Lyon, France, a two-hours' inexpensive train ride
and a bundle of fun
A last afternoon here, and a final dash through the Place Carnot to the Rue Victor Hugo to memorize the best sights in the Old Town under clear, sunny skies
Mid-afternoon relaxation along the riverside
Sneaking up on the St-Jean cathedral again
The front of the cathedral with the sun on it this time
Zoom
Cathedral St-Jean
And the old main street nearby
Street scenes
More street scenes
Military surplus down at the old General Store
Come party at the Red Ass.
And definitely come to Shopping Land, for all your shopping needs.
St-Paul's at the northern end of Vieux Lyon
The gare of St-Paul is on the far side, leading west out of town
The professor locking up
Lyon is a world centre for many things besides the fecal andouillette sausage, the early printing industry, the beginnings of the cinema, and the Gestapo's depredations -- it's also been a centre for trompe l'oeil architecture from early times.
This is presumably a newer addition to an old tradition.
Bring along your opera glasses or birdwatching kit.
This is the Fresco of Lyon, the most famous of more than 150 giant painted walls all over town.
-- Come on, boys; don't be afraid.
Blossom Tattoo has just the theme-oriented Kustom Tattoo Art for your back or ankle.
The nasty Roman Emperor Caracalla, who was born in Lyon in 188, was ethnically Syrian, so he might have appreciated the Lebanese specialities, not necessarily the tacos and steak.
They're everywhere!
We've just got horribly lost on the slopes of the Croix-Rouse, reached the Rhône and started north thinking it was the Saône heading south, but now we're reoriented, back in the region of the national opera house and other monumental odds and ends.
South along the Rue de la République, the other chief shopping street
Street scenes
The apse-end of the 15th century church of St-Nizier, along Rue du Président Édouard Herriot, the other main shopping street
The first St-Nizier's was built in the 5th century to house the leftovers of the Lyon Christian martyrs of A.D. 177 -- that one was destroyed in the 8th century by Saracen raids up the Rhône and by Charles Martel. Its successor was built in the 9th century, but that edition was burnt by Peter Waldo and his Waldensian anti-clerically 'heretical' friends.
Rebuilt again through succeeding centuries, the Huguenots in the Religious Wars and the earnest egalitarians of the French Revolution reduced the place to use as a giant granary. Major renovations after 1968 have turned it into one of the most interesting churches in the city.
-- Go in peace. But No Photos!
The Villa Borghese. Now we really are lost!
A picturesque gallery mall
Mostly for lingerie, as it turns out, but we've got past that and can now stroll along gazing in the shop windows unfurtively.
The Barbe à Papa, 'cotton candy', in the place de la République.
The Carousel de la République
The Reflecting Pool de la République
Street scenes
The old hospital the Hôtel-Dieu, established in the 12th century as a stop-off for traveling clergymen but a working hospital from the mid-15th century -- the renowned doctor (and bawdy comic writer) Rabelais was on the staff here in 1532, and wrote Gargantua and Pantagruel on the premises. The present building is largely an 18th century expansion and renovation.
Last street scene, the Rue de la République again
The walkway between the gare and the city
Back to the Château Perrache in time to dress for dinner (☺)
The diningroom in the hotel, the Restaurant les Belles Saisons, not too expensive and quite good
Nobody's really ready to go home tomorrow, but needs must ('when the devil drives').
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All rights reserved, all wrongs avenged. Posted 19 March 2013. 
