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Published: June 15th 2015
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Lyon
The confluence of the Rhone and Saone Rivers. Saturday 13 June 2012
After a really good sleep we felt we were raring to get out and continue exploring Lyon for a second day. It is really handy having the tram stop just a very short distance from the hotel. The weather has brightened unexpectedly after last night's brief rain and it feels just right for today's excursion. Today we are taking tram T2 to the end of the line and beyond.
Lyon has a fabulous integrated transport system that links trams, metro and buses and the fares are so cheap. Why take a car into the city.
Our first destination is the confluence of the Rhone and Saone Rivers. These two mighty French rivers meet in Lyon with the Rhone continuing to the Mediterranean Sea. On a piece of land separating the two rivers is a spectacular new Natural History Museum. The building looks like some futuristic animal. The young lady at the Tourist Office said we would need about three hours for the visit. We didn't have three hours so something for the must see list for next time.
Time to head back towards the city. We stopped outside a rather large new complex
Lyon
Basilica Notre Dame from near the confluence of the two rivers. called The Confluence. So, as curious Kiwis always do, we made an impulse decision to exit the tram and go exploring. It was a very large shopping mall with all the named shops. Some of us went shopping, some of us went browsing. The only purchases were nice rolls for lunch. French baguettes are great, soft on the inside, crusty on the outside. Trouble is the crust is so rough it wears the skin off the roof of your mouth. We now have scar tissue so thick from having lost several layers of skin.
Back on the tram again, this time making a transfer, we set off for the Centre d'Histoire de la Resistance et de la Deportation. The exhibition is all photographs, captions and large descriptive panels, all in French. There are a few audio exhibits with an English option. We left feeling that we were pleased we had visited but a little disappointed. Not having a good grasp of the French language meant we were unable to comprehend the full impact of the German occupation on the Lyon community during WWII. Later that night we noticed, on a wall in a small square near where we had
Lyon
The Natural History Museum dinner, a plaque commemorating the death of a local at the hands of the Germans.
This time it was a metro trip to Gare Part-Dieu, the main railway station in Lyon. Time to do some train watching. But, oh boy, we emerged from the underground in the midst of a tidal wave of young people rushing from one fashion shop to another in an enormous shopping mall. Now we know what young people do on a Saturday afternoon - buy clothes for Saturday night. We never did see any trains. The body was tired and we felt we had done enough for the day. So back underground. Catch a metro, connect with T2 tram and back to the hotel.
In the hotel room we turned on the television, surfed a few channels and found one showing Terror Mountain, in French of course. After a minute or two of watching we realised it was set in New Zealand and is based on a dormant volcano suddenly erupting. The main actors were Peter Elliot and Linda Carter (Wonder Woman fame). We can't recall having heard of it and probably just as well. It probably had the best bits left on
Lyon
A futuristic creature or the Natural History Museum the cutting room floor.
Later that night, while Skyping with family back in NZ, we were entertained by a violent thunderstorm. The boys were quite fascinated by the lightning happening so far away from their own home. We have had a great time in Lyon. Seeing all that we wanted to see has left us weary but satisfied. Tomorrow we head for the mountains, a part of France we haven't seen before. So a new experience in store.
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