Lyon - and my aching feet

I'm glad that I made the time to go to Lyon and Montpellier for a few days each.  In Lyon, I was on my own and I walked, and walked, and walked.

Overall, I'm glad I can say I've been there, but it wasn't my favorite city I've ever visited. It is kind of like a mini-Paris without the charm.

I took the train for this journey and it was fun and nice to see the countryside.  Upon arriving at Part Dieu, I had to take the tram to my hotel, which is nearer to Lyon's other train station, Perrache. And, leave it to Kerry to get lost walking from the tram stop to my hotel. I literally walked in circles before getting directions from a gentleman. Then, I didn't have the street number, only the name, of the hotel written down, so I called to find out exactly where it was and turns out I was only 2 doors away!

The hotel was okay - the people working there were nice, it was clean, water pressure and hot water were good - but, I think I was the only white, non-African person staying there. And, that really wouldn't be a big deal for me - if you know me, you know I am accepting of all people - but it just had a certain vibe...and, the walls were paper thin, so noise at night and in the morning kept me awake.  But, for a cheap hotel for one, I've definitely stayed in worse.

Arriving on a Wednesday afternoon and leaving Friday at about noon, my plan was to walk around and see as much as possible, which I did. I also sampled quite a few local dishes.

On Wednesday, I explored, walking through much of the city (not Vieux Lyon), doing a little shopping, and just taking it all in. I enjoyed some wine at a cafe, and then got a dinner recommendation from the hotel - it was very good!

Interesting public art. It was pretty!

More public art near the Opera. There were also teens break-dancing in front of the building.

Where I enjoyed dinner Wednesday night.

On Thursday, I tackled Vieux Lyon and then headed up "the hill" to see the ruins and another gorgeous church.  I grabbed a pastry for breakfast - pralines are the local specialty, so I got something with that on it - French pralines are a mix of almonds and caramelized sugar and they are bright red.

Cathedral Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Lyon

This is an astronomical clock that went off at noon while I just happened to be in the church!

After hitting up this beautiful church, I decided to WALK up the hill to Notre Dame de Fourviere. I probably should have taken the metro, but it was nice out and I said, hey, it can't be that hard, right?  This first photo is looking down on Lyon from about 1/2 way up...

More stairs...

Finally there - the church was beautiful, unfortunately the interior was under renovation...

Lyon is known for its lights and it is true - at night, the city is beautiful and all of the buildings are lit up.

These are some of the lights used to illuminate the Notre Dame de Fourviere at night

The top of the hill had more to offer than just the church. Lyon has its own mini "Tour Eiffel," but you can't climb it - so here's a photo instead.

The old Gallo-Roman ruins are also located atop the hill and they were incredible. Since it was so nice out, I took advantage of the sun and sat to read for about an hour here. I also met a group of girls visiting France from Germany and helped them answer some questions about Notre Dame (thanks to my handy .99 cent guide I had bought for my Kindle about Lyon!)

There was also a museum on the Gallo-Roman history right next to the ruins and entrance is free on Thursdays, so I went in. The lobby was a mob scene (apparently a group of seniors had booked a group tour that the museum didn't have on its calendar, so a few people got heated - and, I actually understood all of this in French, haha), but once I finally secured a ticket, it was interesting to go through. I learned that only a few cities in France had circuses (a Roman open-air building for public events such as chariot races) and Lyon was one of them! However, historians only know this from stories and artwork - the actual location of Lyon's circus has never been found.

By now, I was pretty exhausted, but the only way to get back to the city was to go down. And, again, instead of taking the metro, I opted to go on foot...

My next goal was to see the Traboules in Croix Rousse- passageways that were originally used for silk merchants to transport their goods. These were also credited for helping the city prevent a complete takeover by German troops during World War II.

On my way there, though - I came across this amazing fresco that was painted on three sides of the building. It was gorgeous!

Thanks to my nifty Kindle guide, I was able to locate a few of the Traboules. The paths were marked with these little signs, but they were still challenging to find:

Sufficiently tired after this day of walking (I swear I must have done at least 10 miles...), I went back to my hotel to "freshen up" before going to dinner. I found a place where I indulged in what is supposed to be traditional Lyonnais fare.  Of course, I chose the "prix fixe" option, meaning I got an appetizer, and entree, and a dessert.

For appetizer - chevre chaud salad; for entree - quenelles (flour, egg, and cream dumplings - mine had a fish sauce); and for dessert - praline tart.  It was an interesting meal, albeit a bit heavy, and the praline was very sweet, but I'm glad I tried it.

Walking back to my hotel, I captured a few great nighttime photos where you can see the beautiful lights illuminating the buildlings:

 

 

I love the colors being reflected on this one!

Both nights were pretty early nights for me - I didn't think being out drinking alone was a good idea, haha. So, I read a little and got some shut eye. Friday morning, I had a few hours and I just walked and enjoyed the nice weather again.  One last photo down by the river before heading to the train station to go to Montpellier...