France, Part 9-Day Trip to Lyon

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Note: All events described in this entry occurred in December 2006. For updated entries and trip, please refer back to this blog at a later date. Any entry or trip that takes place in the present day does NOT include a note like this. Thank you!

I had heard a lot about Lyon before coming to France, however I just wanted to go and see what it was like. I had heard that apparently the cuisine was quite famous and that there was a lot of history. I was able to take a TGV train from Dijon to Lyon, which took about 30 minutes to an hour. As soon as I arrived I used the information from the guide book I bought at Dijon's train station in order to use Lyon's metro system. Lyon has a very small metro system in comparison to cities like Paris and NYC, which have a stop for almost every 3 blocks. Brussels' metro I felt was larger than Lyon's which if I remember correctly because it had two-three more lines. However, like Brussels' metro, Lyon's was very clean and I found to be easy to use. I get off downtown and make my way to the Visitor's Center, where I buy a Tourist Pass, which promises to give me discounts on museums, using the metro and on some of my purchases during my stay. I took some time to look at the tourist brochure I got about the city outside in the little park surrounding the tourist office. I also took some time to study my little guide book to see what I could do. I decided that the best thing for me to do was to visit Vieux Lyon (Old Lyon), check out the museums and walk down the streets and then head to Fourviere, (a little hill in Lyon) and go see the basilica and the Roman amphitheater.

After visiting a few more cathedrals and shops in Vieux Lyon, I declared my exploration exhausted and take the tram up to Fourviere. The first thing I visit is the basilica (Basilique de Notre Dame). I didn't spend a whole lot of time inside because I wanted to see the Roman amphitheater, the museum and then head back to the train station. I do remember that it was quite big and decorative inside. The exterior I found to be the most unique of my travels within France because of its towering spires but also it's white finish. It was also noticeably non-Gothic which was refreshing. I then go behind the basilica in order to admire the wonderful view of Lyon.

I get lost on my way to the Roman amphitheater, which only leaves time for me to wander around it and take pictures. The museum was closed by now, 6 PM GMT but I also needed to hurry back to the train station.

Luckily, I was able to get back to the train station and head home on time.

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