With classes not starting for another week and lots of time on my hands, I spent the last two days walking around Lyon. I walked a lot, actually...about five hours each day. As you can imagine, I covered a lot of ground! So much for the promised shorter post.
She had mentioned that there is a funicular that will take you to the cathedral, but while I was meandering along the Saône on Friday morning, I decided to hike to it instead. On my way up themountain hill, I found several other sites that I didn't know were up there. First, I walked through the Gallo-Roman ruins of two amphitheaters overlooking the city that are part of the Musée Gallo-Roman. I haven't been in the mood for museums yet (there are a whole bunch of them in Lyon that I'll have to visit at some point), so I opted for just wandering through the ruins. In talking to my landlord later that night, I learned that several concerts and other events are held at the amphitheaters in the summer months. It sounds awesome - you see the city lights down below, hear great music, and watch the sky slowly change from pink to mauve to dark blue to night (her words, not mine)!
After the cathedral, I wound around back to the ruins to finish exploring the site (must. see. everything.) and then made my way (way) down to the river towards the apartment for the night.
By Saturday morning, I had finally adjusted to the time change. (I have to say, I don't remember any jet lag coming east in the past. Apparently you hit 28 and it's all downhill from there!) I decided to check out an area called "Croix-Rousse," which is just above the 1st arrondissement and at the bottom of the 4th. I also opted to walk there even though it looked a bit far on the map because, well, I had the time.
After seeing as much of Croix-Rousse as my tired feet would allow, I walked back to my place through Rue de la Republique, a prominent shopping street in Lyon. It was gorgeous out and I stopped to watch several street performers, so even though I was moving pretty slowly at that point, it was still a nice walk home.
That pretty much sums up the last few days. There are a couple of other places in Lyon I want to visit, but I'm starting to look at maybe taking a day or overnight trip since I don't start classes until the 13th! I'm contemplating going to Annecy or Geneva, but if anyone has a suggestion for where to go, please let me know!
On Thursday, one of the sites that Fanny pointed out to me was La Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière. You can see it in this picture from my last post way (way) up on top of a hill overlooking the city.
She had mentioned that there is a funicular that will take you to the cathedral, but while I was meandering along the Saône on Friday morning, I decided to hike to it instead. On my way up the
Then, while I was wandering through the ruins, I spotted a little sign pointing the way to see a Roman Aqueduct. Naturally, I followed it. The path took me to the Parc de la Visitation, which I believe was originally built as part of a convent but is now a public garden. It was very peaceful up there, and the only other people there were a couple of families with kids running around the playground.
From there, I continued on to find the remains of the Roman Aqueduct, a cemetery, and a beautiful walking trail that led straight to the cathedral grounds. The area up near the cathedral is part of the Parc des Hauteurs, a
large park that covers the top of the hill. As it turns out, there are parks
everywhere in Lyon (they are called "espaces vertes," or green spaces). I love that. The other fun fact is that the area up by the Parc des Hauteurs, as well as the areas around my apartment and where I walked on Saturday are part of a UNESCO World Heritage site!
The cathedral was pretty neat - it's actually two churches on top of each other. I'm not sure when it was originally constructed (I'm seeing 1800s on several websites, but I'm pretty sure a plaque said at least a piece of it was built in the 1100s), but as a result of several expansions over the years, it combines several architectural styles. The lower church was beautifully decorated around the main alter but rather plain everywhere else, while the upper church was extremely ornate and covered in mosaics. I love me some mosaics, so that would have been great on its own, but the best part was that someone started playing the massive organ while I was inside. The sound just reverberated through the entire space. They have some concerts coming up the next couple months, so I might try to check one out! Unfortunately, I don't have any great shots from the inside (or the outside, really), so here are a couple of photos and I'll leave it to you to check out these images if you are curious for more.
(Dare I say I need a selfie stick?)
Street Art on my way home. Not everything here is old!
By Saturday morning, I had finally adjusted to the time change. (I have to say, I don't remember any jet lag coming east in the past. Apparently you hit 28 and it's all downhill from there!) I decided to check out an area called "Croix-Rousse," which is just above the 1st arrondissement and at the bottom of the 4th. I also opted to walk there even though it looked a bit far on the map because, well, I had the time.
I started by passing through Place Bellecour, which was super busy because of an event going on this weekend called RunLyon. There will be a marathon, half-marathon, and 10K on Sunday morning! I actually asked whether people could still register, figuring that I could run the first four miles or so (hooray for being back up to four!) and then walk the rest if I needed to. Alas, registration had closed, so instead I walked through the "Health Village," which was basically an Expo that looked just like any you would see in the States along with a big race.
Weird that it's mostly English, right?
Magazine cover in Place Bellecour. Hmm..
As I got closer to where Croix-Rousse was supposed to be on the map, I realized that I had missed the fact that it is at the top of another big hill. Apologizing to my legs, up I went again, climbing several staircases and steep streets. The map I had wasn't particularly well-labeled, but I didn't mind not knowing exactly where I was because the the nice thing about Lyon is that you can always get home by heading towards one of the two rivers.
At one point I saw several people carrying grocery bags and carts, so I figured I was getting close to something good. As it turns out, I turned a corner and found myself in the middle of the huge Saturday morning market at Croix-Rousse! It was awesome, and I wish I had pictures, but it was really busy and crowded and I think I would have driven people crazy stopping to take photos. Instead, I sauntered through as slowly as the crowd would permit, admiring the perfectly browned loaves of bread, medallions of cheese, and colorful fruits and vegetables. In addition to the market, there was also a carnival going on with rides and games and vendors, so there was a lot to see!
After the market, I paused to take in the view from the overlook, and then I walked over to see the "Mur Peint des Canuts." Lyon is famous for the painted wall murals throughout the city, and this one is particularly renowned. Apparently back in the 1970s or 1980s, the city decided to use a mural to beautify an especially ugly building that was a blight on the neighborhood. They worked with artists to design a mural that would match the neighborhood's architecture and style and highlight some of the unique things about Lyon, like the traboules, roman ruins, and other features. The cool part though, besides the fact that the murals look almost 3D and totally blend in, is that they updated the mural in the 1990s and then again in 2013 to make sure the mural still matches the neighborhood and to age the people depicted in it!
Interesting, right? I also found another painted wall in the 1st arrondissement that was pretty great too. They just look so realistic!
At one point I saw several people carrying grocery bags and carts, so I figured I was getting close to something good. As it turns out, I turned a corner and found myself in the middle of the huge Saturday morning market at Croix-Rousse! It was awesome, and I wish I had pictures, but it was really busy and crowded and I think I would have driven people crazy stopping to take photos. Instead, I sauntered through as slowly as the crowd would permit, admiring the perfectly browned loaves of bread, medallions of cheese, and colorful fruits and vegetables. In addition to the market, there was also a carnival going on with rides and games and vendors, so there was a lot to see!
After the market, I paused to take in the view from the overlook, and then I walked over to see the "Mur Peint des Canuts." Lyon is famous for the painted wall murals throughout the city, and this one is particularly renowned. Apparently back in the 1970s or 1980s, the city decided to use a mural to beautify an especially ugly building that was a blight on the neighborhood. They worked with artists to design a mural that would match the neighborhood's architecture and style and highlight some of the unique things about Lyon, like the traboules, roman ruins, and other features. The cool part though, besides the fact that the murals look almost 3D and totally blend in, is that they updated the mural in the 1990s and then again in 2013 to make sure the mural still matches the neighborhood and to age the people depicted in it!
1987 version
1997 version
2013 version
After seeing as much of Croix-Rousse as my tired feet would allow, I walked back to my place through Rue de la Republique, a prominent shopping street in Lyon. It was gorgeous out and I stopped to watch several street performers, so even though I was moving pretty slowly at that point, it was still a nice walk home.
That pretty much sums up the last few days. There are a couple of other places in Lyon I want to visit, but I'm starting to look at maybe taking a day or overnight trip since I don't start classes until the 13th! I'm contemplating going to Annecy or Geneva, but if anyone has a suggestion for where to go, please let me know!
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