Trip Lyon France

        We departed from Nice early in the morning and the road trip took more than 5 hours. We already exhaust from long week trip but we are pump up and ready to explore the city. The hotel was next the river. We found a map with bus/rail/metro route information at the front desk which came in very useful to get around the city.

   Lyon is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon was historically known as an important area for the production and weaving of silk and in modern times has developed a reputation as the capital of gastronomy in France. Today Lyon is third (or second depend on who you talk to) largest city in France.

   Lyon is called the oldest city of France. It goes back to the Roman times when it was then the major city of Gaul (France ancient name). Lyon was founded by the Roman Empire in 43 BC. In the 15th century, Lyon became the European trade capital and attracted traders from all over Europe and even Asia.

   Lyon's geography is dominated by the Rhône and Saône rivers that converge to the south of the historic city centre forming a peninsula or "Presqu'île"; two large hills, one to the west and one to the north of the historic city centre; and a large plain which sprawls eastward from the historic city centre. The original medieval city (Vieux Lyon) was built on the west bank of the Saône river at the foot of the Fourvière hill, west of the Presqu'île.

   Italian bankers settled there, attracted by the prosperity of the silk industry, as did foreign drapers and haberdashers. The banking business enjoyed such a boom that the first French Stock Exchange was created in Lyons in 1506.
   The Palais du Commerce ("Trade palace"), also called the "palais de la Bourse" (Stock exchange palace), was erected by René Dardel. Built between 1856 to 1860. Opened on August 25, 1860 by Napoleon III, the Palais du Commerce was classified as a historical monument in 1994.

La Saône.
View of Saone river run between Vieux Lyon and Presqu’ile.

Vieux Lyon.
   The Vieux Lyon quarter spreads across the Fourvière hillside and is organized around three religious monuments.
Saint Jean cathedral, the oldest of the three.
Saint Paul church
Saint Georges church

Fourvière.
   Fourvière is a district of Lyon, France located on a hill immediately west of the old part of the town, rising abruptly from the river Saône and then gently sloping down to the north-west. It is the site of the original Roman settlement of Lugdunum (43 BC).

Fourvière Hill.
   The easiest way to get up the hill since we have little time to explore the city. The trains take the same tickets as the subway. We were told to walk up the hill and you will see many wonderful things but my legs totally disagreed.

Presqu’île.
   For the people of Lyon, Presqu'île is the place to go for shopping, dining or clubbing.
The Presqu’île, literally the "peninsula", extending from the foot of the Croix Rousse hill to the confluence of the Rhône and the Saône rivers.

Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière.
   Visible from all over the city, the gleaming white Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière rises like a fortress on Fourvière Hill. For more than a thousand years, the Virgin Mary has been honored here. The Basilica of Fourvière is a typical and outstanding example of the 19th century religious architecture. The Basilica of Fourviere is a typical example and outstanding of the religious 19th century architecture.

   The Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière was built between 1872 and 1876 over an ancient Roman forum and next to the existing Chapel of the Virgin. It was designed by architect Pierre Bossan of Lyon, who also designed the city's Église Saint-Georges.

   The basilica is notable for its style, the diversity of materials used and the richness of its interior decoration. Its four towers and crenellated walls with buttresses give the appearance of a fortress, which symbolizes the unwavering faith of the Virgin Mary. By contrast, the interior with its walls covered with mosaics is a true house of gold and light, to the glory of the Virgin Mary.

Cathedral Saint-Jean.
   Walking along the streets of 'Vieux Lyon' we get to the 'Place Saint Jean', where the beautiful Saint Jean Church sits. This church was built between 1165 and 1480, and reflects the transition from Romanesque to Gothic in Old Europe. We will later take a look at this nice church from the other side of the river.
    It also hosted a Renaissance wedding: in 1600, King Henry IV married Marie de Medici (whom he had just met) in the cathedral.

St-Jean Cathedral.
   Lyon Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Lyon) view from across the Saone river and the Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière in the background.

Saint-Georges.
   Pierre Bosan was the architect responsible for completely rebuilding the church in 1844, when it took on its present form. Largely it is what would be described as a neo-gothic structure.

Saint-Paul.
    One of the oldest churches in Lyon (it appears in a 9th century text by Bishop Leidrade), with mixed Romanesque and Gothic styles.

La Place Bellecour.
   You can get a perfect view of the Basilique de Fourviere from the most famous square La Place Bellecour. Place Bellecour is the largest square of Lyon. In the center stands the equestrian statue of Louis XIV. It is a very pleasant walk to walk across the square on soft terre battue ground with the beautiful view of fourviere looking down at us.

Place des Terreaux.
   As you head further up the river and back towards the centre of Presqu’ile, you should arrive at the Place de Terreaux, a square surrounded by restaurant. The Hotel de Ville (or City Hall) dominates the square along with the Fontaine Bartholdi that can be seen on the left of the picture. The Museum of Fine Arts is on the right of the picture.

Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon.
   Musée des beaux-arts de Lyon (French) is a municipal museum of fine arts. It is housed near place des Terreaux in a former Benedictine convent of the 17th and 18th centuries. Its collections range from ancient Egypt antiquities to the Modern art period and make the museum one of the most important in Europe.

 La Fontaine Bartholdi.
   It is a fountain sculpted by Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi in 1891 and erected at the Place des Terreaux. The fountain depicts France as a female seated on a chariot controlling the four great rivers of France, represented by wildly rearing and plunging horses.
   Bartholdi had made the Statue of Liberty in New York in 1886

Place de la République.
   The Place de la République is a square located in   the Bellecour quarter. On the other side of Place Bellecour, you will be confronted by numerous tempting roads, the largest of which is rue de la République. About halfway up, you will arrive at Place de la République.

Place de la Comédie.
    Walking alongside the Hotel de Ville will direct you towards the Place de la Comédie, where you will find the Opéra National de Lyon with its tall half cylindrical roof. The several sculptures, which may or may not be to your tastes in the square.

Opéra National de Lyon.
   Opéra National de Lyon is an opera company in Lyon, France which performs in the Nouvel Opéra, a modernized version in 1993 of the original 1831 opera house.

Districts.

   Lyon is shaped by its two rivers, the Rhône (to the East) and the Saône (to the West), which both run North-South. The main areas of interest are:
  Fourvière hill,
  Vieux Lyon (Old Lyon),
  Presqu'île,

  Croix-Rousse.

   Many of Lyon's independent boutiques can be found in Vieux Lyon and in the Croix- Rousse district according to our tour guide.

   As usual we missed our group dinning out on the last night in Lyon but we don’t mind. Lyon was named "capital of gastronomy". Fortunately, the local gastronomy has considerably evolved since then and there is now far more to dining in Lyon. Kebab shops, Asian food, bistros, three-star restaurants: Lyon has them all. Our favorite food while in Europe is Kebab shops.
   This trip was tired but we are heading for Paris next.