dame de Paris: A Brief Liturgical Perspective

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Holy Week, la semaine sainte, began Sunday; yesterday evening Notre Dame de Paris lost her roof and spire to flames. The footage of her spire toppling left me hollow, ready to retch. I wonder that this has occurred in our lifetime, to gaze at the height of the landmark cathedral that has endured since the Middle Ages and watch her soaring roofline burned to ash.

The flames were doused as night fell; we appreciate the hundreds of pompiers who worked to stop the destruction. Ave Maria was sung in the twilight by some who looked on, though few knew the words. Even the morning after, it is evident that the spirit of mourning will linger long after the smoke and ashes drift away. Notre Dame's spire was a lenten candle snuffed out. Most of the world recognizes that an enduring symbol and cultural heritage has been stricken; we ultimately grieve the fracture of an enduring testament to faith.

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On Worldschooling and our Weekday Rhythms in Lyon, France

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My children and I have been back in Oregon for three weeks now, but we're still savoring the seven weeks of school when we lived in Lyon this past fall. On our last worldschooling trip there three years ago, my daughter attended first grade at a private Catholic school and my oldest son attended a public preschool part-time. On this visit, all three of my oldest children attended a public school and like last time, they had great experiences. Here's what it was like:

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Automne à Lyon: Learning to Live Like a Local

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My four children and I have been living in Lyon for roughly six weeks now, but it feels longer in the best way. We just love it here. I’m so grateful that God has blessed our stay, and yet at the same time I’m grieving that we’ll have to leave in two weeks. However, my husband has been waiting patiently for us in Oregon, so being with him again will truly make it feel like coming home.

What do we love about Lyon right now? Here are four aspects that are making us happy:

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La Rentrée à Lyon: Returning to Lyon as an Expat Family

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We arrived in Lyon two weeks ago, mid-August. The city seemed both paradoxically full of tourists and empty of Lyonnais citizens, as is normal here in August. Since we are living in Vieux Lyon, tourists are ever present in this Renaissance neighborhood and UNESCO World Heritage Site, but it has been a relief to see the crowds dwindle and the restaurants re-open as locals return from summer vacations.

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Cité du Chocolat: A Family Day Trip from Lyon

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Our family arrived in Lyon just over a week ago, so with another ten days before school begins, I decided we'd make a day trip to Valrhona's Cité du Chocolat--an educational experience (much like a hands-on museum) focused on chocolate. Located in Tain l'Hermitage roughly 50 minutes south of Lyon by train, Cite du Chocolat opened just five years ago (in 2013). Having had a delectable first visit in 2015, I was excited on this visit to see what was new (and to taste the high quality samples)!

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Our Family's Five Favorite Shows at Puy du Fou Theme Park, France

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After hearing all of our French friends' incredible reviews about Puy du Fou theme park, we spent two days there late last week, and we were completely awed by the shows, the animals, and the competence that made the experience exceptional. Here are our top five favorite shows that we saw:

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