River Cruise Diary – Lyon, France – Day 1

The Symbol of Lyon (25 April 2006)

In ‘Vieux Lyon’, the Old Quarter, one can find one of many

lion statues. This one is in front of the House of Counselors,

now the Museum of Miniatures and Cinema Décor.

On Tuesday, 25 April, we sailed to Kilometer 0, the end of the navigable Rhone River and its confluence with the Saône River, where we would sail further the following evening. We had covered 282 km (169 river miles) in four days.

We boarded a bus for a tour around the city and to a neighborhood that dates back 2000 years when the Roman settlement called Lugdunum became the capital of Gaul. After the Empire collapsed, the city continued to thrive, given its location on two rivers that were the main trading routes of the day. The connection to the sea, Italy and the east enabled Lyon to weather the Dark Ages and attract diverse talent that contributed to the Renaissance and modern development. The city that was the hub of French resistance during WW II is now the country’s third largest and the center of French cuisine.

Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière,

Lyon, France (25 April 2006)

Our first stop was the 19th century Fourvière Basilica. After the solid, dark and ancient Romanesque churches and a few threadbare Gothic chapels, it was the first grand, gaudy church we saw on the trip.

Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière,

Lyon, France (25 April 2006)

A blend of Romanesque and Byzantine architecture, the building has four towers that earned it a nickname - the upside-down elephant, because it can be likened to the beast with four legs pointed upward.

Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière,

Lyon, France (25 April 2006)

Completed in 1884 with private funds, the grateful faithful wanted an edifice dedicated to the Virgin Mary, who they credit with saving the city from the Black Plague in 1643, a cholera epidemic in 1832, and the invading Prussians in 1870.

The Wall of Weavers

Lyon, France (25 April 2006)

Lyon is also known for its outdoor murals. Here is ‘Les Mur des Canuts’, the largest mural in Europe. ‘Canut‘ means ‘weaver.’ It depicts ordinary life in this neighborhood in the 19th century, when half of Lyon’s working population was employed by the silk industry.

This Old House,

Lyon, France (25 April 2006)

A building of no particular significance has this sculpture.

It essentially says the house dates to 1684…pretty cool

since nothing around my neighborhood is older than 1975.

The lion statue at the top and this decorative installation are in the old quarter of Lyon. ‘Vieux Lyon’ is at the foot of Fourviére Hill and dates to the Renaissance period. In the 1950’s, the neighborhood was in poor shape and the yay-hoo mayor at the time wanted to demolish it all to build an expressway. Fortunately, saner minds prevailed, restoration progressed, and it is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Nightfall on the Rhone

Lyon, France (25 April 2006)

The French like to light up their monumental buildings and bridges at night. The city is known for its Festival of Lights, a four-day December celebration of all the times the Blessed Virgin saved the populace. The upside-down elephant Fourviére Basilica is in the distance.

The next day will bring more touring and free time to wander Lyon on our own.