Lyon_Beaune_Paris

Writing on the bus again, as I find it saves time in the evening. Often we don't have much time, especially if we're going out again, and because we're on the motorway, the bus is travelling quite smoothly, so I can pen my thoughts now. I type it up in Notepad, and upload it later.

We arrived in Lyon about 4.30-ish yesterday, just as the night was drawing in. We were taken on a short tour of the city, which is the third biggest in France. Quiz question for those who've been following - which is the second biggest...???? Lyon is a very pretty city - full of Plain Trees. Every time I see those leaves I still think of Shepherd St where Mum and Dad lived, and what a pain there were for them. When they first moved in, they had a neighbour called Bob, and I think Bob ran out and cleaned up every time a leaf fell. Mum and Dad used to say they thought he sat by his window and just waited for a leaf to fall so he could run out and clean it up...

Lyon

Anyway, I digress... Back to Lyon.

I liked Lyon a whole lot more than Marseille (the 2nd biggest town in France!). Not sure why... just had a nicer feel. Marseille was very big and brash and bustling, but Lyon had a more "French" feel. The River Rhone and the River Saone (pronounced Soan!) meet there, and provide the city with many beautiful spots. I had signed up for the optional dinner which was held in a top class restaurant Chez Lea (1 Michelin Star (which is apparently very good!) To be honest again, French Food doesn't do a lot for me, but the best part of the excursion was that we went up to the Cathedral on the top of the hill (yet again) and we had the most spectacular view of Lyon at night. My camera does not do justice to it....

Very blurry - I tried a new setting on my camera - obviously didn't work!

The Cathedral is called Notre Dame de Fourviere (Our Lady of the Hill) and was built in the mid 1800s to say thank you to Our Lady that Lyon survived in the French Prussian War. Many of those Cathedrals I've visited have been monuments to Notre Dame to say thank you for surviving something... The inside of the Catheral again was very lavish, as are most Eurpean Cathedrals. It seems to be a way of expressing gratitude to God or Mary for favours received.


We stayed in an "interesting" hotel last night. The big plus was that it had free Internet access! There were a few minuses though, and many a loud moan was heard in the morning. Each room had airconditioning (in theory!) but none of them worked and the rooms were incredibly hot! I just slep with a sheet on all night. The roomw at the back backed on to the railway line and had multiple trains zooming past all night. They were also near a floodlit carpark, so had a few light issues! One couple changed rooms 3 times.... The Americans tend get a bit easily upset, and make known their displeasure. As for me, I had Internet access and I slept all night, so what more could I want....!!!

Stopped at a lovely little town for morning tea called Beaune. It was a typical French country village, with the winding streets and the houses with shutters. There was a bit of a wine auction on today, because this town is in the heart of Burgundy, and Pinot Noir territory. The town was alive and had a fantastic market set up. Unfortunately we didn't have a lot of time to explore, but we did manage a cup of coffee.





We're off to the Eiffel Tower this afternoon and the sights of Paree.... then we off to the Moulin Rouge tonight. This excursion is verrrry expensive, but hey, who knows if or when I'll ever get back to France. So I'm going for it!