Tuesday, April 7 Lyon

We were up a little later this morning and enjoyed breakfast in the dining room.  The fresh fruit has not been as good on this ship as the last but there is always something delicious to eat on every ship!   Our included tour today was a four hour bus and walking excursion to discover Lyon.  After staying up late last night to write to you, I was glad we started with another ride around.

Lyons sits at the confluence of the Soane and the Rhone rivers.  The most popular and expensive places perch on the Presqu’ile, the peninsula point where they meet.   We first headed uphill on the west bank of the La Soane.  The Soane is always referred to as feminine while the Rhone is masculine.    Our first stop was high above the city in the Fourviere district.  Here we passed by a Roman theater, that is still used to today for concerts and seats 30,000 spectators.  Directly next to it is the Odeon which has a geometric tile floor.  Both built in the 15^th century B.C. are in remarkable condition.

We stopped at the Basilique Notre Dame de Fourviere.  This unusual church sits one atop the other.   Dedicated to Our Lady it boasts the ornate carved angels atop pillars and delicately carved statues of Mary in various incarnations invite the worshipper to pray.  Not built until the late 19^th century, the mock Byzantine [JH1] edifice is an elaborate creation of marble and mosaic.  The beautifully decorated Basilica still has original stained glass and is in striking difference of the lower church.

This lower, but not basement level, is the separate Church of St. Joseph.  Less extravagant and more masculine it brings to mind the gentleness of Joseph and his nurturing and caring warmth.  The lower church seems to envelope the upper, giving it a strength and stability, just as Joseph seemed to care for Mary and the infant Jesus.

Nearby was an overlook of the whole city which spreads out along the rivers in the Rhone Valley.  Since we were facing East, I wish we had been there a little later in the day so that the pictures would not be washed out by the sun.  While we were there the view was still clouded by the morning haze.  In the terrace next to the Basilica was metal map of the city so that we could be easily oriented and spot things like the Opera House.  This long curve topped building with a black roof is nicknamed the toaster.  That is because at night when the performance is going on it is lit in red.  A tall round tower with a pointed roof is called Le Crayon.  That is French for pencil and that is exactly the shape of roof – a sharpened pencil.

Lyons was the heart of the silk industry during the 19^th century.  The imported the silk, and 90,000 weavers worked in the city.  The fabrics were often hand painted or embroidered with threads that made them feel like velvet.  We saw a demonstration of these techniques on board.

On the Presqu’ille, in the Croiz – Rousse district where the silk industry was key, we walked through three traboules.   These covered passageways are accessed by what looks like an ordinary house door.  Entering here you found yourself in a dark, cold, rough stoned, narrow passage that connected three or four separate apartment buildings.  Large iron gates were locked to prevent access up the uneven, stone steps.  Light streamed in from the tiny open courtyards between buildings that the winding path would lead to.

These traboules protected the silk from the elements as the artists would move the bolts of fabric around the city.  They also protected an even more special product of Lyons – French Resistance fighters during World War II.  While running from Nazi pursuers, more than one was known to have ducked through a doorway and exited another way while German soldiers waited for them to come out again.

We saw painted walls.  On the sides of buildings where there were no windows clever murals were place to mimic windows, balconies, and storefronts.  The trompe l’oiel were effective distractions but some were really artistic creations.  We visited one that depicted famous French people watching the street below from their French Balconies.  The Little Prince stood beside his creator, de Saint -  Exupery.   Another was a tribute to the Lumiere brothers who shot the first ever moving picture in 1895.  It is a fun thing to see.

Because of the change in schedule we were able to have our tour in the morning so that after lunch on board in the warm sun of the Aquavit Terrace, Ruth and I decided to stay on board and catch up on the relaxation part of this trip.  With nothing to do until the silk demonstration at six p.m. I wrote for a while and we enjoyed chatting with friends who had also stayed on board.  We each showered and dressed for dinner and enjoyed the music in the lounge.

After dinner the entertainment was provided by four locals sharing with us ‘The Sounds of France.’  A male and female opera singer were kind of funny as they enacted scenes of the various Bizet operas.  A lady saxophonist played and everyone was accompanied by a talented pianist.  But they seemed to run around a lot in love scenes, chase scenes and just between scenes.  They would race out to the lobby when they were done to wait for their next cue and run back into the lounge to sing or play.  At one point the two girls exchanged outfits, even shoes, so they would look like it was a second act.

Ruth and I retired to our cabin and talked and laughed until late in the night.

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 [JH1]incarni