It feels cold...but I'm in France so whatever

Tuesday December 16 and Wednesday December 17, 2008
Lyon France and Travel to Paris, France

One of the bridges that crossed the Rhone.

So my day and a bit in Lyon were pretty unplanned but I got a chance to see a few things around the city. I slept in both days and had a good old relaxing time. The shutters on the bedroom windows pretty much block out anything that could even be considered light so I thought it was still dark…when in fact it was 1000. Whatever, I am on vacation. Eventually on Tuesday I did get up, had some breakfast, then Bette and I set out to see a few things. Actually I booked a hotel in Paris first (figure that needed to be done at some point in time) and then we headed out.

Chocolate shoes....does it get any better? I think not.

Tuesday was a little cold and damp but we wandered through what I guess would be Old Town Lyon anyways. We eventually stopped for some hot chocolate and pastries (yummy) and then went shopping….for groceries. We were going to eat out but my desire for some home cooking won out.

The Ferris wheel in Lyon.

So some lamb, some wine (I love France) some dessert and a very nice relaxing evening turned into a very good nights sleep. That sleep rolled over into the morning as I think I slept in even later today and then took my sweet ass time getting ready.

One of the random fountains (ok I am sure they are not as random as I think they are). I guess it can't be that cold out because they still leave the water running in the fountain.

Bette and I then headed out to see St. Jean Cathedral. We went in on the crypt level, not really knowing it and were both a little disappointed with what we saw. I knew there had to be another level of this great place so we found the elevator up and then we found the real cathedral.

Inside St. Jean Cathedral.

It certainly did not disappoint (even after all the cathedrals I have seen). It actually looks very neat from the outside as well as it overlooks the river.

St. Jean Cathedral as it looks from below.

Looks very neat up on the hill.

The view from the funicular that took us up to the cathedral.

From there is was time for lunch. We originally tried to go to this neat medieval place but it was closed to the public because there were a bunch of kids in it. However, we just walked one block over to a street that is just full of little restaurants and cafes and that kind of thing (I wish I could remember the name). We found a cute little place that was very good (I am still full tonight and will not be needing dinner). I tried some local things and some great dessert. The food is certainly not a disappointment here in France….and neither is the wine.

A couple of shots of me in Lyon.

It was a great place to visit. I totally recommend you take a look if you happen to be in the area.

We then wandered through some shops to establish that things are expensive here but that I will in fact be doing some shopping while in Paris. And then we had to head home because I had to pack my pack and grab a train to Paris.

A random statue I found. There was no information on it, and I actually had to take this picture through a fence but I like giant metal statues on rollerskates.

I got to the train station around 1730 (5:30pm) and managed to get on a train that left at 1800 (6pm) so there really was not much of a wait. It once again was an uneventful and comfortable trip. Once I got to Paris I found my way to a metro information desk, got myself a ticket and a plan and found my way to my hotel. I have learned already today that Paris metro stations are kind of like mazes. You have to follow the signs very carefully and sometimes you have to go up one set of stairs, down another set of stairs, down a corridor and back up a set of stairs to get to the track you need. I am sure it will be a lot of fun the next few days.

The walk to my hotel was actually very short. I don’t have a map of Paris at this point in time and will have to find one tomorrow but the little one in Lonely Planet pointed me in the right direction and there are lots of maps on the street corners (that actually point out where you are) that I could follow. The hotel is about 2 blocks from 2 different metro stations so I should have no problems.

So I have 3 and a bit days here in Paris and quite a few things planned to see. I hope to get as many done as possible….plus I hope to do some shopping. Either way it is going to be a good few days.

Julie