Destination: Lyon, France — Part 1 (October 2017 edition)

For me, living close to Lyon this year as a lectrice d’anglais gives me all the more reason to return to this lovely city as often as I want. Really, there are so many places to discover in Lyon that I would go as far to say that it rivals that of Paris. That said, I spent this past October vacances in and around the région lyonnaise, taking it as many of the lesser-known, off-the-beaten path sights that it had to offer.

*note* I had also made a day trip to Lyon with friends the weekend before les vacances, which I’ll be including in this post.

During my OFII appointment two weeks prior to my holidays, I visited the Parc de la Tête d’Or, a massive park located in the 6ème arrondissement, i.e. north, of the city. I’d only spent time in the botanical gardens, which were incredibly colorful and gorgeous. However, I didn’t have the time to check out the zoo within the park itself, so I decided to head there the following weekend with friends to *finally* see the animals.

After spending the first half of the day visiting the touristy sites of Lyon (since it was my friends’ first times in the city), we headed all the way over to the Parc de la Tête d’Or to see the zoo– we’d started from Place Bellecour, which was not necessarily close to the park (about 40 minutes on-foot), but all the same, we made the trek over despite the rainy weather. Eventually, we arrived in the late afternoon and ventured into the spacious, green park that was still filled with people in spite of the dreary skies.

Strolling through the park, we made it to the zoo. While not as huge compared with those I’ve been to in San Diego or Los Angeles (come to think of it, I’ve never visited a zoo in Europe, but I digress…), nevertheless it offered a solid amount of different species to look at, from giraffes to zebras to red pandas. There were also lions, although they were rather camera-shy when I tried snapping a photo of them behind the trees. All the same, it was a pleasant afternoon spent at the zoo.

Visiting the zoo that day was something new for me, so when it came to returning to Lyon the following week during les vacances, I was ready to check out more of the places that I’d yet to discover.

Upon arriving at the Perrache station (which had been my first time– before, I’d always gotten of at Part-Dieu), my Couchsurfing host pick me up from the station and took me to his flat situated in the 7ème arrondissement, i.e. the student-university neighborhood. I spent four nights chez lui, and it turned out to be a great stay: my host was really pleasant and we had great conversations every night over wine. He was also super easygoing, as he gave me his spare keys to the flat so that I could leave and return anytime I wanted. He was also hosting other guests while I was staying, and I ended up getting acquainted with an Australian and a Peruvian, hitting it off with them as well. Mind you, it’d been a while since I’d last Couchsurfed (last time being back in April in Paris for one night), but getting back into it was a smooth, even enjoyable, process.

Any case, I spent my first day getting in exploring the lesser-known parts of the city, all the while stumbling upon some other gorgeous sites which I hadn’t expected to see in the first place. After dropping off my belongings at my Couchsurfer’s flat and chatting with him over tea, I took advantage of the afternoon to sightsee. Granted, it was an overcast day, which turned into rain towards the evening, but all the same, I managed to squeeze in some of the sites that I’d planned to check out within a few hours (and sans rain!).

Traversing the pont de l’Université, I headed into the historic Vieux Lyon as means of scoping out some traboules, which are small, narrow passageways which connect parallel streets to each other. Historically, they were used by silk workers (les canuts) back in the day to transport materials conveniently from one point to another– today, they serve as off-the-beaten-path sites for tourists to discover Lyon’s history. There are some 40-odd traboules all over the city, many of which are free and open to the public.

Prior to checking out the traboules of Vieux Lyon, I made a slight detour to see the Statue Flower Tree, created by a Korean artist in the early 2000’s and has since settled peacefully along the Rhône river. Colorful and vibrant, the statue absolutely bursts with all sorts of different flowers of various shades, and it’s certainly a tourist attraction worth checking out.

Stepping into Vieux Lyon, I chanced upon the courtyard of the Palais Saint Jean, which is next to the cathedral of the same name. While I’ve visited the cathedral before, I’d never notice the palais just adjacent to it– any case, it caught me off-guard, with its golden, Gothic architecture beckoning me to stop and to admire its beauty. The word “breathtaking” can’t quite describe just how lovely it was.

Rounding the corner and heading along the touristy rue du Boeuf, I kept my eyes peeled for any entrance signs to the traboules– I’d done my research prior to visiting, and I knew that there were at least three traboules on this one street in Vieux Lyon. Noticing some people who were also scouring for the traboules, I ended up following them until we came across an obscure, wooden door which, upon opening it, let us into a new world rich in quiet, working-class history.

While traboules aren’t meant to be lovely sites for that perfect Instagram shot, I admit that there was a certain beauty to the silence inside these secluded passageways. Aside from visiting the longest traboule (between 27 rue du Boeuf and 54 rue Saint-Jean), I also visited the one with the iconic la Tour Rose, which towers majestically inside of the small courtyard, refusing to be erased in history, it seemed. It was a pleasure discovering the back alleys of Lyon, accessible to those who have done their research and desired to learn more about the city’s history.

After visiting the traboules of Vieux Lyon, I headed out of the historic center and made my way across the Saône river to see the fresque des Lyonnais, a large building street art that’s distinctive of Lyon. Having visited the mur des Canuts during my last visit, I was interested in seeing more of the city’s fresques. With several dozen individuals represented on the artwork, they serve as part of Lyon’s rich history through art, religion, politics, and everything in between. Really, it was so large that it required stepping across the street just to get the whole shot in!

Nearing evening, I decided to head back to my Couchsurfer’s apartment. I made my way towards l’Hôtel de Ville (where the fontaine Bartholdi was sadly under-construction) before taking the half-hour walk back, getting some groceries along the way before returning in the early evening. It was a tiring first day, but all the same fruitful as I got to see new places that I hadn’t since before.

More to come soon– à bientôt!

 

— Rebecca