Quo Vado: 2/15/09

Wednesday 2/18- Though I had planned to get up early and make it to Sainte Chapelle at 9am, that didn't happen. I didn't get to bed until after midnight and had to sleep in a bit. No matter, I had time to repack my suitcase and get to Gare de Lyon via the RER from Gare du Nord. The TGV is really the best way to travel. In two hours I was in Lyon.

I think the weather is actually colder than Paris, though it is sunny thank God. My first task was to find the Tourist Information center to inquire about the museum pass card. Like the Paris card it is not a particularly good deal, and since the Gallo-Romaine museum is supposedly free tomorrow, I just got a card for Friday and will do as much as possible that day. The metro system in Lyon is pretty good, and the trains are only two or three cars, but they are uncrowded (unlike Paris) and come very often. There is even a funiculaire up the steep hills of the ancient Roman areas. This afternoon I visited the Cathedral then climbed the very steep hill (400 vertical feet) to the remains of the Roman theaters. The remains are pretty impressive, as is the view of Lyon. One can see for miles, perhaps even the Alps on a clear day. The acoustics are apparently still good and performances are given in the warmer months.

I rambled about the ruins for a bit, and then descended via another steep road, past Roman aquaduct ruins, to the old part of the city as to see what shops and restaurants were to be found. Walking across the Saône River, I reached the main shopping area on the part of the city that lies between the rivers (the other is the Rhone). Still getting the feel of the city, I walked back to the metro and got out by my hotel (which is near the train station) in the large shopping center there. I saw everything and chose an asian buffet for dinner, but was ripped off by the strange pricing system, which was by the kg. I ended up paying over $20 for a microwave dinner! At least it was a lot of food- I was starving after all the climbing and walking. Stayed up pretty late working on my pics and the blog, but I think it turned out well. So endeth the sixteenth day.

2 stars, baby.

No Shower Curtain!!

Louis XIV in Place Bellecour

The Saône River with the Cathedral and Basilica up on the hill

Saône River northern footbridge

Saône River southern footbridge and St. George

Older cathedral ruins and ne'er-do-wells

Lyon Cathedral

Portable Altar

Chasuble decoration

Bishop's throne in Lyon Cathedral

Astrological clock

Astrological clock- hours

Astrological clock- days

Astrological clock- close up os day and feast day list in upper right corner

Sunlight through the stained glass

Rose window of good and bad angels

Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière

Street in Vieux Lyon

Police rounding up some emo kids- Lyon has a large population of goth/emo/punk kids

Cathedral in Lyon

Street in Vieux Lyon

Steep street in Vieux Lyon up to the theaters

Understructure of the second tier of seating in the theater

Random tunnel

Cisterns

Moi

Notice the low, irregular houses of Vieux-Lyon in the foreground, the 19th century red-roofed buildings in the middle and the modern buildings in the distance

Roman aquaduct/house

Inappropriate christmas tree?

Stayed-cable pedestrian bridge at night- you could feel the deck undulate!

Thursday 2/19- My mission for today was relatively easy- just go through the Musée de la Civilisation Gallo-Romaine and see what's there. I would offer to show some pictures of what I saw, but the museum has an utterly ridiculous policy of no photography. I tried to explain this and that, showing this ID and that ID, but it was clearly no use. The guards are like hawks, too. I did manage to take some surreptitious videos since my cell phone uses a LED light to focus even when not using a flash. Let's just say that I was inventive, but not all that successful.

What I did manage to do is record many pages of notes on each object in the collection, taking more detailed notes and sketches for the works that are most important for my work. There were several inscriptions of premature child deaths by bereaved parents, quite common during the empire. There was a nice funerary relief of a girl with a necklace and earrings fishing a string of pearls out of a box. Additionally a monumental inscription to a boy of 11 years, noting that he had already been inducting into a local magistracy office, will be quite useful. Finally, a mother had a death mask made of her deceased daughter and left the mould in her tomb, so a modern plaster copy is displayed- a very immediate connection can be felt to this girl who died 2000 years ago.

After sauntering around the theater ruins once more, I contemplated a Lyonnais feast, but ended up unable to decide on one and wanted to save some money- maybe tomorrow. It's museum card day, so I will be busy. So endeth the seventeenth day.

Those bay windows are actually part of the Gallo-Romaine museum above- VERY ugly.

Odeon (for music and spoken word performances)

Roman Theater (drama)

Theater

Cipollino

Lend me your ears...

Friday 2/20- I felt a bit run down today after not sleeping enough the night before and having had a poor dinner. So it was a slow start to the day once more. After taking care of various computer tasks (life would be so much easier without digital cameras and the internet), I faced Lyon for the last time.

First stop was meant to be the St. Matin d'Ainay near Perrache in Presque'ile (peninsula right above the confluence of the Saône and the Rhône), but it was closed. Lyon is definitely not Northern European nor is it Southern. The weather is very cold, but sunny. The older architecture is a curious mixture of Mediterranean and Parisian. And, like Italy, some churches and museums have closings in the hours around lunchtime. At any rate, Subway for lunch again.

It was time for the Musée des Beaux-Arts, one of the two museums that were on my must do list in Lyon. After stopping for a few minutes in the square outside to appreciate the monumental fountain designed by Bartholdi, the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty, I went in. There was a good deal of antiquity inside- Egyptian (mostly Ptolemaic), Greek (mostly vases), Etruscan and Roman. The only child imagery was mostly in divinities, though there was one headless statue of a boy with holding a rooster or eagle. I wandered around the rest of the galleries, taking in everything from 1450-1950. Perugino, Tintoretto, Rubens, Romney, Veronese, Courbet, Delacroix, Millet, Manet, Monet, Picasso, Braque and Bacon to name a few artists. Took some good pics.

By now it was late and there were a couple more stops on my itinerary. A trip on the metro, a change of lines and then another funiculaire ride. Too bad the one I needed was closed for repairs until tomorrow. That meant a substantial walk and climb from the Roman theater stop, leading myself to the Basilique de Notre Dame de Fourvière, the white castle-like structure I had seen on the top of the bluffs for two days now. Expecting something like Sacre-Coeur or the Basilica in Montreal (both of which are similar in color and location), I was pleasantly surprised by the late 19th century interior. Sort of Victorian Byzantine meets baroque. If anything, there is too much going on, but the decoration is still very beautiful. The crypt is practically another church, it is so large. There is even a completely separate chapel under the side dome.

Last stop: Abbey d'Ainay, which supposedly closed at 7pm according to its sign. The time is 6:20. I can make that! Take the temporary bus to the St. Just funiculaire stop. Just miss the tram. Wait for the next one. Think that I may have missed my chance. Think that I should have run down the hill. Time is 6:33. Get on tram. Get on Metro. Change lines at Bellecour. Get to Ampère stop. In front of lit up church at 6:45. Closed. Sweet.

Well, time for that Lyonnaise meal I had promised myself. Back to Vieux Lyon for (hopefully) the last time. I then walked in circles for at least half an hour before a place was chosen. Natural indecisiveness stemming from being in a foreign country and a new city was compounded by me passing about 20 restaurants within a 300 yard circuit. All looked perfectly acceptable, some better than others. Some claimed to be 'authentic Lyonnais' others a 'bouchon', a more informal Lyon restaurant, and so on. Most were also totally empty at 7;30-7:45. Already alone, I wasn't sure if I wanted to eat in an empty restaurant as well.

In the end I chose a bouchon type place on the road leading north from the Cathedral. It had English explanations, so I felt a bit more comfortable, though a little inauthentic (?). I had to ask for a table for one in English, since I don't really know any French. All I know is cobbled together from Latin, Italian and English. Reading is ok, speaking not so good. So, I sat in place writing this blog entry in my notebook for over 15 minutes before my order was taken. (I set the ultimatum time for 8:10 before I would get up and leave- she came just at that time.) The girl clearly knew English but was pained to use it. Perhaps the overly loud American guy in the corner had something to do with it.

Since I chose a place with other people, the service wasn't the fastest. At 7;50, when I entered, it was perhaps half full. By 8:50 it was packed and a small line had developed by the front door. I chose the €20 prix-fixe menu. For the appetizer, Jambon cru; entrée was to be the entrecôte au poivre and pistachio ice cream for dessert. The "raw ham w/Lyonnais sliced sausage" turned out to be salami and a local proscuitto. Ok, but I had to spit out a tough part of the meat in my paper napkin- yuck. The steak was cooked well but a bit tough and fatty- potatoes were solid. The portions were huge! Though stuffed, I managed to eat nearly all my ice cream- very nice. A decent meal- clearly better than I had eaten for a long time, but I think I could have done better. Next time. All in all I was out for €27.80, about $35. Still cheaper than for all that food plus a glass of wine and water back home.

Time to go home. It's 9:30 and I have a train in less than 12 hours. I think I will cross the southern pedestrian bridge to Bellecour tonight. One last view of Lyon and the Saône river at night. (Addendum: I did indeed cross at the southern bridge and was too tempted by the huge Ferris wheel in the Place Bellecour, so I took a ride. It is advertised as being the largest portable wheel in the world, some 55 meters tall, that's 180 feet! In a compartment with minimal safety constraints, it was a bit precarious. Nonetheless a splendid view. Following that excitement, I felt a bit better after my meal and chose to cross the Rhône, as I had not yet done that- a big river! Just as I was crossing, a large group of rollerbladers went by- I got a movie on my phone. Must be the French equivalent of the movie, Airborne! So endeth the eighteenth day.