LYON

Before continuing my visits, I spent a day in Lyon, France. I knew this is a historic city and I was going through on the the train to Switzerland, so it was a great p!ace to break the trip in half. Besides that, it is the home of my French tutor, Alix.

The first half of the trip from Nantes to Le Mans was on a regional train. I traveled through some beautiful farmland. 

After that I got in a high-speed train going to Lyon. It was so fast, my pictures were only a blur! We covered almost 900 miles in three hours at 295 km/hr (184 mph). 

 

As I walked to my hostel, I found a Syrian restaurant where I bought some gyros and hummus. 

The next morning in order to meet my tour group, I walked an hour to Vieux Lyon (the old town).

The tour was a historical overview. Although the symbol of Lyon is the lion, the name actually comes from the Latin word Lugdunum,the Roman name for the city, founded in 43BC. Much later the city became part of France and during the Renaissance was an important center of silk production. 

During World War II, Lyon was the center of French Resistance, led by Jean Moulin. He was arrested by the Nazis and Klaus Barbie (head of the Gestapo in Lyon and known as the "Butcher of Lyon" because he personally tortured prisoners -- Jews and members of the Resistance.) He was later tried in the courthouse in Lyon for crimes against humanity and sentenced to life in prison. 

We also went to the Saint Jean Baptiste Cathedral.

The statues on the building were beheaded by Protestants in 1552 during the Reformation in France. 

The mechanical clock inside the Cathedral keeps perfect time, recording time,date,season,moon phases and astrological signs

The area settled by Italian immigrant during the Renaissance is distinguished by its pink and yellow buildings  

. The buildings have secret passageways called traboules, originally used by the silk manufacturers to carry silk To markets out of rain. They also allowed quick passage to the Saône River. 

Parts of Lyon are also very Parisian in style, as wealthy residents tore down old buildings and rebuilt too look more like Paris.

Finally we saw the statue honoring one of Lyons well known authors, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author of the children's book, "Le Petit Prince".

I finished my time in Lyon getting coffee with a newfound friend, Marie from Germany.