Day 7 in Lyon: Friday, May 23

I can't believe it's already our last full day in Lyon. This week went by so fast! For our last academic activity, our class went to the Chamber of Commerce down the street from our hotel. The architecture and decor of the building is consistent with the rest of the historic attractions of the city with carved sculptures at the top of the building. Inside, we walked through and past numerous archways and observed the painted ceilings embellished with gold and images of Hermes, the god of commerce. This building is absolutely breathtaking; if I worked here, I would enjoy every moment of it!

We proceeded into a room to listen to the history and issues facing the Lyon Chamber of Commerce. It was interesting to learn that the Chamber of Commerce regulates some businesses and restricts them from being open on Sundays, which really explains why it has been so hard for us to find an open supermarket, restaurant, or shop on this "day of rest". I learned that this is heavily influenced by the French labor unions. During the talk, I noticed the portraits of the presidents of the Chamber on the wall behind our speaker. Before the speaker even mentioned them, I already pointed out to my friends that they were/are all older, white men. When our speaker brought up the point later, he said that this is a crippling factor for the French industry. Unlike many other countries and regions around the world, the French is not benefiting from not promoting females and/or minorities to upper seats and positions. It would be interesting to see how long it will take for a woman or minority to finally be promoted to be president of the Chamber of Commerce.

The rest of our day was spent as free time. Lisa Loung, Evan, Chris Chostner, Kyle, and I decided to go back up to La Basilique Notre Dame de Fourviere at the top of the hill. We spent an hour up there taking in the beautiful view of Lyon and exploring the inner architecture and artwork of the basilica. Chris Chostner pointed out that all around the church were paintings that the Virgin Mary had much significance in (the Visitation, the Assumption, the Crucifixion, etc). As a Roman Catholic, I felt a connection with every Catholic church I've gone into, and have spent some time praying at each. I did the same at the basilica and felt an unique calmness fill me. Needless to say, this is one of the top 3 churches I visited in Europe (and I've already been to at least 10!).

Near the basilica were some Roman ruins. We trekked over to check it out and witnessed a beautiful bride and her groom taking wedding photos! What a special backdrop to use, and definitely a scene that you would not find in the US. Lisa and I took advantage of the photo op and snapped some pretty good views of Lyon.

I'm very sad that our time in Lyon has ended. It's certainly been an amazing learning experience, and I will definitely be back someday. Next stop: Paris!