Lyon from Top to Bottom

The “Toaster” – Lyon’s Opera House with a top that glows red as the audience fills in

After an enormous breakfast – whatever you don’t see, they will make for you – we thankfully get on a coach to take us up the steep hill for some amazing panoramic views of Lyon. Bonnie and Steve, desirous of burning off some calories opted to take the trek up the hill with a guide. (By the way, they were the only ones choosing that option from everyone boat).

Another panorama view from the top. You can see the two rivers and the two buildings they call the pencil and the eraser. The area between the rivers is a very modern shopping area called, Presqu’île. Lyon is (has become) a haven for some fairly wealthy people.

The basilica of Notre Dame on the Fourvière hill is an impressive church from the outside, and even more impressive on the inside. It was originally a cathedral.

The crypt below has amazing alters, all dedicated to the Virgin Mary, designed and established by countries around the world.

Brazil, can you tell?

Before heading back down the hill for some exploration of the old city we saw this group of Japanese school kids posing on the church steps. They were tourists, not a Japanese school in Lyon.

The city is known for over 100 “fake” facades. Almost all depict famous people. While alive they occupy the lower areas. When they die they get painted out and moved up.

Some are truly spectacular. We stopped to identify all we could.

We walked the narrow, cobblestones streets and discovered how they were able to house as many people as possible into the peninsula by creating “traboules”, hidden passageways behind closed doors that take you between streets. Inside are amazing spiral staircases to individual, stacked apartments.

A typical inner passage looking up to the light coming through the hole to the sky above. Pretty ingenious.

We strolled the shops and cafes, and really felt the comfortable ambiance.

We headed back to the boat for lunch. Heaven forbid missing a meal. Then headed back to stroll the more modern part of the city in the Peninsula. It was a another beautiful day and Bonnie and Steve wanted to continue outside. Marsha and I had our sights set on the Museum Beaux Artes, a large and spectacular place ranging from ancient Egypt to the impressionists, from artifacts to paintings to sculpture to furnishings. The photo below is of the spectacular City Hall with the corner of the museum on the right.

We stayed until almost closing, finishing with some modern pottery of course.

And headed back, pretty burned out – another 24,000 step day. I keep forgetting to get some photos of the meals – too hungry and excited to eat I suppose. But I promise I will, since we are in gustatory heaven.

Tomorrow, we have a special tour of Beaujolais Wine Country, just around the corner. We intend to find out if Beaujolais is more than Nouveau! Want to help?