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Another beautiful day in Lyon. |
Tuesday 17th October was dedicated to some
more organised sightseeing. As much as Lyon is more about the food and culture,
there are some fantastic old buildings and sights to see, too.
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Don't mind us! |
After crossing the Rhône and walking a little way up
through Lyon centre, we crossed the second river, the Saône, at Passerelle du Palais de
Justice. This little footbridge leads directly to the Court of Appeals, which
is a monolith of a building and reminds one of Athens or Rome. Skirting around the left hand side, you can arrive to
Jardin archéologique
St-Jean: the remains of one of the oldest churches in the world, dating back to
the 5th century.
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Exploring Jardin archéologique St-Jean. |
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Seems like a good place to chill. |
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Miniature wife! |
Standing proudly beside the remains is the main feature,
Cathédrale
Saint-Jean-Baptiste. A glorious structure, reaching high into the sky above
Vieux-Lyon (the local suburb), the Cathedral looks similar to Paris’ Notre Dame
from the front. Inside, the natural lighting floods in to illuminate
beautifully carved columns and arches. Stained-glass windows – a fairly typical
feature – add a bit of colour to th scene, and every footstep almost booms with
an echo. In the nave to the left of the alter stands an astronomical clock,
keeping track of not only the time, but the position of the moon, sun, earth
and stars. It is, however, currently inactive and awaiting repair. A fabulous
example of gothic architecture, and a must see when you visit Lyon.
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Inside the beautiful Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste. |
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The Cathedral's astronomical clock. |
A short walk up Rue Saint-Jean, we sat down at Les Pavés de Saint Jean for some
lunch. As with most other places, a daily menu was offered and we obliged. It’s
a great way to get a good selection of different dishes. Starting with a
delectable Lyonnaise salad (very much like a Caeser salad but without the
dressing), my main course was a surprisingly tasty Gâteau de foie de volaille –
a cake made of chicken livers. I am never keen on livers; they don’t sound good
on paper, but I had confidence in the French, and they came through for me!
Avy, meanwhile, went a little international with the tandoori chicken. We both
finished off with the house dessert and left feeling a little bit rotund!
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Lyonnaise salad is surely the best starter to have in Lyon. |
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Tandoori chicken in the front, and my cake of livers in the back. |
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House dessert was a simple but tasty fruit tart. |
A big lunch was probably a bad plan, because the
afternoon plan was to hike up with mountain to visit La Basilique Notre Dame de
Fourvière.
Sitting majestically at the top of the hill, the Basilica keeps a watch over
all of Lyon. Getting there is a task, but certainly worth the effort. Down the
left side of the Court of Appeal is Rue de la Bombarde. Heading away from the
river, you can find Rue du Bœuf at the right. Just up this road, on
the left, there’s a small stairway called Montée des Chazeaux. It’s steep,
but it will get you where you need to go without taking the long way around!
Once (if) you reach the top, head left along the road and
into the gate on the right hand side. This winding path, which splits off in
various directions like a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book, will take you on a
pleasant tour through Parc des Hauteurs. We, unwittingly, took the wide looping
route and ended up coming out at Rue Cleberg and following the roads back up to
the Basilica.
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A delightful garden through which to stroll. |
It’s a mammoth building, and hard to get all into the
frame of the camera. The finely carved stonework at the fascia is quite
remarkable, and inside it only gets better. The interior practically glows with
gilding and decoration. In the basement, you can visit the Crypt, too, which
has a very solemn and reflective feeling to it.
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A true monument to the Lyonnaise peoples' faith. |
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Incredibly beautiful and ornate inside; this Basilica is not to be missed. |
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Below the main church lies the crypt which you can also visit. |
Outside, on the north of the Basilica, there’s a carpark
and plaza, leading to a fabulous lookout from which you can take in the entire
panorama of Lyon.
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An unmissable view, and totally worth the exhausting climb! |
We basked in the incredible view for a while,
and then made the slow descent down the mountain, following the road this time
and crossing the Saône at the north end of Vieux-Lyon. We walked the
length of Rue du Président Edouard Herriot, which forms a spine
through central Lyon, doing a little window shopping along the way, before
heading in for the evening.
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