Day 11 Villefranche to Lyons

I was excited and just a little bit apprehensive when I set off to cycle into the centre of Lyon, France's second biggest (busiest) city.I hadn't been going for long enough to warm up my legs when the lorries started to s

woop by closer and closer as if to say "what are you doing here on a bike?" However after a few scary kilometres the road turned into a series of satellite towns with their town centres and traffic lights. Before long I was freewheeling down an exhilaratingly steep slope to the edge of what I thought was the river Rhone but which turned out to be the Saone. Later I discovered that the two rivers on which Lyon stands proudly rhyme.

Very soon I was on to cycle lanes and as the traffic got busier so did the width of what was now a bus and cycle lane. At one point I had half of the width of the road to myself with no buses in sight.I continued to marvel at the sights and sounds of this great city and I had time and space to look around as I made my way into the centre. when I stopped to ask the way to the 2nd arrondisement ( I had booked the Victoria hotel on the internet the night before) "This is the 2nd arrondisement" he said.

View over the city to Mont Blanc in the distance

Within a few minutes I had found the "office du tourisme" where I was given a plan of the city with my hotel marked. It was just as well because I found the two rivers which are equally wide and to my new eye indistinguishable difficult to use as markers.

Hotel Victoria

I arrived at the door of the Hotel Victoria about 10.30 to be warmly greeted by Sebastien. My room wasn't ready but it could be in an hour (check in was supposed to be 3p.m.) I was offered a place to leave my bike when I said that I wanted to go into the city centre to explore. Instead I left my panniers and cycled into the centre which was not far away and bike friendly.

Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourviere

 I decided to just ride about to get a feel for it all but it was just too big. I could see a landmark high on the hill (Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourviere) on the other side of the Saone so I cycled over "pont Bonaparte" into old Lyon. Quite by chance I had happened upon a concentration of the sights of Lyon. I parked my bike by the "Cathedrale St-Jean" and spent some time meandering through the narrow streets of "Vieux Lyon" It was good to have a while to sit down so I did, on the steps of the cathedral to listen to an impromptu concert for classical guitar and violin (you get a better class of busking in France)

My budget room

I returned to the hotel to be met by Laura. Her ready smile and welcoming attitude added to that of Sebastien from before suggested that I had chosen my value hotel well. On reaching my freshly renovated fifth floor room via the lift I promptly fell asleep on the exceptionally large and comfortable bed which dominated the pleasingly decorated  room.

Pauline 2011?

My rest day hadn't been too restful. I was knackered. However a siesta and a shower later and I was ready for some more exploring.I ended up in "la Place Carnot" All of life was there from children supervised by eager parents in the cordonned off play park area, to down and outs sleeping off the afternoon in the shade to busy people busying there way to wherever busy people go all surrounded by cafes and brasseries filled with "les Lyonnais" chatting in the evening sunshine. I decided that I deserved "un Ricard" to sip as I watched the world go by. There were some strange sights none more so than the lady dressed in her finery who was getting off a scooter to meet friends for dinner. I really had chosen well for just round the corner was a series of "chain hotels" all charging double or more.  I was right across from "la Brasserie Georges" which is a Lyon institution. As I passed by on my way to eat more modestly in a Pizzeria recommended by Laura I could see literally hundreds of diners being waited upon by waiters all wearing long aprons. Pauline and I will return one day soon to share this experience I hope.
The Pizzeria was excellent and when I mentioned my trip "le Patron" announced to the other diners that the gentleman over there is cycling from Calais to Narbonne. Spontaneous applause and cries of "Bravo" etc ensued. I was quite embarrassed.

I am writing this sitting on my fifth floor balcony and the morning rain is transforming itself into watery sunshine. More exploring beckons.