Best of Burgundy Day 11
Best of Burgundy
DAY 11 - Thursday - 9-29-05 - Explore Lyon - Farewell Dinner
We were up at our usual 7:15 and continued to marvel at the size of our room. Our closet in this hotel is larger than our whole cabin on the barge. We ate our breakfast, nice, but not as much of a variety as Jean, our Lafayette chef had prepared.
We began our walking tour with Michel at 9:30. The day was overcast and a bit cool with a promise of sunshine. Lyon is one of the oldest cities in France, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and an important university town. We walked along the streets seeing the many monuments and memorials dedicated to those who fought in the WW 2 resistance. Lyon was the capital of the French Resistance movement and there are frequent signs commemorating spots where well known leaders were killed or martyred for the cause of freedom.
When we arrived at the Saone River we took a brief walk through a typical street market selling fruits and vegetables, flowers and plants, and fresh meats and seafood as well as baked goods and cheeses. We crossed the river and stopped to see the Palace of Justice and St. Jean Cathedral. Michel also pointed out the tiny streets and alley ways called traboules, meaning "travel through" not on a city map but known to the local population, where the resistance fighters would avoid the Nazis. We went in and out of several, just to get the flavor of these secret passages.
At 10:45 Michel left us to enjoy the rest of the morning on our own. We were able to stroll through these old French streets and enjoy the ambiance of a truly international city. There are people of every color, shape, and size, along with restaurants for everyone's taste.
Today the excitement in the city was a fund raiser by the medical students of the university who were soliciting money for the handicapped. They roamed the streets wearing large blue plastic bags asking for donations. Gen gave them some Euros - but all in all they looked like they were having a great time away from their studies.
We crossed back over the bridge and went to the internet café above the bookstore close to our hotel and updated the journal from yesterday. So far in two days in Lyon this is the only web café we have seen. By the time we were finished it was time for us to pick up our laundry and we took it back to the hotel and then set off for lunch. Our choice today was a sidewalk sandwich café - I chose an American (?) style sandwich and Gennie had one with ham and cheese - both were excellent.
At 1:45 we were to meet Michel and others from our group at the Place des Terreaux where we would start our hike to a silk screening shop. We were given a guided tour of this small shop that produced hand made silk scarves, many by famous designers. Lyon had been an historical location for silk production and at one time there were over 250 factories. Now only 6 are left, three for weaving and three for screening. This shop makes special orders, small exclusive runs opposed to the mechanical, computerized processes now done in China and other countries of Asia.
We walked back to our hotel with Michel and Elaine stopping to look at the shop windows at the Fall and Winter styles, and taking a few photos along the way. Once back at the hotel, we checked with the Front Desk about possible accommodations for our return to Lyon in a week and subsequent flights back to the US. They were very helpful and we received a printout with about 20 hotels ranging in price from 282 to 25 Euros.
At 7:15 we met in the lobby to go to our Farewell Dinner. We took a 15 minute walk to a bouchon restaurant, the Comptoir Chambert et Fils Restaurant. As we arrived I realized that our gift to Michel was still in the room. I hurried back as Gennie saved me a place. Making a quick trip, I got back through some alleys and side streets and they had just begun to serve the wine. We sat with the Michiganders, George and Linda - Jerry and Gloria. I was able to take some pictures and then we had dinner. It was a great time and we all were able to choose our salads, meals and desserts. Wine was served with every course and by the end of the evening several people were feeling no pain. Everyone expressed their appreciation to the job well done by Michel. As we left the restaurant and began our walk back we wished everyone a safe trip either home or to Aix-en-Provence - the post trip extension.
Once we arrived back at the hotel we found out that we had a problem with our breakaway to Paris and our return to Lyon on the 5th of October! There are no hotel rooms available in the whole city. Reception was just unbelievable in trying to get us situated. When it could not be done, they suggested we take the first train from Paris on October 6th and arrive at the airport very early to catch our flight to Frankfurt. They were able to work this out, and they made our reservations to Paris tomorrow and from Paris on October 6th. I have never seen a hotel staff work this hard for their patrons. WOW! While the desk people worked to get us situated, a group came in from the US to begin their trip to Aix-en-Provence. They were tired but excited to begin their OAT tour.
Accommodations: Hotel Boscolo, Lyon - - - Meals: B, D
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