Rome Week 7

Melissa Tait checks in weekly from her study abroad semester in Rome; catch up with her every Wednesday on Trazee Travel.

This weekend, I had an excursion to Lyon, France, for my European Business class. We were there to learn about the city’s branding and travel to a winery to observe the production and selling process.

We arrived in Lyon and headed straight to a lecture about the city. We were educated on how this small city worked a lot to compete with major cities, such as creating an ONLY LYON slogan and staying in front of sustainability initiatives. After the lecture, we headed to enjoy French cuisine. I chose the scallop entrée surrounded by creamed vegetables. For dessert, a bowl of rich chocolate mousse had my mouth watering.

© Melissa Tait

On Saturday, we traveled to a Cotes du Rhone winemaker, just a short trip from the city. We spent time hearing from the winemaker, learning the behind the scenes of the wine business and tasting the most delicious reds. One fact I found interesting was that the maker usually sells half of a batch to be distributed and keeps the other half to sell themselves. Although the same bottle of wine, they are packaged with separate labels and promoted differently. I left the vineyard in awe of the business and quality of wine.

Fortunately, we had the rest of the day to explore the city. While walking through Vieux Lyon (renaissance district) and up the hill to the exquisite Notre Dame Basilica, I once again was amazed by the beauty of Europe. For a small city like Lyon, shadowed by the big city of Paris, it can easily be forgotten. This past weekend though showed me that the big tourist destinations aren’t always the most beautiful. It’s the hidden gems that make you see the true beauty in the world.

Santé.