Moving to Lyon

[RoyD]

Hi

My wife, Swedish, and I, American, are planning to move from San Francisco to Lyon in 2009. We would appreciate information on the different neighborhoods in Lyon and general living conditions. We are hoping to come on an exploratory trip in the spring and it would be nice meet up with some one at that time if anyone is available. My wife is a little concerned that she does not speak French. Neither do I outside of a little college French. We are city people and have heard good things about Lyon. Our interests are opera, ballet, horses, physical fitness, restaurants and wine. Oh, and our 8 lb Yorkshire terrier, Casper.

[brucesarn]

Originally Posted by RoyD

Hi

My wife, Swedish, and I, American, are planning to move from San Francisco to Lyon in 2009. We would appreciate information on the different neighborhoods in Lyon and general living conditions. We are hoping to come on an exploratory trip in the spring and it would be nice meet up with some one at that time if anyone is available. My wife is a little concerned that she does not speak French. Neither do I outside of a little college French. We are city people and have heard good things about Lyon. Our interests are opera, ballet, horses, physical fitness, restaurants and wine. Oh, and our 8 lb Yorkshire terrier, Casper.

Hello Roy,
My name is Bruce, I am an Australian who lives in France. I have to ask why Lyon in particular? France is the most beautiful diverse country in the world with a host of the most picturesque cities and large towns to be found anywhere - my advice is to travel around and see what is available before making any decision to settle in one place.

And having a grasp of the French Language, although very beneficial, is not essential - most French people are very helpful and willing to try to cross any language barrier. I have not found it a great problem having registered my UK vehicle here, obtained a Social Security number, and am deep into the renovation of an old dairy farm - all with very limited French. My vocabulary increases with every contact I make and at my age, 53, I am not the learning sponge I used to be.

Good luck for the future, France is a very easy country to live in if you want a safe, vibrant yet quiet way of life.

[RoyD]

Originally Posted by brucesarn

Hello Roy,
My name is Bruce, I am an Australian who lives in France. I have to ask why Lyon in particular? France is the most beautiful diverse country in the world with a host of the most picturesque cities and large towns to be found anywhere - my advice is to travel around and see what is available before making any decision to settle in one place.

And having a grasp of the French Language, although very beneficial, is not essential - most French people are very helpful and willing to try to cross any language barrier. I have not found it a great problem having registered my UK vehicle here, obtained a Social Security number, and am deep into the renovation of an old dairy farm - all with very limited French. My vocabulary increases with every contact I make and at my age, 53, I am not the learning sponge I used to be.

Good luck for the future, France is a very easy country to live in if you want a safe, vibrant yet quiet way of life.

Thanks for the information Bruce. I have checked out other cities, online only, and Lyon, located in a wine region and billed as the gastronomical capitol of France had immediate appeal. It is one of the largerst cities in France and being in the south it has winters generally milder then the north, and it is close to Italy. Also, an American living in Lyon described it as great city. We hope to be in France this coming year and to vist a number of cities besides Lyon. Any recommendations? Renovations? You are brave. I was a real estate appraiser and have done a little renovating myself. A little was enough. Good luck in your project. Where in France are you?

[mi-quebecoise]

Hi RoyD - My husband and I moved to Lyon 6 months ago, because this is where I found work. There are lots of great things about the city; lovely buildings and public squares, the 2 rivers, velo'v bikes Grand Lyon - Vélo'V, TGV to Paris and Marseille and Geneva, the massive Roman ruins, proximity to Italy and the sea BUT it is really important to understand that Lyon is not a big city. It is large town and you will be disappointed if you expect the energy and activity of a city. Second, the Lyonnais are known to be hard to get to know. They pride themselves on this, so French moving from other areas of France tend to get to know eachother and not the Lyonnais. We are certainly finding this to be true.

I completely agree with the suggestion to look around at several areas in France, and let me know if you have particular questions about Lyon.

best, Siara

[MichaelS]

Hey RoyD.

I have also recently moved to Lyon, from Seattle, and so far find it to be a pretty cool place to live. The city is not that big, so when you come to visit, you will be able to see most of it in just a few days. For places to live, be sure to check out the presqu'ile, Croix Rousse, and the 6th district--I think those are generally the most "French" looking parts of town (less bland, apartment buildings).

I agree with Siara's first point above--sometimes the city seems lacking in energy. Most shops and restaurants close quite early by US standards, and next to nothing is open on Sundays, so sometimes the city feels a little shut down, but I think that is the same in most of France. The main tourist areas, like the presqu'ile area mentioned above, are, of course, more "lively".

I disagree with Siara's second point though. I have only been living here for 3 months, and have met a few people. I have snowboarding buddies for the weekends, a friend that likes to show me around town, and have been invited to a few homes for dinner and movies. I think it took me longer to make friends in Seattle. Everybody is very polite and friendly (except, oddly enough, the guy at the front desk at my bank, who has financial incentive to be nice to me!).

Anyway, if you would like to ask me any questions, feel free.

[rollerbahn]

Hi Roy,
gosh, tell any french that you want to live in lyon instead of San francisco, and they will balk. That city has reached icon status for so many french, its funny.

Anyway, from this you and your wifes quoted interests:
"Our interests are opera, ballet, horses, physical fitness, restaurants and wine. Oh, and our 8 lb Yorkshire terrier, Casper. "

Lyon is a centre for culture, dance, theatre, gastronomy, and located in the Rhone valley, obviously wine. There is a huge park right close to the centre of town. And you can generally bring your puppy anywhere!

Whoever said this is not a beautiful city is crazy, I think yes, you can find lovely towns everywhere in France, but if you are looking for cities that are lovely, there are only a few, Lyon being one, Paris of course, Marseilles peut etre, Toulouse. And you are very close to the country as well in Lyon, by just driving maybe 30minutes. To me, I was in Chicago last year, Lyon seems a bit small (but thats comparing it to Chicago...) but its kind of like big enough and small enough at the same time, especially at first when everything is new to you.
I don't think the people here are harder to get to know than other places. Some are hard to know, and some are not, its like that. I would recommend freshening up the french, although if you do move here, it will come very quickly.
Spring is supposed to be amazing here (I don't know, I just came at the end of August) because there is alot to do outside, and the weather should be more sweet by then. That is one thing, I would choose to be in more mediterranean weather, Lyon is a bit cold at the moment. But its lovely here, really, with the Saone and the Rhone, and the amazing food. Hopefully you two make it out in the spring! Bonne chance!

Originally Posted by RoyD

Hi

My wife, Swedish, and I, American, are planning to move from San Francisco to Lyon in 2009. We would appreciate information on the different neighborhoods in Lyon and general living conditions. We are hoping to come on an exploratory trip in the spring and it would be nice meet up with some one at that time if anyone is available. My wife is a little concerned that she does not speak French. Neither do I outside of a little college French. We are city people and have heard good things about Lyon. Our interests are opera, ballet, horses, physical fitness, restaurants and wine. Oh, and our 8 lb Yorkshire terrier, Casper.

[RoyD]

Thanks for all the helpful comments - very helpful. I have heard about this coolness of the Lyonnais before and about the French in general but I take all this with a grain of salt. Since exploring expat sites I find many people on both sides of this issue. I would like to know about meet ups with expats in Lyon. And, rollerbahn S.F. is changing. It may be great to visit but living here anymore .... Your description of Lyon is very inviting. The atmospere in the U.S. is changing because of this crisis and there is worse to come IMO. Thanks for all your comments rollerbahn, MichaelS and mi-quebecoise. Would like to meet when we get there. Not sure at this point when that will be but this year I hope.

[venture1]

Originally Posted by RoyD

Hi

My wife, Swedish, and I, American, are planning to move from San Francisco to Lyon in 2009. We would appreciate information on the different neighborhoods in Lyon and general living conditions. We are hoping to come on an exploratory trip in the spring and it would be nice meet up with some one at that time if anyone is available. My wife is a little concerned that she does not speak French. Neither do I outside of a little college French. We are city people and have heard good things about Lyon. Our interests are opera, ballet, horses, physical fitness, restaurants and wine. Oh, and our 8 lb Yorkshire terrier, Casper.

Hi Roy,

I am french and quite happy to help you find your way in Lyon. When are you coming for your exploratory trip?

I come from Strasbourg (France) and I can tell you Lyon has the same cold reputation within France. This is not true. Everything is about finding the right people and activities. Lyon is a large but quiet city and very well located in France (close to the sea, close to the mountains) and offers and uncomparable good quality of life. Food, restaurants, exceptionnal wines, much nicer weather than Paris for instance and cheaper to live... Culture is growing in Lyon as well and there is an active and renown Opera, but also "la maison de la danse" which is exceptionnal for contemporary ballets and danse. International festivals (Jazz, les nuits de Fourvières), etc... In the worst case, if you want to benefit culture and nightlife and the stressful life from Paris, you just have to take a TGV train, and you will be there in 2 hours time!!!

I live in Lyon with my little familly (37, 35, 8) for 5 years now and I have a network of (French) friends which can also be a good way for expats to discover french culture and the city of Lyon. We meet up on a regular basis for meals, nights out, etc...

I will be starting my international MBA at EM Lyon (100% in English) and I am looking for practicing my english beforehand, so maybe helping you is a good way? I also have expat experience in the UK (Rugby and Newtown!!!), Germany and Spain (Barcelona), so I know quite well how it is to land somewhere and know nobody, nor the places to go.

I also noticed on this topic that there is a whole english speaking community already living in Lyon. So this is open, if you want to meet up and share, feel free to contact me.

Cheers

[mflute]

Hi Siara, I am from South Africa in have just started investigating the possibilty of moving to Lyon. I am a musician and would like to freelance an teach the flute privately over there. Do you perhaps know how one can find out about living costs over there. I was thinking of perhaps considering one of the smaller villages around Lyon. Being a musician I thought it might be easier to integrate into community activities for a start, rather than in the city.

Looking forward to hear from you

Mikki

[RoyD]

Hi Venture1

Sorry, but I have not checked in for a long time. Thanks very much for your helpful response and your invitation to join in your group. It sounds perfect and we would be glad to see you when we arrive. Due to the economy we have delayed our departure until 2010. I have a daughter, Emily, who is finishing her first year in college and is fluent in French. We sent her to French American School in San Francisco and she has already been to Paris twice. I would like her to go to school in France and she is looking at Campus France to find a school.
My wife and I met a young French women on one of our beach walks and she said that Lyon and Bordeaux were both expensive but that Toulouse was much cheaper but with all the opera, ballet, etc that we are looking for and better weather. Do you agree with that opinion? We hope to see all those cities when we visit next year. Thanks again for your help.

Roy