FRANCE: Lyon

LYON

Population:  Approx 475,000

3^rd largest city located in Central Eastern France

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You would think that by now our spoken French was getting better, well to some extent it was.  Our French reading skills had improved greatly but speaking French was another thing altogether.  We were almost breaking out into cold sweats and "the shakes" with the thought of actually talking to someone in French.  Tony and I practiced phrases and words on each other – half the time they were bullshit made up English words made to sound with a French accent. We thought we sounded pretty good and it was a real laugh (LOL).

Pont de la Guillotier on the Rhone River

We were trying to think why we had this phobia…”Was it the ‘not so’ fond memories of Yr 10 French classes?”, or “Was it thinking about that horrible little man, ranting and raving at us in Nanterre-Ville who refused us a hotel booking on the night before we were due to leave Paris for Madrid?”  That was another story– don’t even want to go there (OK - all because HE got the date wrong and refused to give us a refund after we had already paid).  Be warned: Hotel Moderne. Do not stay there!!  We had to learn more French FAST and we were doing OK, Ce va!.

Now considering the TGV travels at speeds over 300kms/per hour the train trip took 3 hours for a couple of reasons. 

1. Scheduled stops at stations in southern France and;



316 km/h on the TGV



2. The TGV shares some rail lines with regional railways which gave us a chance to admire the views. 

It isn’t until the train runs along the specially built TGV rail corridors that it reaches top speeds.  Probably the best description is….it feels like a plane on a runway, you can hear it revving up, and you reach the same land speeds and G forces as a plane would on a runway, except it doesn’t take off in the air.  You can actually feel and hear the acceleration of the TGV all the while being gently thrust further into your seat – and more surprisingly – the trains are smooth, clean and comfortable ! 



Had to laugh though – when we were travelling on the TGV corridor, the train was moving faster than the shutter speed of my camera and every photo I took was blurred.  

And just getting back to the topic of views. We had been travelling through the Rhone Valley alongside some beautiful fast flowing rivers, pastures, lush green mountain-sides, sunflower and lavender farms, vineyards.  Then out of the blue and stuck in the middle of all this beauty is …an ugly, smoke billowing Nuclear Power Plant.

The Cruas Meysse plant.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruas_Nuclear_Power_Plant

Nuclear Power Plant in the Rhone Valley

Have a good look at the photo.  I’m no Einstein, but can someone please explain to me….What good are a couple of Wind Turbines beside the reactors?  Do the wind turbines kick in if there is a problem with the cooling systems or are there just in case of a meltdown?  Without sounding hypocritical my guess is that the operators are into Renewable Energy!! 

We were staying at the Premiere Classe hotel in Lyon Centre on Rue Marius Vivier, and the l’hotel name was written in huge letters facing the train line and spotted as the train was approaching Gare de la Part-Dieu.  It was a “no-brainer” finding it once we were off the train – and we didn’t have to look up!.  Part-Dieu station as you could imagine was larger than Marseilles-St Charles and given that experience we hastily made our way out, bags in tow.

Outside the station Lyon was a mix of old and modern. Here were the multi-story shiny mirrored buildings, new classy shopping centres such as the Cours Lafayette which blended in with the classic French Renaissance architecture and wide tree lined streets we had come to know in this part of the country.

After settling into our room (with air-conditioning, and luxury after the Marseilles accommodation) we decided to ‘foot falcon’ to the river, except we went the wrong way.  That should have been a “no-brainer” too, and it wasn’t until we turned the map around ….after walking for about an hour that we realised our mistake.  It was an interesting, quiet walk back!  Getting our bearings and a few hours of daylight/twilight left we decided to do a big loop in the area of our hotel. 

This is where TJ spotted a Grill restaurant in the nearby IBIS hotel where - it had been a long time since we had eaten a nice grilled dinner that this would be our chance.  On the Menu was a Grilled Ham Steak for me with TJ opting for one of his favourite foods - Duck  - at the Courte Paille Grill  (http://www.courtepaille.com/)

We knew that Lyon was famous for many things such as:

*   Its history as the European Silk capital;

*   designer workshops, art and museums;

*   its agriculture;

*   its restaurants with top chefs, gourmet foods and cheeses, and;

*   Lyon is also famous for being the heart of the Resistance during the war.

Another point, Lyon is also the region famous for Dijon mustard.  It is so popular here that complimentary servings of the mustard are placed on dining tables for your enjoyment.  I like mustard and I spread some Dijon on my ham steak - it was a killer and left me breathless.  Question: Ever had a big mouthful of Wasabi thinking it is avocado?  That’s what it feels like….Eyes watering, tongue burning and the pungent aroma that go right up your nose until it hits your brain, still gasping for air.  Safe to say the rest of the dinner was quite enjoyable after a lot of water.

That night we enjoyed the comfort of our AIR-conditioned room ready to find the river the next day. Actually we found that there are 2 rivers here and Lyon sits on the confluent of the Rhone and Saone Rivers.

Not up to the pace of the TGV

It was Wednesday, 15^th August and we decided to see as much of Lyon in our short time here before travelling on to Zurich.  Bearing in mind that Lyon is the 3^rd largest city in France something was missing.  “Where were the people?” The city was deserted – and in a strange way a blessing (blessing being the operative word).  We found out TODAY was a French National Holiday ie. the Assumption of Mary (http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/france/assumption).  Other than a few cafes and bars, no shops were open at all.  This WAS a God-send – we WERE blessed.  We could walk around the streets without the bustling crowds….and we found our way to the Rhone river. 

Once we got there we saw the strangest thing - "Ayers Rock" on the river decked out with Australian flags and all.  We didn't venture down for a close up look but we think this place is long overdue for a name change - could we suggest Uluru. 

We could be forgiven for thinking we were in Paris because there are so many similarities ie. the beautiful river with structurally different bridges (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridges_of_Lyon), the buildings, and roof-lines, and the language of course.  The riverwalks were typically designed to attract people of all ages to laze on the grass, swim in the riverside public pool (Piscine d'ete du Rhone), use the skate board park, ride bicycles or just sit in the open air cafés.

There was also a small version of the Eiffel Tower called Metallic Tower of Fourviere (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metallic_tower_of_Fourvi%C3%A8re), and a Notre Dame – the

Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière which can be seen from vantage points along the river. 

 

The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourviere and
the Metallic Tower of Fourviere in Lyon



After taking a walk around the streets of Place Gabriel Peri and Quai Claude Bernard beside the Rhone on this hot summer day we decided on looking at the “significant” monuments from a different vantage point.  A bar we had passed earlier on – where, hanging on the wall was a painting of Lyon, the Rhone River, the  Bridge and the monuments in the background. 



Panasonic and Mamut buildings

So here we were – in Lyon – sitting in a small bar called La Gambetta -  near the Panasonic building on Cours Gambetta  – sipping on our refreshments….all the while TRYING to read the complimentary French newspapers.  So Chic and So, So Voila !!   Hahahaha !!!

Time to go – onward with our travel adventure and to catch the TGV to Switzerland.

Au reviour from France for now - we will be back in September!

Cheers

Liz and Tony


Ayers Rock, Lyon



Commercial Centre in Lyon