Lyon - the Saône & the Rhône

Lillian:  This is a short post so we can show you our photos of the 2 rivers in Lyon - the Saône & the Rhône.      This is me and behind me is the Rhône.I think that most of these photos are of (or near) the Saône.

Elegant houses alongside the Saône, taken from the Passerelle Paul Couterier.

More nice buildings and - a barge.  There is something so lovely about seeing the barges and knowing that these are 'working' rivers - and that some goods are still transported by water instead of by road.

If you look closely, you can see red poppies growing by the fence ...









Here they are - so beautiful and fragile and ...

tough!

they were growing in a bit of wasteland at the edge of a car-park.

This dear little bird is a White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) - we saw these pretty birds in the gardens of the Palace of Versailles.  The White Wagtail is also the national bird of Latvia.

This is the quay near where that birdie was - tracks still in the path and a busy bridge across the river ...

   It is the Pont Kitchener-Marchand and it has some rather nice statuary ...

The guy is catching fish - the lady is catching pigeons

Nearby was this rather elegant railway bridge - quite practical but look at those lovely curly-ques on the underside ...

We're not quite sure but that railway bridge is probably called the Viaduct Quarantine.

In 1944 most, if not all, the bridges in Lyon were blown up.  Just another of the crazy things that humans do during a war!  

Most of the bridges have been re-built but this one wasn't ...

Pont D'Ainay

You can find these 1/2 obscured plaques on the remains of an arch by the quay.   

 And to finish this post - a photo taken on a beautiful evening.  This is the Rhône and looking pretty with all its lights is the Pont de l'université.

Let's revive this blog and go to Lyon

Let's revive this blog :-)   and although we have more lovely photos of Nancy to show you - we'll restart with the train trip from Nancy to Lyon ... train travel in France is just so fast and efficient!

Whoa!  those trees are just flashing by!!

Audrey: "In Lyon we had a Room with a View,  of the Celestins Theatre and,  on top of the hill, a princess's castle."
Lillian: "umm - Actually, that is a cathedral.  The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière."

"Is that Cathedral following us?"

Audrey: "But we weren't going to stay in the hotel room when there was a whole new city to explore. 

Lyon is built where 2 rivers bump into each other.  They are the Rhône and the Saône, but don't ask us how to pronounce those names because we got all confused.

Here we are by the side of the Saône."  






Lillian: "It was a lovely day withe the sunshine making twinkles on the river.  The bridge in this photo is the Pont Bonapart."

 Lillian: "Our daddy Giant likes tugs and barges - this photo is for him.  A barge full of sand under the elegant Pont Maréchal Juin." 

We all love the slightly unexpected things you see on these working barges - cars, motorbikes, excavator / shovels ...







Lillian:  "Lyon is the 2nd largest city in France and has a very interesting history.  It has always been an important place for trade - being at the meeting of those 2 rivers.  The Romans built Lugdunum there and it was the most important city in north-western Europe for quite a while.  During the Renaissance, Lyon became an important place for printing and publishing - and in 1466 Louis XI set up a silk weaving industry in Lyon.

Audrey:  "He brought in some weavers from Florence - and they all lived and worked in the marvelous old part of Lyon - Vieux-Lyon.  We explored this amazing area a little on our first day." 

Lillian:  "And we will show you lots of Vieux-Lyon in a future post but here are some glimpses.  

It is a very densely built-up area on the side of the hill ..."



  


Audrey:  "So there are lots of stairs and even a Funny Peculiar."

Lillian:  "She means a funicular."

Lillian:  "In our next post we will show you some of the Musée Gadagne - which is in Vieux-Lyon.  But for now we will leave you with the setting sun on the Passerelle Paul Couturier ...

 Because it was then back to our room where we settled into the lovely writing desk ... so nice of the hotel to provide us with a dolly bed."