Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Loving Lyon: A Peaceful and Friendly French City (Old and Elegant Lyon Series 1)

Loving Lyon
A Peaceful and Friendly French City 
Old and Elegant Lyon Series 1 

We began our journey to Lyon with
a train  ride from Lourdes, France.

 

...to Toulose, Matabiau.


Transferred to another train in Toulose,

 

…to Marsielle St. Char.

 

…and a final train transfer in Marsielle,

 

 

...to Lyon  Part Deiu.

Day 1

We arrived in Lagrange Aparthotel,
located at the outskirts of Lumiere Lyon,


Lagrange Aparthotel is a four star facility,


…with a beautiful, modern, 
contemporary designed lobby.


The people at the front desk were
friendly, check- in was a breeze,


..and we were immediately on our
way to our room at the first floor.



Our suite, a One Bedroom Apartment-


…was very spacious and was very beautiful.


This would be our home in Lyon, France for
the next seven days on our second stop of
my family’s annual European spring vacation.


Upon arriving my daughter and I went to shop 
for groceries at nearby Carrefour City Store.

 

Our room was equipped with a full kitchen,


…so we feasted on home cooked meals
and Japanese sushi we bought at the grocery.


We had comfortable sleep that night
and there was no need for four of us
to cramp on one bed in the bedroom,


…as the sofa in the living room was
convertible to a comfy king sized bed.

Day 2

I left Lagrange Aparthotel, very early 
in the morning and took a subway.

 



...to the Palais des Congrès of Lyon,

 

…where I would be attending a medical
convention, which would start the next day.

 

There were very few people around 

 

...and I was  able to complete my  registration early-

 

...and returned back to Lagrange Aparthotel.

 

It was perfect, everyone was all 
dressed up.and ready to explore Lyon.


We walked our way to the Subway,


…and took a train to Vieux Lyon.



The Vieux Lyon or Old Lyon in English
the city's oldest district, and protected
by law as one of France's cultural sites.


It is one the most extensive Renaissance districts
in Europe and at the foot of the Fourvière Hill.


It was very crowded during our visit as
We came at the time when there was an
on going Vieux Lyon Medieval Festival,


People dressed on the Dark Ages costumes

 

… re- enacting and recreating


...how life was in the Middle Ages.


We had our pictures taken at the statue
 of St. John the Baptist found  at the
ancient church courtyard fountain.

 

We then proceeded to visit the

…but found out that it was closed.

 

We marveled on the chuch facade and 
admired the ancient astronomical clock
that is still perfectly working until now,



decided to get immersed on
the ongoing Medieval Festival,


…visited booths,


…listened to music,

 

…and watched mini street plays.


We came upon a booth selling
medieval baked products,



…and bought a bread pudding, baked
based on a recipe from the Middle Ages.


We sat down by the cathedral’s staircase 

 

...and finally tasted how an ancient bread pudding is like.



After having our medieval pudding snacks, we 
walked our way to the Vieus Lyon tram station 



...and took the Saint-Jean line  of the 
ancient Funiculaires de Fourviere, 



…that took us up the Fourviere Hill.


Built in 1878 the Funiculaires de Fourviere,


….are the only two operating funicular
 in the city  which used to have five lines
on its Funiculaires de Lyon network.


It has a stop right in front of the famous
and it was perfect as it was our next destination.


was built 1872 dedicated to the Virgin Mary,  


…to honor her for salving of the city of Lyon from the
 bubonic plague epidemic that swept Europe in 1643.


The basilica, is of both Romanesque
and Byzantine architecture by design.


After praying, we lingered a little bit more-

 

…admiring priceless fine mosaics, ornate
 religious figures, and ancient artworks.




We offered candles,


…and bought coin souvenirs before we left.

 

 

After our church visit, we went to the


The tower’s steel framework tower bears a striking 
resemblance to the upper half of the Eiffel Tower.



It was built in 1892 and was used as observation post
in the past. At present it only serves as television tower  
and already off limits to the public and tourists.


 At the back of the church is a view deck,
that offers a breathtaking view of Lyon.


We took the funicular
back to Vieux Lyon,


…and watched a Medieval Festival parade.


It was already late in the afternoon when
we realized that did not have lunch yet.

 

We wanted to try the famous bouchon dining,
but because of the ongoing festivities,

  

 

... all the restaurants were fully booked.


We walked farted away from the old Lyon center,


 


…and we stumbled upon Restaurant Beyasit,


a lovely restaurant serving Middle Eastern 
cuisine. we were the only people there and
we had the restaurant all for ourselves.


Restaurant Beyasit’s servings were huge, and we 
ended out pigging out in Lyon not with the initially 
intended  bouchon meal but with some of the most 
delicious and tummy filling Middle Eastern dishes.



We then walked around shaking
ourselves from the heavy meal,

 

…did some window shopping,
and discreet people watching,

 

…before returning to the hotel.

 

We were still full from our last heavy
Middle Eastern  meal, we rested for
 a while and retired early that night.

Day 3

It was a Sunday and the first day of our
convention. I woke up early and attended
the early morning session until noon time 

 

…before returning to my family at the hotel.


We intended to do some shopping at
and we were disappointed as it was closed.

 

We were not expecting this, as weekends
are peak days in the Philippines and shopping
centers  here would never close on a Sunday


We were thankful that there
was an open McDonald’s,

 

I was past noon and we were starving,


…and we were able to get a decent lunch.




We took a subway to LaPlace Bellecour.


It is s UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest
square in the centre of Lyon, and it is one of the largest
open squares in Europe without any patches of greenery.


In the center of the square is an equestrian statue
of king Louis XIV by François-Frédéric Lemot.



With the Fourvière hill on the backdrop.
 The Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière.
and the TourMétallique de Fourvière
loom over the barren Bellecour Square.


We went to the tourist information office of Lyon
to get assistance and information about the square,

 

…and lingered for a while
at the nearby art gallery.


We then leisurely walked to the
Place Antonin-Poncet  square-


…to see the famous dancing fountain.




Lining the Place Antonin-Poncet
are various shops and restaurants,


…catering the numerous
tourists visiting the square.

 

We walked back to Bellecour Square,

 

...and admired the beautiful buildings,

 

...surrounding the beautiful plaza,

 

…and took the subway 

 

....back to our hotel.

Day 4

I attended early morning session at the convention,and 
returned to the hotel at 10 AM, as we  promised  to take 
the kids to a theme park called Walibi Rhône-Alpes.

 

We booked a car thru GetTransfer App,
and our driver arrived on time.


It was a long drive yet
pleasant  from Lyon, 

 

…to Les Avenières 


…and we passed by some of the most
scenic and bucolic French countryside.


It rained had that day and to our disappointment
Walibi Rhône-Alpes was close on a Monday and
we were told that they are only open on weekends.


We returned to Lyon and spent the
day shopping at The Village Outlet.


The Village when is a lovely shopping complex,


… with an attractive upscale layout 


…beautiful fountains,


… and fabulous shops.

 

It was already past noon and we
decided to dine at Vegas Kitchen, 


…the very first restaurant
 we stumbled upon The Village.


It was a satisfying and
massive American meal.


 

We went around to window shop,


… and we were delighted to see that
they have Galeries Lafayette L’Outlet,


… as we failed to shop a day before at
which was closed, as it was a Sunday.



We also enjoyed the huge bargains
at the Polo Ralph Lauren store.


We also visited a Levi’s outlet store,


…and my wife was happy to discover that
the boot cut jeans were still available which
has been long phased out in the Philippines.

 


We later a snacks and coffee at the Starbucks,



…and spent sometime enjoying
the beautiful dancing fountains-


…while waiting for our transportation from
GetTransfer to take us back to the hotel.

Day 5.

It was the last day of the convention and
I attended the whole morning sessions.

 

I returned to the hotel by noon to pick up
 my family- and returned to Vieux Lyon,



...to revisit the old city center after the 
Medieval Festival  that restricted us 
from exploring the place earlier.   

 

We did dome souvenir shopping,




 ...and finally got to visit the
Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste.



Also called Lyon Cathedral  is located at the central plaza 
of  the Lyon Old District. It was built in 1180 and completed 
in 1476, the church had a Gothic the nave and façade.  




The church interior is of Romanesque design;
including the apse and the choir platform.



The Church was undergoing
renovation during our visit,


…and everything seem to be on disarray.  

 

The Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Lyon, 
.was the pre-eminent church in Lyon until the

After the church visit, we took the
Also known as the "Park of the Golden Head"

...it is one of the most visited parks in the city 
and a frequent destination for joggers and cyclists.




We walked our way to the Lyon Zoo,
one of the main attractions of the park.

 

The Lyon Zoo was only meant to create
a farm for educational purposes with some
domesticated and wild animals on display


…but slowly evolved
to become a real zoo. 


We lingered a little longer at the
vast area called The African Plain.


It is newest development of the zoo was it opened in 2006 
where there are about 130 different animals on display.


 Parc de la Tete D’or’s Lyon Zoo may not be as extensive
as compared to other zoos we visited in other countries,


…but it is a beautiful, well maintained zoo-
that does not charge any entrance fee.


Indeed- there a truth to the old adage
that the best things in life are free.


We leisure explored the park admiring
the large grassy areas and rolling terrain,


…which perfect for picnics and excursions,


…play various sports,


…or just for plain lazing
a do some people watching.


The park has a vast lake where people can go
boating and indulge in different watersports.


We exited at the Porte des enfants du Rhône,
an enormous impressively gilded wrought iron gate.


We then walked our way to the
Palais des Congrès of Lyon,


…which is a part of the park development.

 

 I picked up my certificate
for the medical convention,

 

… and we took the subway back to the hotel.

 

It was our penultimate day in Lyon, we
packed our bags as we would have an early
morning train to catch for Milan the next day.

Day 6

It was our last day in Lyon and
we all woke up early for breakfast.

 

After checking out, we relaxed at the lobby
waiting of the Uber Taxi that we booked.

 

We got to Lyon Part- Dieu an
hour earlier our scheduled train,

 



…and finally left on time for Milan, 

 

...our third stop of our  European spring vacation.

Read other posts for 
Old and Elgant Lyon Series
on the links below: 

Lagrange Aparthotel, Lyon
A Modern Home in Lyon
Old and Elegant Lyon Series 1 

Vieux Lyon  
Old Lyon in Suspended Animation
Old and Elegant Lyon Series 2 

Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste 
A Medieval Cathedral 
Old and Elegant Lyon Series 3 

Funiculaires de Fourviere

Galeries Lafayette Lyon Part- Dieu
Lyon’s Center of Fashion 
Old and Elegant LyonSeries 10 

McDonald’s Galeries Lafayette 
Feel at Home at McDo 
Old and Elegant Lyon Series 11 

Beautiful Bellecour 
Heart of Lyon 
Old and Elegant Lyon Series 12   

Walibi Rhone Alps
Themepark Disappointment 
Old and Elegant Lyon Series 13

The Village Outlet 
A Lovely French Bargain Outlet 
Old and Elegant Lyon Series 14

Vegas Kitchen 
Taste of America in France 
Old and Elegant Lyon Series 15

Parc de la Tete D’or 
Peace and Quiet in the City
Old and Elegant Lyon Series 16 

Lyon Zoo 
Entrance- Free Zoo  
Old and Elegant Lyon Series 17  

Loving Lyon 
A Peaceful and Friendly City  
Old and Elegant Lyon Series 1

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