In May 2017 I was on a business and I spent 10 days in Lyon, France. Lyon is a nice city in the Central-East part of France in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and is the third-largest city in France. The city is famous for its cuisine and gastronomy, historical and architectural landmarks and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lyon was historically an important area for the production and weaving of silk.
At first the city of Lyon was situated in between two rivers – Rhône and Saône and two hills. The original mediaeval city (Vieux Lyon) was built on the west bank of the Saône river at the foot of the Fourvière hill. In the old city, the buildings a more then 500 years old. They are kept in their original look as a national and architectural treasure of France. On the top of the Fourvière hill you can see the basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière.
From the bridges, there is a nice view to the old city where you can see the Palace of Justice, with its 24 column. On top of it you see the Cathedral and the “Tour métallique” – a highly visible TV tower, replicating the last stage of the Eiffel Tower.
From the top of the Fourvière hill you have a magnificent view to the hole city. In clear weather on the horizon you can see the snowy hills of the Alpes. You can also see a huge square call Place Bellecour. It is located on the Presqu’île between the two rivers and is the third-largest public square in France.
On the meeting point of the rivers Rhône and Saône is situated the Musée des Confluences. In the world, there are only two cities with a confluence in this size – Lyon and Pitsbern. The museum opened on 20 December 2014 and is is a science center and anthropology museum with many permanent and temporary exhibitions. The building of the museum resembles a floating crystal cloud of stainless steel and glass. For me it is an absolute must-see in Lyon.
When you are with colleagues it is always good to have a night-bier in the city center. We went for a drink to the Place des Terreaux.
And having a nice view for the hotel room is always a bonus.
The best thing when you are on a business trip is that you might have a something organized by your local colleagues. This time we had a dinner on a boat. We made a 3-hours tour on both rivers and we could see the beauty of the city from below.
I also had the chance to ride a Citreon “deux chevaux” or “two steam horses Citroen”. This is a typical French car and may people keep it in their village garages and ride it. Is was a good experience of riding a car with old manual gear system and I had a lot of fun. And the tour around the small villages near Lyon was amazing as you can splendid landscapes. As I was struggling with the 50-years old car, I didn’t manage to take some photo of the nature that surrounded the road we were driving on.
It was a wonderful trip that I enjoyed a lot! 🙂
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