GREEN EVOLUTION

Lyon is transforming from a polluted, concrete horror show to a city of cycle lanes, immense urban parks and abundant wildlife, which is why Anna Richards is happy to call it home

- Anna Richards

I saw rabbits on my commute today. Baby bunnies, eyes like marbles, frolicking on the banks of the River Rhône. It's not unusual to see rabbits. Occasionally I see snakes too, wriggling across the sandy bike path.

This morning, a low mist hung just over the water. It glowed amber in the dawn light, making it look as though the river was smoking.

If someone was going to narrate my Lyonnais commute it would probably be David Attenborough - when I lived in London I'd have opted for Raphael Rowe or Louis Theroux. How often does your commute feel like a wildlife documentary when you live in a city of 1.4 million people?

Lyon is the sixth city I've lived in, and after calling it my home for four years, I can firmly say that I've found my sweet spot.

The third largest city in France, it's a much more manageable size than other places I've lived, such as London, Paris and Buenos Aires, and means that if I've got overexcited and said yes to two parties on the same evening (it happens), I've never got more than half an hour to travel. If someone lives 30 minutes away in London, they're practically your neighbour.

Ironically, Lyon used to have a bad rap as the most polluted city in France. It succumbed hook, line and sinker to the concrete revolution between the 1950s and 1970s.