Pérouges

About thirty minutes by train from Lyon, there's a medieval city called Pérouges. The walled town is perched on top of a hill that's twenty minutes on foot from the train station. Once a center of craftsmanship, especially weaving, Pérouges is now a tourist attraction known for it's preserved medieval appearance.

For once, I left Part Dieu at 10:15 a.m., avoiding a pre-dawn departure. I sat on the top floor of the TER train, which allows you to pick your own seat upon boarding, and watched the countryside roll by. It was a bittersweet moment, as Pérouges was my last trip of the semester. The weather was balmy and pleasant, so I took off my coat on the walk up to the town. Once inside the walls, I wandered through the cobblestone streets, winding from the outside in. Bright green ivy covered the old walls, and flowers were in riotous bloom. I ordered a galette from a shop window. Pérouges is known for its galettes, which are different from the Bretagne variety. Instead of being a savory crêpe, the galettes of Pérouges are a sweet brioche in pizza form, covered with lemon zest, butter, and sugar.

It's quite a small city, so after an hour of taking pictures and browsing shops, I had seen everything (including three cats!). My plan had been to treat myself to a nice, sit-down lunch and relax until my 4:15 p.m. train home. However, all of the restaurants had expensive lunch menus of the kind where you pick an appetizer, entrée, and dessert. One restaurant seemed to have some cheaper à la carte options, but upon closer inspection, those were just on the dinner menu. I didn't really feel like eating any of the limited options, especially for such a high price, so I decided to just head back to Lyon. My ticket ended up being unrefundable and unchangeable, but since Pérouges is so close to Lyon, getting a different, earlier ticket was less than 5€. This little trip back in time was the perfect way to close off a semester of incredible travel.