Epic Honeymoon - Day 33 - Lyon

Another beautiful day in Lyon.

Tuesday 17^th 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.

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 5^th century.

Exploring Jardin archéologique St-Jean.

Seems like a good place to chill.

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.

Inside the beautiful Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste.

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!

Lyonnaise salad is surely the best starter to have in Lyon.

Tandoori chicken in the front, and my cake of livers in the back.

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.

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.

A true monument to the Lyonnaise peoples' faith.

Incredibly beautiful and ornate inside; this Basilica is not to be missed.

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.

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.

One final day of delight on Day 34!