13 October 2023
We left our flat in Golfe Juan at 7.30 ish this morning and got to our hotel in Lyon at 3pm, changing trains twice on the way at Cannes and Marseilles.
The first leg along the south coast takes ages, then it was fast on the TGV from Marseilles to Lyon. Fortunately it all went smoothly and we settled into a proper hotel for the first time! It cost twice as much per night as we paid in our last place, but it’s delicious having some luxury.
We stayed the Hotel Charlemagne on Cours Charlemagne, which is close to the confluence of the Rhone and Soane rivers in central Lyon. I grabbed a map in the hotel reception and we walked along the banks of the Soane in the direction of the Old Town.
The Soane is a big river, the size of the Seine or the Danube. The old town of Lyon is at the foot a a hill where the Roman settlement of Lugdunum was, and where its ruins remain. Lugdunum was the birth place of the Emperor Claudius. the Emperor who would conquer Britain.
It is a bloody great hill, and neither of us fancied the hike on a warm afternoon. Fortunately there is a funicular railway going up, which is integrated into the metro system. It was well worth the 2 euros to reach the Fourviere stop at the top. Fourviere is on the site of the old Roman town centre, and the name comes from Forum Vieux, old forum in English.
On leaving the station you are right next to the Fourviere Basilica, a magnificent white stone church completed in 1895. The interior is stunning, with huge mosaics highlighted in gold depicting biblical stories and the battle of Lepanto with the French fighting Turks in galleys.
I’m sure you are asking yourself what is a basilica? Well its a Catholic church given special privileges by the Pope. Often they are notable shrines and pilgrimage sites. They attract pilgrims and make more money for the church.
The view of the city from Fourviere is marvellous, it’s the third largest city in France and spreads out for many miles.
Not far from the basilica are the ruins of Roman amphitheatre. Part of the seating has been restored so it can be used as an auditorium. On the day we were there it was closed for filming, so I stole an image of the internet.
We walked down hill to the old town, which is very steep with lots of steps. Like all the old towns we have been to there were lots of restaurants, all competing for customers. Being a tight bastard someone who enjoys value for money I found a place offering 3 courses for 15.90 euros. So we sat down at Le Laurencin and had the best meal on our entire trip! I had pork terrine and salad, braised beef and daufinois potatoes followed by creme brûlée. Bloody hell it was good!
14 October 2023
It was our last day in Lyons, and I was not feeling great. My cold was starting to get the better of me. After coffee and a cake at a patisserie, I gained some energy and felt my waist expand. There are a ridiculous amount of patisseries and boulangeries in France, and it is very hard to resist them.
We walked to down Cours Charlemagne to the Confluence. This is where the Soane and Rhone join together. At the pointy end there was a man fishing, and he had just caught a large Chub, 55cm long. He measured it, photographed it and threw it back in the river.
The major attraction at the Confluence is the museum with the same name. It looks as if a space ship from a Ridley Scott film has landed on Lyon. Its a shame that some vandal had drawn a cock on the big Lyon sign, it spoiled it somewhat.
The website for the museum didn’t properly explain whet was in it, but it was actually a really good modern museum. It has themed rooms about living animals, prehistoric animals, technology and geology. The signs are in English as well as French which helped a lot. We spent a couple of hours looking around but could have spent a lot longer. There was an exhibition about a photographer called Marc Riboud who took photos in Africa and Asia in the 50’s and 60’s. this photo was taken in Dubrovnik.
Then we took the T1 tram and A metro to Place Bellecour an enormous square in the city centre. We discovered the Hotel Dieu, a huge 18th century building that used to be a hospital until 2010. It is now an Intercontinental Hotel, shops and restaurants. It is vast, the size of Les Invalides in Paris.
My cold was getting the better of me by then so we went back to the hotel for a rest. Our last evening out was at Tasty Pizza, a fast food place very close to the hotel. I’m very pleased to say it lived up to its name, but it wasn’t Claridges.
15 October 2023
Our last day of travels in Europe. We caught the 11.00 TGV to Lille, arriving at 14.30. After a quick coffee, we were soon queuing to go through Border Control and security for Eurostar. Our last 10 euros were invested in 2 small bottle of wine for the short trip to St Pancras. We got into London on time at 15.30 (London time is an hour ahead of France) and we were home about 16.45.
I was pleased to see that the apples in my garden had ripened nicely 🙂
The final statistics are:
5,135 KM (3,190 miles) of travel, on 50 trains to 38 places.
We spent 2 days 8 hours 8 minutes on the train over 40 days of travel
I ate 5 metres of baguettes (possibly)
Final Thoughts
Before you ask, yes I did have a good time. It only rained twice in Munich and when we changed trains at Innsbruck on the way from Salzburg to Verona.Other than that it was hot and sunny all the time!
Some of the journeys were long, 7.5 hours from Munich to Budapest though Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. But I had my phone and Kindle, som plenty to keep me occupied.
Yes I did drink alcohol every day. I was in holiday frame of mind and I know its not good for me. It would be no fun going to a beer festival in Salzburg and drinking a coke. I also ate a lot of croissants for breakfast, and every one was delicious.
How much did we spend? Well accommodation was between £50 and £100 a night, Paris was stupidly expensive, Budapest was very reasonable. Eating and drinking out is always expensive. You can get an Aperol Spritz for 6 euros in Italy, but its at least 8 in France. Food in supermarkets was generally more expensive than at home.
So we did spend a lot, but it was worth it.
Travelling by train is great, you arrive in the middle of the city, and generally don’t have to show any passports or go through security once you are in Europe.
Did we meet any interesting people? Not really, travelling as a couple we didn’t meet any other people.
Interrailing is great, you should do it.
timharnesstravels 