It seems every great city is built on a river: Rome is on the Tiber, Paris on the Seine, and Chicago on the Chicago. Other cities, like New York, are nestled at the confluence of two rivers. Lyon in southeastern France is such a city.
Lyon is 60 miles west of the Swiss border, 170 miles north of the Mediterranean Sea, and almost 250 miles south-southeast of Paris. Two rivers slice through the landscape at Lyon. Carving almost directly through the center of Lyon is the Rhône River, which comes down from the Rhône Glacier in the nearby Swiss Alps. The Rhône flows blue and clear due to its glacial source, and is considered a "fleuve" because it flows all the way to the sea. From the western side of the city flows the Saône River. The Saône comes down from the Vosges Mountains about 200 miles northeast of Lyon. It flows south between the two large hills of Lyon, when it takes a sudden eastward turn toward the Rhône for nearly a mile before it sudden cuts south again through the heart of the city. The Saône is called a "rivière" because it doesn't flow directly to the sea, but instead it merges with the Rhône at Lyon. The color different between the rivers is clear, with the Saône visibly darker due to the sediment collected over its long journey to Lyon. The hill to the west of the Saône is called the Fourvière. The hill to the east of the Saône is called the Croix-Rousse, and we are spending the week in a neighborhood atop the hill of the Croix-Rousse.
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| Detail from La Mur des Canuts |
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| La Mur des Canuts |
We got a late start that Saturday morning, being jet-lagged on our first morning there. Around 11:00AM, after a quick breakfast and a N'espresso ("What else?") we made our way out the door and onto the streets of Croix-Rousse with our hosts. We hadn't walked far before we learned that Lyon is well known for its public murals in the
trompe-l'œil style. Trompe-l'œil is a term that means to "trick the eye." When you see the images, you'll know what they mean -- it is a very realistic style of painting, and the building we passed as we explored the neighborhood was a classic example. The building was previously a big brick slab without windows. Today, it appears as a series of attractive buildings with lots of people and greenery.
We continued our southwest walk until we reached the Institution des Chartreux. Les Chartreux is a Catholic school founded in the early 19th century, and today educates more than 2000 students. Aside from the local students, it is also a boarding school, with facilities for about 300 student. As we entered the parking lot, the license plates made it clear that many of those students were from neighboring Switzerland. We took a quick look at the lunchroom, a classroom, and the school's chapel. The building was originally a seminary, and the architecture reflected its original purpose.
We exited out the back door to a spacious courtyard that is perched on the edge of the slope of the Croix-Rousse. The view looked out over the whole city. On the right was the upstream view of the Saône. Looking progressively to the left, the Fourvière hill, and the two visible icons of the hill: the Tour Métallique and the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière. Continuing to look left, the downstream run of the Saône, and then the Presqu'île. It was a fabulous view over the city.
On our walk back home, we passed through the famous Croix-Rousse outdoor market. At that late hour, the vendors had started packing up, so we promised ourselves to return later in the week. We continued on, taking a meandering path through the neighborhood, and passed numerous shops with delicious looking treats in the windows. The chocolatiers were decorated for the upcoming Easter holiday, and their chocolate eggs were something to behold. We also passed numerous patisseries, where they sell pastries that look (almost!) too good to eat.
We arrived home in the early afternoon, and all eight of us sat down to enjoy a delicious meal with chicken, fresh bread, and white wine. This two hour break was what we needed to recharge our batteries and prepare to tackle the city a second time.
This time we would walk down a different way, and shortly came upon another scenic view over the over the city at the Jardin de la Grande Côte. Despite the cloudy day, we joined others assembled at the plaza to take photos and admire the view.
As we continued our walk on Saturday afternoon, we passed a foursome playing pétanque in a nearby park. We discussed the game as we walked. It is similar to bocce, and it is very popular in southern France, especially over summer holidays. People tend to keep a set of the special pétanque balls in their car because, well, you never know. As I understood it from our brief conversation is that the goal is basically to get your metal ball very close to the small wooden ball, and also to enjoy Pastis, an anise-flavored liqueur, with your opponents.
It seems every great city is built on a river: Rome is on the Tiber, Paris on the Seine, and Chicago on the Chicago. Other cities, like New York, are nestled at the confluence of two rivers. Lyon in southeastern France is such a city. 
Lyon is 60 miles west of the Swiss border, 170 miles north of the Mediterranean Sea, and almost 250 miles south-southeast of Paris. Two rivers slice through the landscape at Lyon. Carving almost directly through the center of Lyon is the Rhône River, which comes down from the Rhône Glacier in the nearby Swiss Alps. The Rhône flows blue and clear due to its glacial source, and is considered a "fleuve" because it flows all the way to the sea. From the western side of the city flows the Saône River. The Saône comes down from the Vosges Mountains about 200 miles northeast of Lyon. It flows south between the two large hills of Lyon, when it takes a sudden eastward turn toward the Rhône for nearly a mile before it sudden cuts south again through the heart of the city. The Saône is called a "rivière" because it doesn't flow directly to the sea, but instead it merges with the Rhône at Lyon. The color different between the rivers is clear, with the Saône visibly darker due to the sediment collected over its long journey to Lyon. The hill to the west of the Saône is called the Fourvière. The hill to the east of the Saône is called the Croix-Rousse, and we are spending the week in a neighborhood atop the hill of the Croix-Rousse. 
We continued our southwest walk until we reached the Institution des Chartreux. Les Chartreux is a Catholic school founded in the early 19th century, and today educates more than 2000 students. Aside from the local students, it is also a boarding school, with facilities for about 300 student. As we entered the parking lot, the license plates made it clear that many of those students were from neighboring Switzerland. We took a quick look at the lunchroom, a classroom, and the school's chapel. The building was originally a seminary, and the architecture reflected its original purpose. 
We exited out the back door to a spacious courtyard that is perched on the edge of the slope of the Croix-Rousse. The view looked out over the whole city. On the right was the upstream view of the Saône. Looking progressively to the left, the Fourvière hill, and the two visible icons of the hill: the Tour Métallique and the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière. Continuing to look left, the downstream run of the Saône, and then the Presqu'île. It was a fabulous view over the city. 
On our walk back home, we passed through the famous Croix-Rousse outdoor market. At that late hour, the vendors had started packing up, so we promised ourselves to return later in the week. We continued on, taking a meandering path through the neighborhood, and passed numerous shops with delicious looking treats in the windows. The chocolatiers were decorated for the upcoming Easter holiday, and their chocolate eggs were something to behold. We also passed numerous patisseries, where they sell pastries that look (almost!) too good to eat. 
We arrived home in the early afternoon, and all eight of us sat down to enjoy a delicious meal with chicken, fresh bread, and white wine. This two hour break was what we needed to recharge our batteries and prepare to tackle the city a second time. 
As we continued our walk on Saturday afternoon, we passed a foursome playing pétanque in a nearby park. We discussed the game as we walked. It is similar to bocce, and it is very popular in southern France, especially over summer holidays. People tend to keep a set of the special pétanque balls in their car because, well, you never know. As I understood it from our brief conversation is that the goal is basically to get your metal ball very close to the small wooden ball, and also to enjoy Pastis, an anise-flavored liqueur, with your opponents.
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