There is so much Lyon to talk about.

The view from Croix-Rousse. Fourvière and La Tour Metallique are on the hillside

Seriously.  We've been here a little over two weeks. We're settling in, learning about Lyon, the Lyonnaise way and all the really wonderful things this little city* has to offer.

So, where do I start? With the fact that the city was founded over 2000 years ago and in its heyday was 2nd only to Rome in importance?  The two Roman amphitheatres, basically still intact, are used even now for concerts, theatre and other performances during the warmer months. Nearby is the Gallo-Roman Museum in all its modern concrete glory, all 5 of it's artifact filled stories set into the hillside and underground so as not obstruct the view. The only thing you can really see of it are the two large windows, like eyes, peeking out of the ground.

Will. Spotted in his natural habitat--a theatre.

Maybe we talk about Lyon's history as a major hub on the silk road.  Jacquard invented a loom here that uses punch cards to determine the pattern or program, much like the precursor to the computer. The jacquard loom is still in use here and many places you can see watch Canuts (silk weavers) use it to produce their products.

The Lyonnais are gearing up for their Fêtes de Lumières (Festival of Lights) on December 8th. It is considered one of the largest annual festivals in the world behind Carnival in Rio and Oktoberfest in Munich. (I'm sure Apple Blossom is a close 4th--I feel so at home!)  There will be fantastic light displays all over town and a huge Ferris wheel has suddenly appeared in one of the major squares.  And like Apple Blossom, there are last minute repairs being done to streets and sidewalks.

Lyon is considered one of, if not, the gastronomical capital, of the world. More Michelin starred restaurants per square mile than anywhere else, plus it has 2 other specifically Lyonnais organizations for rating restaurants, Les Toques Blanches and Les Bouchons Lyonnais, some restaurants might have designations by one, two, or all three organizations.  Bouchons are typical local bistro/cafes and some of the requirements are: traditional homemade cuisine (and lots of it), somewhat kitschy decor, a larger than life proprietor and plenty of Côtes de Rhône or Beaujolais.

I might mention 'traboules'--the secret passageways that helped Medieval people move quickly through town and later were imperative to the Resistance during the Nazi occupation of WWII and 'miraboules' secret doors that lead to a lovely courtyard. Every traboule and miraboule is technically private property, but if you happen to live off of one these, the city will pay for the maintenance if you will put up with the visitors.  There are several that are well known and easy to find, others you might discover by chance. In order to be considered a miraboule, the courtyard must contain a well, a spiral staircase, a cross window and galleries with vaulted ceilings.

There are plenty of famous people tied to Lyon, in fact there is a 'painted wall' with the most famous of the famous, it includes: The Lumière brothers, inventors of 'cinema,' several of the first movies were filmed on their property here; Louis Pasteur was a professor here while working on pasteurisation and developed the method, still currently used for sorting silkworms; Victor Hugo; Antoine de Saint-Exupery (Le Petit Prince/Pilot); André-Marie Ampère (responsible for measuring electrical current); the very famous chef, Paul Bocuse and 2 different Roman Emperors:  Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus (10BC-54AD) and Caracalla (186-217AD).

Cathedral St Jean in foreground with Fourviere above

There's also some pretty phenomenal architecture though I guess that's to be expected when you have a thousands year old history. As you move through the city you can see the various stages and ages from Roman to Medieval to Renaissance, Victorian, Modern, and really Modern. Where we live is Vieux Lyon, part of the walled Medieval city. Above us is the relatively new La Basillique Fourvière (1860's) and La Tour Metallique (a mini-Eiffel Tower, 1893) and around the corner is Cathédral St Jean (ca. 11-16th centuries). The building our flat is in was built in the late 1600's. The further east and south you go the more modern the buildings. At the bottom of the Presqu'île where the Rhône and the Saône meet you have some of the most modern buildings I've ever seen--bright orange or green cubes, or black with orange frogs on the balcony. This is also where the Confluence museum is. A building 13 years in the making. It looks a little like an alien spaceship and supposedly will have it's grand opening next month. We walked down to it--if it actually opens in a month it'll be a friggin' miracle.

'Our' stairs

The city also has a thing for stairs. They are everywhere and some sets are massive. We live at 3 Montée du Changé, if you turn left out of our building you will climb up 132 stairs. A little way down the road is another set of 212. Pretty much if you see 'montée,' you will get from one road to another, but you will climb, and then climb even more.  Probably a good thing given the amount of food you eat here on a daily basis. Not very many overweight people here. Just Will and the other tourists. (He told me to write that, by the way!)

The 212 stairs next to Villa Florentine

It doesn't look that risky...

The French seem to not be at all risk adverse. Kids are on scooters everywhere and none of them are wearing helmets or any kind of padding, just like our childhood.  You can sit on a ledge (no railings in sight) 1 1/2 stories up and no one will even blink.

…until you look at it from this angle!

*Technically, it's the 2nd largest in France, but it doesn't feel that way.