The Good Life, La Belle Vie: J' ♥ Lyon!

Springbreak was wonderful! I can't say enough about school vacations here in France! 6 weeks on and 2 weeks off...that is a great schedule. We decided to do two short trips instead of one long one this year. The first weekend was Easter weekend and we went to Lyon, France, about a 2 hour drive from Clermont. Lyon is the 2nd or 3rd largest city in France and a transportation hub. So we have gone through Lyon several times on our way to other destinations, but this was the first time that we stayed to visit the city. It is the perfect size city to see in 4 days and easy to get around by walking or using the public transportation. They even have bikes you can rent at one location and return to another location.

Since this was a short stay and close to Clermont, we took Prince, our little dog, with us. I am pleased to say that he did great! I was concerned about the car ride because he actually gets car sick. Fortunately we didn't have a problem.

Notice the towel just in case :)

The hotel we stayed in was great and of course they allow dogs, this is France. Even going to restaurants and riding the subway was no problem We just carried his travel bag for the subway and otherwise he was on the leash. He was well behaved and I think he had a great time.

Lyon is known for lots of things, one of them is silk making. So we visited a silk museum and demonstration, La Maison des Canuts , and saw the only manual Jacquard loom still operating. I must admit that it was not the most interesting tour for John, but Lauren, my artist was facinated.

Later that day we took a 2 hour walking tour of Old Lyon. We went inside hidden passageways between buildings called Traboules. They were built in the 4th century and were used by silk makers to transport their products from one part of the city to the other without getting the product wet. Here are a few pictures of our tour of Old Lyon.

Traboule

Of course what vacation in France is complete without great meals? I tried to make reservations at one of the famous Paul Bocuse restaurants, but they were all booked because it was Easter weekend. But using my handy Michelin redbook restaurant guide and some menu advice from my French teacher, we found several cute and tasty restaurants to enjoy.

Typical Lyonnaise Bouchon

Sausage Lyonnaise

Easter Sunday we were in Lyon and missed the egg hunt at church, so I decided to surprise the children and hide a few candy eggs and gifts in our room for them. I called them over for bible study, but as soon as John walked in, he saw a piece of candy. I mean there are only so many places you can hide them in a hotel room. Maya thought she was too old to hunt eggs, but agreed to humour her mother.

Afterwards we had lovely Easter brunch and walked through Old Lyon again. We visited one of the churches and listened to some of the singing.

Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière

Lovely view

We were so fortunate to have great weather while we were visiting the Roman ruins where Lyon was founded. The children had a blast playing in the theater overlooking the city.

At the beginning of our visit, we went to the tourist office and purchased a Lyon City pass. It allowed us free use of the public transportation as well as admission to several museums and tours. It also included a boat tour on the Saône River. Now I am sure there was lots of good information given and wonderful sights along the river, but the best thing about the cruise was it was very relaxing. So relaxing that all of us, including Prince took a nap.

All in all, our trip went off without a hitch. The forecast called for rain and cold days, but fortunately we had plenty of sunshine and only a few raindrops. Our last day in Lyon we visited Parc de la Tête d'Or, one of the largest city parks in France. There we had lunch at one of the restaurants on site and enjoyed the free zoo afterwards. There is also a huge lake, botanical garden, carousel ride and train for younger children.