MollyS
In October, I went back to Paris to visit my daughter and son-in-law. While working on her Ph.D. in French literature, my daughter spent several summers and full semesters in Paris. She met and married a terrific young Frenchman and they now live in the 17th arrondissement, north of the world-famous attractions along the Seine.
For this visit, she and I decided to spend the weekend in Lyon, France’s second-largest metro area, some 245 miles southeast of Paris. Lyon was established by the Romans in 43 BC, where the Rhône and Saône rivers meet. The city became the capital of the Gauls during the Roman Empire. Today Lyon is a UNESCO World Heritage site and the gastronomic capital of France. The city was once a world center for the production of silk, and is also the home of the Lumière brothers, inventors of the cinemascope, the grandparent of the modern film camera.
We spent most of our two days in Vieux Lyon, the city’s oldest section, located in the Fourvière district, across the Saôme. At the time we were there, 1 US dollar was about equal to 1 euro, which made shopping, eating, etc., a very good deal. Saturday’s walk took us to the ancient Gothic Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Lyon.
On Sunday, after an amazing outdoor brunch, we went In search of the huge church high on the hill, visible from almost everywhere in Lyon. Getting up there was another story.
The Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Lyon, on the place Saint-Jean, is dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, and is the seat of the Archbishop of Lyon. Construction began in 1180, on the ruins of a 6th-century church, and was finished in 1476. A combination of Romanesque and Gothic architecture, the cathedral is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. For anyone who remembers Pope John XXIII (1958-63), the coronation of his name predecessor, John XXII (one of the Avignon popes), was held in the cathedral, in 1316. Check out this website for all sorts of historical information on the cathedral as well as many photos of the interior — https://www.abelard.org/france/cathedrals6_lyon.php#stained_glass
On The Road – MollyS – October in Lyon France (3)Post + Comments (17)