Around old Lyon

In the 1er arrondisement of Lyon, the Bartholdi Fountain stands in the Place des Terreaux near City Hall, a sculpture that features Marienne, the personification of France, commandeering a chariot with four galloping horses controlling the four great rivers of France.

Fun fact: the sculptor of this Bartholdi Fountain is the same guy who created the Statue of Liberty in New York!

One of my favourite things to do when I travel is to walk around and, quite literally, get lost in the maze of streets in a new city. On one of these lose-myself occasions, I found myself in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon - the Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon. I love seeing the beautiful colour of the sandstone walls along the length of the hallways!

Life's simple pleasures: a book, beautiful architecture, a fine day.

The Musée des Beaux-Arts is housed in a former Benedictine convent. The central courtyard features a number of statues in a beautiful area where many can be spotted enjoying a good book or simply basking in the sun.

I decided to go back to the Fourvière to check out the basilica by daylight. The first thing that strikes you at the Fourvière is just how incredibly ornate it all is - so much going on, a ton of intricate carvings and so much that decorates every single corner of the basilica. And that's just from the outside!

The inside of the basilica is filled with gold-plating everywhere, beautifully painted ceilings, and an incredible amount of ornament. You'd think that a building like this should be a few hundred years old, but it was actually only completed in 1884 - that's less than 150 years ago! The design draws from Romanesque and Byzantine architecture, which is why the building is as ornate as it is.

Just look at the amount of work that must have gone into that level of design, and having to paint that on a ceiling, too! Trying to paint that on a ceiling must have meant that painters had to work almost lying down while completing this piece of art.

The Fourvière is also home to the Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Marc (The Children's Choir of Saint-Marc), the same choir that was involved in the French film Les Choristes. 

Around the basilica are a number of beautiful religious sculptures, such as this one of a four winged angel. I never knew that angels were depicted as having four wings, but the unusualness of this sculpture certainly piques one's interest.

As with the rest of the city, the winged lion of Lyon is ever-present, here resting on the outside of the Fourvière keeping a watchful eye.

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Only Lyon

With beautiful ancient architecture, amazingly kind and helpful people, and so much to do, Lyon easily counts itself among some of my favourite cities. The symbol of Lyon is the lion, something which the city proudly displays with its sculpture, "Only Lyon". Placed sûr les berges du Rhône, or on the banks of the Rhône river, it is a wonderful sight to see sunlight hitting the Rhône and the sculpture at the closing of day.

After the hustle and bustle of busy Paris, Lyon was a welcome respite with its far more laid-back attitude and lazy evening streets.

I arrived in Lyon and was met by my amazing Couchsurfing host, Olga, who was from Poland but had lived in Lyon for ten years. She showed me around the city and took me to some of the most amazing places, from the walkways along riverbanks to the spectacular Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière which sits atop a hill overlooking the whole city.

The view from the Fourvière is incredible by night! The church is all lit up, casting shadows on the many intricate details and decorations on the church, and from the back of the church you can look down and see the many thousands of lights dotting the city of Lyon. It's an beautiful sight, and it made the crazy climb up to the Fourvière while it was dark totally worth it!

In the daytime, it's really pretty to sit by the steps by the Rhône, near to where the Only Lyon sculpture is. There's not really a better way to spend an afternoon than by the riverbank, watching the world go by with a very typically French croissant or flûte of bread in your hand!

One of the coolest things I saw was an old boat that had become converted into a little pub, named Ayers Rock. It sits by the banks of the Rhône, and people can actually go onto the boat and have a meal there. How cute is that?! I would love to have my very own boat-restaurant (a girl can dream!)

I came to the 2me arrondisement, which is on Presqu'île, or "almost an island". The reason for this is that the 2me arrondisement sits in between the rivers Rhône and Saône near where they join together, and this forms a little almost-island in between the two rivers! It's all very cute and French.

Sitting down at a little cafe on the Place des Jacobins, I had some of the best salad ever. I've never had a seafood salad quite as amazing as this - perfectly fresh cold prawns and smoked salad atop of a bed of greens. So yummy, and so, good. So. So. Good.

By the time I was done with my salad, I was more than ready to take on even more of Lyon and explore even more of the city!

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