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

CathédraleSaint-Jean-Baptiste.

…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

La Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière,

and it was perfect as it was our next destination.

The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière

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

nearby Tour métallique de Fourvière.

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

the Galeries Lafayette Lyon Part- Dieu

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

the Galeries Lafayette Lyon Part- Dieu

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

Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière was built.

After the church visit, we took the

subway to Parc de la Tete D’or.


 

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

Easy Way to the Top of Lyon
Old and Elegant Lyon Series 4 

La Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière 

The Other Notredame Church of France 
Old and Elegant Lyon Series 5  

Tour Métallique de Fourvière  
Half of Eiffel Tower  
Old and Elegant Lyon Series 6 

Restaurant Beyasit 
Pigging Out in Lyon
Old and Elegant LyonSeries 7 

Lyon Medieval Festival 
A Travel back in Time
Old and Elegant Lyon Series 8 

Medieval Bread Pudding 
A Taste of the Past  
Old and Elegant Lyon Series 9

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