Lyon,
France: Mysterious and Beautiful by BCD Travel
Lyon -
with its Gallo-Roman ruins, its 300 Renaissance merchant houses and its
gastronomic reputation - is awash in a nearly Mediterranean light, under
which its ochre, gold and rose buildings fairly glow.
In
1998, Lyon became one of only a few urban centres on the UNESCO World
Heritage List. And France's third-largest city (after Paris and
Marseilles) is intent on keeping its privileged position: over the last
decade, Lyon has restored and replanted some 100 public spaces. The
warehouses along the River Saône, for example, have been transformed into
galleries for the Biennial of Contemporary Art.
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Sightseeing
The Basilica of Fourvière (Basilique de Notre
Dame de Fourvière) dominates Lyon as Sacré Coeur does Paris. It's a steep
walk up the Fourvière Hill to the dazzlingly white church, but there's
also a funicular. The adjoining esplanade gives a panoramic view of
Lyon's different quarters. Nearby is the Museum of Gallo-Roman
Civilization (17, rue Cléberg; http://www.musees-gallo-romains.com) for
a quick archaeology lesson. One of the museum's most prized possessions
is the Claudius Tablet, which contains fragments of a speech made by
Emperor Claudius in front of the Roman Senate.
If
you drop by the Romanesque-Gothic St.-Jean cathedral, situated at the
foot of the Fourvière Hill, at noon, you can see the 14th-century
astronomical clock do its cuckoo-like re-enactment of the Annunciation.
In
Vieux Lyon, the largest Renaissance quarter in France. duck into the
many traboules, covered passageways originally used by Renaissance silk
weavers, or canuts, anxious to avoid exposing their delicate handiwork
to rain showers, and which later became escape routes for the French
Resistance during World War II.
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Lyon's
Musée des Beaux-Arts (20, place des Terreaux) is known affectionately as
the "little Louvre". The museum offers a complete retrospective
of Ancient Greek and Egyptian arts and civilisations, as well as
sculptures and paintings from the Middle Ages to the present day.
The
massive red-sand-covered Place Bellecour, to the east of the Rhone and
Saone rivers, is an impressive 18th-century architectural ensemble in its
own right, but the Lyonnais know it best as the city's ultimate
rendez-vous point; friends will arrange to meet "under the horse's
tail,"? a reference to the equestrian statue of Louis XIV that
dominates one end of the square.
Getting
Around
The
Lyon City Card (valid for one, two or three days) allows free and
unlimited use of city transport (bus, metro, funicular and tramway
lines), free access to the main museums, temporary exhibitions and the
Biennial of Contemporary Art. It also includes guided tours, an unusual
visit to the rooftops of the Fourvière Basilica and river cruises (from
April to October), as well as short noon concerts at the Lyon National
Opera or at the Auditorium de Lyon
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Fooling the Eye
In
Lyon, the walls tell stories. This is the kingdom of trompe l'oeil
paintings, with more than 150 large-scale murs peints (murals)
scattered around the city. One of the most popular, at the corner of
quai St-Vincent and rue de la Martinière, memorializes dozens of native
Lyonnais who have left their mark both on the city and on world
culture, history and science. You may recognize Emperor Claude, Laurent
Mourguet, (creator of the beloved Guignol puppets), the Lumière
brothers (inventor of the movie camera), filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier,
Antoine de St-Exupéry (author of The Little Prince), and
Michelin-starred chef Paul Bocuse.
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Bocuse
or Bouchons?
Though
Lyon is most often associated with Paul Bocuse's temple of gastronomy
L'Auberge du Pont du Collonges (40, quai de la Plage,
Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or, +33 (0)4 72 42 90 90), no visit to Lyon is
complete without a meal (or two or three) at one of the city's bouchons.
Bouchons
are bistros of a sort, but with even more limited menus. Their decor
tends to be modest to the point of austerity, and they specialize in the
classic cuisine mère (mother's cooking) of Lyon of days gone by. Here are
two to try:
Chez
Georges
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A jolly, cluttered little
place where about twenty-five customers can sit elbow-to-elbow to
devour classic Lyonnais cold hors d'oeuvres on the order of museau de
boeuf, a salad of pressed calf's muzzle; cold chicken liver salad; or
pink, unsmoked cervelas sausages served with lentils dressed with a
tart vinaigrette-followed by gratinéed tripe or by andouillettes
(sausages here made from both tripe and veal intestines).
La
Meunière
Proprietor
Maurice Débrosse used to be Paul Bocuse's maître d'hôtel and
specializes in classic dishes like lentils with a spoonful of cervelle
de canut ("silk weaver's brain"), an herbed cream cheese that
was once a favorite dish of the silk weavers who helped make Lyon rich.
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Where
to Shop
Chez
Disagn' Cardelli
Lyon
is the birthplace of Guignol, the marionette that has been entertaining
audiences for centuries. You can find him and a wide selection of his
descendants, including a jolly French waiter here. There are puppet
shows, too.
Bernachon
The
shop's master chocolatiers are renowned for their palets d'or - small
disks of bittersweet chocolate flecked with real gold leaf.
Soierie
Vivante
The
area of Croix-Rousse was the center of Lyon's silk industry; you can
discover the last authentic family silk weaving workshops (and their
stunning wares) with Soierie Vivante (twww.soierie-vivante.asso.fr).
La Halle de la Part-Dieu
Butchers,
bakers, sausage makers and the occasional oyster bar line the aisles at
the 1971 covered market where the city's best chefs shop. Cheese lovers
shouldn't miss a pilgrimage to la Mère Richard's stall, where Renée
Richard displays her spectacularly unctuous St-Marcellin, three-inch
disks of creamy goat's- and cow's-milk cheese rumored to have been Louis
XI's favorite.
The
"Other" Lyon
Lyon's
charm can have intriguing repercussions: a Dubai businessman, captivated
by the city on a vist last October, has even decided to build a miniature
version of Lyon back home in Dubai. The project, temporarily called
Lyon-Dubai City, will include a university; small versions of Lyon's main
museums; housing, hotel and office space; cafes, restaurants, pedestrian
malls, town squares, courtyards, a film center, even a church, all
inspired by Lyon.
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About
the Author: BCD Travel is your all inclusive corporate travel agency offering competitive ongoing
corporate travel management solutions to companies across Australia. We
do more than simply organise your corporate travel, we also coordinate
conferences and incentives and assist staff with personal holiday
planning to any destination worldwide.
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