Luscious Lyon

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As I write this, I am sitting on Ozzy 2 in Lattes marina having packed my backpack for 3 months in Asia after 10 days at home. We fly in 3 days … I've worked out I have around 14 blogs to catch up on! I will endeavour to do it all now so I can post in real time from Asia...
Lyon was amazing. We spent a few days exploring it by bike, river and foot before Becky and Fred arrived. We visited the Ancient Roman part of the town, a UNESCO world heritage site, perched atop a hill accessible by funicular railway (basically carriages on winches) next to a gloriously ornate and majestic cathedral. The Roman town was fab and I had a little go on the stage of the ampitheatre (when in Rome....), pulling some typically Shakespearian melodramatic postures from various parts of the stage. Mike took pictures from afar – he claimed it was to capture my moment, but I feel it may also have been to disassociate himself from the mentalist on the stage, upon whom other tourists gazed, bemused and bewildered.
The view from the Cathedral was breathtaking. We could see across the whole city – spires pierced the blue sky, the mighty Rhone and expansive Saone wound like slithering serpents around the ancient city and modern additions. Inside the cathedral was ornate and luxurious. Coloured marble columns held up frescoed ceilings punctuated with gold leaf. Must have cost a fortune!
Later we cycled along the river banks through the city, amidst students, children, the old and the young, making the most of the recreational areas and cycling and disabled access ramps all along the banks. Lyon is a truly marvellous place where the ancient city stands alongside innovative and modern development … where else would you see an 18th century town hall flanked by a 21st century piece of modern art? Works of art were spaced all along the banks – my favourite was a metal tree made up of different brightly coloured flowers.
Mike suffered a puncture to his bike tyre after pronouncing that the broken glass on the pavement wouldn't penetrate the tyres … I think the conversation went a little like this....
Carly: There's a lot of broken glass here, will our bikes be OK?
Mike; Yeah, I doubt it will give us a puncture, they're only little bits.
Carly: Ok, if you say so.
An hour later we had to stop so that Mike could repair a puncture in his tyre. I used every ounce of reserve not to say 'I told you so...'
Chris and Phil arrived during that day, and we caught up with them once we'd gotten back from exploring the town, getting maps and guide books and topping up the boat with fuel . They too had had to walk their boat under the bridge, and now there were two little boats in the marina. By the following day two others had noticed us in there and joined in the use of the unfinished marina.
An Algerian guy and his wife were passing one evening and stopped to chat. They both spoke very good english. He was born in Algeria but had grown up in Lyon and was now a successful architect, who had designed most of the buildings surrounding the marina and had purchased one for himself as a restaurant. We chatted about Lyon and our trip for a while and they recommended we visit the park zoologique at the northern end of town, which they said was beautiful. He was a real character and talked about how lovely it was to see a young couple like us following our hearts and travelling and not being tied to the rat race or fretting about money too much.. “If you have love, you are the most rich of men” he told Mike.
He then said he was still very much in love with his wife and that love was the most important thing in the world, adding “I am in my 60's yet I feel like I am a young man – it is because I have a good woman,” before adding “And she keeps me fit...” with a wink before executing a high kick to demonstrate his fitness. A great guy and very funny. They continued their walk and said goodnight to us and we popped over to have a drink with Chris and Phil before hopping back on to our bikes to check out the bars. We rode along the Saone and found a little quay area and a market square which were bustling so decided to bring Becky and Fred here for our night out.
The next day we cycled to the zoologique park the Algerian guy had recommended. It was beautiful. Amidst a classical wooded park with lakes, flower gardens, duck ponds and aviaries was a zoo, with gorgeous habitats and a plethora of animals and it was completely free of charge. It knocked spots off Paignton and didn't cost a penny.
There was also a huge greenhouse and vegetable and herb gardens where all manner of squash were being cultivated – some had even been harvested to build Autumnal displays around the grounds of the park. A strange sight, but nice all the same! Whilst in the Zoo area we saw flamingoes (I became very excited again at the prospect that we'd soon be seeing them 'in real life'!) gibbons, giraffe, elephants, buffalo, storks and, most fascinatingly for me, a hummingbird moth flying around the plants. I'd watched what I thought was a tiny hummingbird in a lock the previous month and again in Digoin. As a nature lover, I was keen to find out what it was as I knew hummingbirds weren't native to Europe. So I followed it, waited patiently and managed to snap a photo. It was an amazing little creature – it looks like a moth when it's still, but when flying its wings zip up and down from the back flashing a brightly coloured body and underside which is why it's called a hummingbird moth. … sorry! Enough natural science! Anyway, Mike was tickled that we were in a zoo surrounded by animals and I was more interested in the moth than the monkeys.
We spent the next few days enjoying the sunshine, exploring, getting the boat clean and tidy for Fred and Becky's arrival and stocking up on food and booze (naturally!)

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