A Very Hot Day in Lyon

Last night we arrived in Lyon and met up with our couchsurfing host, Maider. She helped us find our way to her and her boyfriend's apartment where we relaxed and enjoyed chatting for awhile. In the evening we went out with Maider and Mikael and a few of their friends and enjoyed some beers and trying to communicate with several people mostly through sign language! Two of our hosts' friends DJ and on Wednesday nights; they have a show for 2 hours on Radio Canut which began as an underground radio station 25 years ago and has always been run by volunteers. While we were there they played funky reggae music we have never heard before and had a great time!Today, Maider took us around the old part of Lyon which was so fascinating. Lyon is the third largest city in France, but Maider was explaining to us that it is not very popular despite the fact that it is very beautiful and full of history. Of course our walk today was all uphill and it was extremely hot. This is just one of the many beautiful view of the streets in town. You can see the old buildings with crooked walls and romanesque arches.

When we finally made it to the top of the hill, we were treated to the Musee de la Civilisation Gallo-Roman where two ampitheaters still exist and are used for concerts today.

This is us in the largest of the three ampitheaters which is also the oldest one in France. The first version was built well before Christ and the Romans continued making it larger over several renovations. The museum next to the theaters not only had interesting artifacts, but the architecture was incredible! The building is almost completely under the ground and there are several windows overlooking the theaters that were hidden in the landscape. And instead of wandering in a maze from room to room, you were lead around on a gradually sloping floor that resembled a parking garage!!!

The biggest treat today was this cathedral, Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourviere. Sitting on top of a hill, it has remarkable views of the city but the interior is one of the most spectacular we have seen!
On every wall are beautiful mosaics of colorful pastels that give the church such a light and wonderful atmosphere. No surface was spared some form of decoration!
The entire ceiling is finished in mosaic, much of it gold leaf so that the entire surface sparkled. We sat for some time in the church just admiring everything. We could have stayed the entire day and still not have seen everything!
This is the alter featuring a statue of the Virgin Mary with Jesus. We think they are a common theme in churches.
This was one of the angels on the ceiling carved with great detail. Even though the angel was lifesize it looked like a miniature because of the expansive ceiling so high above. The detail throughout rivaled the Notre Dame in Marseilles but was more calming and beautiful. A definite must-see if you are in the area and by far one of our favorite cathedrals yet!
Tonight we cooked quesadillas for dinner and Maider made a delicious salad!! After the sun had set and it cooled off a little, we went out for a walk to discover another district of the town which was just as interesting as the first. Again, it was uphill! At the top, Maider said, is full of people who rarely come down into the city because they have everything they need up on top. But the most interesting things of all were the traboules, arched galleries, courtyards and vaulted walkways that cut under mansions to make hidden alleyways! They were incredible to walk through and even though they are marked, they are difficult to find as they are tucked away in busy streets.
On our way back to the apartment, we stopped by to visit Mikael at his work, he is a professional bartender who is excellent in mixology and even does some tricks! He treated us to the best mojitos we have ever had!
Our legs are sore and we are still trying to cool off, so it is time for bed!
Kisses!