Lyon Around: Day 8 - Checking out Lyon - Hey Buddy, You're Going the Rhone Way - Rhone Source to Sea 2018

October 11, 2018

Lyon Around: Day 8 - Checking out Lyon

This is a really interesting city, but be prepared to put in lots of vertical!

Spent the day doing the 'regular' Old European city thing, cathedrals, museums and galleries interspersed with coffee, cakes and a mid afternoon cleansing ale.

I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.

Off to a newly 'starred' restaurant tonight - PraiRial - one of these places where you get whatever they picked up in the market today and how they are inspired to cook it.

SOTD

If We Were Vampires by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

This was in the running for yesterday ... nice little song that makes you appreciate each day ... like today

early morning sunshine in the courtyard outside our room

beautiful central courtyard of this former abbey

the hotel lobby bathed in early morning light

the hotel gardens led right into the upper levels of the Roman coliseum, quite spectacular

the lower seating bowl of the coliseum. It's still in use today with concerts and plays being held throughout the year. It seats about 5000 people, but back in the day (think 70 BC) this place would have held about 11,000 people, including the Roman equivalent of private corporate boxes on the upper level

rather imposing entrance to the basilica adjacent to the amphitheater

the basilica had some amazing mosaics that incorporated a lot of gold leaf. Viewed from one angle, they were dark and drab, but when lit with light they became alive. This particular moment had prism effected light illuminating a part of the mosaic. It was magical to see

Beautiful colors in the Basilica with morning light shining in

one of the many mosaics showing amazing detail and color

looking down on the east side of Lyon from the heights of the Basillica

cool fountain outside of city hall. Of course it's France, so the woman is topless. But to be fair, none of the male statues are wearing pants either

A classic Rodin sculpture in the garden of the central art museum. In his more well known works, he's sitting like this just thinking. In this particular work he's sitting here thinking about what he's going to do with the severed head he's holding

there were quite a few Egyptian antiquities in the museum. (the Brits weren't the only ones to plunder every place they went) I just liked the detail on this little fragment

Hey, you lookin at me? as said by a Greek taxi driver circa 700 AD

You just cant go through a heavily Christian themed museum and not come across a circumcision painting. So here it is.

I am also continually amazed at the violence and brutality depicted in much of medieval art, even though it is supposed to be of religious context. Looks like this guy is having a particularly nasty time of it

This Art Deco furniture was designed by Hector Guimard, a local Lyon boy who did well. So well in fact that the hotel room that we are in is named after him. The one beside us is named after the Luminere brothers who invented motion pictures.

I haven't a clue what this piece is supposed to mean, but I like it.

Into the modern art part of the museum. They have a pretty good representation of all the 'greatest stars' ... this one to no surprise is a Gaugin

.... and a Monet. This looks like home right now, 50 cm of snow in October!

Like the mosaics in the basilica, the viewing angle and lighting made a huge difference in how paintings looked. Straight on, this is a dark and very uninteresting work

the same picture viewed from the right at about 30 degrees however yielded a richly detailed painting with loads of color and texture

... and of course, a Picasso. It might seem cliché, but this was by far my favorite piece in the entire museum (followed by the weird white church sculpture). This has a real voodoo feel to me

part of a sculpture depicting death .... it looks like the whole family is gone at once ... hopefully this doesn't come off as flippant, it was in my view a very beautiful work

beautiful late afternoon light on this sculpture in the 'Workers Church'

a real watch maker at work ... you don't see this much anymore

and once again, the way home for an late afternoon rest before we head out to tackle dinner

We had a superb dinner at PraiRial. It's a very small, friendly and non-pretentious restaurant serving seasonal food based on what they pick up in the market. You basically get what the chef is making (not unlike our dinner with the Fireman two nights ago ..... but so unlike it is so many good ways!) This is our amuse bouche - a chestnut flour waffle with a pumpkin puree (hey it's our thanksgiving!) and a small tart with crème fraiche and pickled beet

... overall, six course (all small) with 5 wine pairings ... a couple of highlights ... this yellow zucchini soup with an amazingly flavorful herb ice cream (oregano and tarragon were dominant)

... a pumpkin pave with chanterelles and miso ...

accompanied by the best 'grilled cheese' I've ever had ... two bites, crispy biscuit, creamy mild cheese with s bit of smoked eel ... ethereal

... and I had to be carried home across the Soane

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Jacquie GaudetI'm really enjoying reading this journal as I sit inside and avoid the smoke outside (very bad air quality in Vancouver just now due to the wildfires south of the border). Just yesterday, as we watched the Tour de France stage starting in Lyon, we were thinking we should maybe start from there on our next Alps tour.
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4 years ago

Lyle McLeodTo Jacquie GaudetI’d highly recommend it. Great city for history and goody buffs!
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4 years ago

Lyle McLeodTo Lyle McLeodAuto correct is sooooo annoying!!

Good for foody buffs!!!
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4 years ago

Jacquie GaudetI like goodies too.
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4 years ago