Tag 40 LYON 13.09.2022

After our breakfast, which we enhanced with our leftovers, we went into the city. Buying tickets and understanding public transportation is not a problem for us, even in this city with 550,000 inhabitants. Soon we arrived at the 'Vieux Lyon' station, from where two cable cars (funiculars?) with slanted passenger compartments go up the hill through long tunnels. One of these 'funiculaires' took us to the Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourviere and soon we were standing in this very lavishly decorated church. There was a church service going on and so we quickly went outside again. There was a beautifully located balcony overlooking the city, but the slightly hazy weather prevented a clear view of the distance. So we went back and took the other 'funiculaire', which brought us to the old 'Theatres Romains'. It is a very extensive complex consisting of the ruins of two amphitheatres. Based on the structures, they are still used for concerts or other cultural events today. School classes with their teachers were exploring here, oh yes...!

After that, we returned to the lower part of the city. It is fascinating how these rail-bound cable cars are guided through the narrow streets. Passing by directly next to the living rooms of old buildings or the balconies of modern houses. From the train, we could already see the alleys of the old town, where we now went. Karin had found a brochure at the information center, which guided us through a small city map with marked numbers. Even though the explanations were only in French and English, we understood a lot. But why there is so little material available in German on our entire tour in France, even though we experienced this group as very distinct, we don't know?!? The old part of Lyon was very easy to navigate for us, and we have really seen a lot of it in the past few weeks.

One thing that is truly different is the widely spread character 'Guignol', which you encounter everywhere as a visitor! So here's the story: In 1808, there was a dentist, or rather a tooth puller, who offered his services, as was customary at the time, at public markets. He had the idea to distract and entertain the suffering, waiting patients a little. For this purpose, he developed the character Guignol and made people laugh by making fun of everything and everyone. Soon, other characters were added, and the puppet theater became well-known in the city. Today there is a museum dedicated to it and, of course, all kinds of merchandise that can be sold. Not wrong to think of Punch and Judy when you think of it!

When our feet start to hurt and our knees feel tired, we take a boat tour. We let ourselves be shown the city from the water side for an hour, more precisely from the Saone River. Lyon is located on the maps along the Rhone, but the Saone, a tributary, joins it exactly here. This tour was beautiful because now we got to see the modern part of Lyon. Neighborhoods where architects from all over the world have really let loose, rising behind anchored houseboats. These sides of a city are very hard to discover on foot, and sometimes sitting and watching is simply better!

And sitting and watching, we made our way back home with the help of the metro and tram. We encountered many modern trams in larger cities, and in Germany, there has been talk of a rebirth of this means of transport. Whether they need to be in gold or silver, like in Orleans or Tours, is incidental. They drive quickly and silently and offer plenty of space, even for us. In the evening, we had a quick dinner and a cold beer from the supermarket, as tomorrow we have a long way ahead of us!