The last two days of our trip were spent in Lyon, the third largest city in France. Unlike the bastides, the architecture of Lyon dates to the Renaissance and later. Unlike in Paris, more modern skyscrapers have encroached closer to the center city. However, it’s a vary charming town. We stayed in a hotel on the Presqu’île, between the Rhône and Saône rivers.
Two large churches of differing vintages dominate the skyline of Lyon. The Cathedral of St. Jean is close to the riverfront. On the hill above St. Jean is the Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourvière, which dates from the late 1800’s. The latter is extremely ornate, with gold-leaf mosaics decorating the sanctuary. Some of the mosaics depict more recent Catholic Church history, including Joan of Arc and the declaration by Pope Pius I of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. The view of the city from the hill is stunning. When we first visited Lyon in 1991,we climbed the hill via The Way of the Cross trail. This year we took pity on our knees and took the funicular. The markers that once marked each point on The Way of the Cross have since been located to the plaza in front of the church. Another new site since our last visit is a statue of Pope St. John Paul II, which commemorates his visit to the Basilica in 1996.
St. Jean is in the foreground, Notre Dame de Fourviere is atop the hill.
Lyon is generally recognized as the gastronomic capital of France. On Sunday morning we wandered through a riverfront market. The quality and variety of produce were astounding. Julian pulled me aside at one point and said, “I’m depressed. Tomorrow we go home to Safeway.”
Produce vendor at the Lyon riverfront market.
That night we had dinner at a restaurant owned by Paul Bocuse, Le Sud (The South). Bocuse is one main reason that Lyon has its culinary reputation. Unfortunately, we were not enamored of Le Sud. The food was good, but not transcendent. We enjoyed meals in Paris, St. Cirq-Lapopie, and Cordes more and paid less for the privileges.
Next time we go to Lyon we’ll spend more than two days there. Perhaps we’ll rent an apartment and cook with goodies from the market. In the interim, we’ll have to make do with Pike Place Market and the fruit stand around the corner.
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