Travel Report: Dimanche farniente à Lyon
Here’s how I spent my lazy Sunday in Lyon.
A late breakfast at the hotel (I tend to really love European breakfast buffets and this one was no exception) then I headed back to Vieux Lyon to see a movie and miniatures museum I noticed yesterday.
Soon after walking in the door, I was greeted with this and knew it’d be a place I’d enjoy:
They had a whole room of Ghostbusters paraphernalia. This is a childhood favorite franchise of mine. They had a case of vintage toys and I spotted a few I had as a kid.
One of my favorite exhibits was on movie posters by the artist Drew Struzan. I was definitely familiar with his work, but never knew about the artist behind these posters.
The miniature displays were something to see. So many small, painstaking details. I really liked the interior of this vintage New York subway car.
Next, I decided to take a river boat cruise along the Saône river.
It was very relaxing. One aspect I enjoyed was seeing the contrasting architecture of the Renaissance era buildings of Vieux Lyon with the modern architecture of the Confluence district (so called because it’s the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers).
After the boat, I had an ice cream Sunday for lunch. There was a place that every time I’ve walked past it’s had a giant line. Today was no exception. But I saw they had an area with some tables and waiter service that somehow had no wait. So that’s where I went.
After this, I rented an e-bike. I’ve seen so many people on bikes both in Paris and here, I definitely wanted to experience it for myself. Speaking of the Confluence, I decided to head back to that area on bike and explore the bike paths along the rivers a little more.
A quick break at the hotel and I ventured back into Vieux Lyon for dinner. I keep returning to this neighborhood for a few reasons. One, it’s super charming and I love the Renaissance era streets and buildings. Two, it’s a short (and beautiful) walk from my hotel. I learned on the boat tour that Vieux Lyon is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the largest remaining districts of Renaissance buildings.
Another quick aside on language. I’m surprised how many little bits of French I understand. (When written! Spoken, I have no clue.) It’s mostly food related terms that I’ve learned from restaurants in the US. Sometimes, the French description of food is more illuminating to me than the English description. For instance, my meal last night was described as sausage, but in French it was boudin noir (which I know to be a type of blood sausage). Tonight, I had steak with “pepper sauce”. In French, it was sauce au poivre, which I’ve even cooked myself sonI knew exactly what to expect. There’s also other non-food related terms that have entered the English language from French, so there’s no translation needed. Like “confluence”!
After dinner, it was back to the hotel to get some sleep. It’s another early day tomorrow. I’m headed to Zermatt, Switzerland via Geneva. It’ll be a long day on multiple trains, but it should be fairly relaxed, so I’m looking forward to it.
Goodnight!