"The city disappears street by street as you enter it."
~Ian Seed
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| La Passerelle |
I really do believe my French is
improving. I don’t really try
much, I must admit. I don’t study,
I don’t make a huge effort, I just try to be pragmatic. I do
write down new words (well, some new
words). I am at the point of
writing down those words that are too similar to me, those that somehow get
confused in my mind. (I remember reaching
this point in Spanish) I also can
basically understand just about just about everything I hear. Trying also to pick up some new “très
Français” phrases. Agnès and Pat help a lot. Such a great couple, teasing and kidding around all the time
– and so obviously in love. Part
of something I am expecting for myself …
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| La Basilique Fourvrière |
Discovering and rediscovering so
many places in this varied city.
Vieux Lyon, La Fouvrière, la Croix Rousse, the Gallo-Roman ruins, Le
Parc de la Tête d’Or, the Museum of Confluences, and some new spots around the
city where Pat and Agnès take me on the weekend. L’ile Barbe, Aviron, Villefranche, Chazay d’Azergues (the
golden town).
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| Parc de la Tête d'Or |
I love the Parc de la Tête d’Or
with its blue-green, glacier tinted pond and streams, the tall plantain trees,
the free zoo and botanical parks, the solitude in spots and the busy families
in others. The little rowboats
painted to match the water, the “Rosalies” are double-bike carts, the wide
lawns and artistic corners with quaint buildings, and the open zoo. Even now in winter the park is alive
with people, their children and dogs, flowers, trees, swans, geese, and other
birds. The zoo is open and the
Botanical garden as well – although just not quite as lush as the summer
obviously, things are still in bloom. The aroma of the earth of Lyon is different from that
of Maine. The criss-cross of jet air streams mark the sky. The black
and white magpie that seems to be everywhere.
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| Le Musée des Confluences |
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| Le Musée des Confluences |
The Musée des Confluences. The first time in Lyon I was surprised,
while taking one of those touristic boat rides in the river with friends, that
there was no marker where the Saône and Rhône Rivers merge … they just simply,
since the beginning of their time, merge at the end of a sandy point with
sparse grass.
Now there is a
beautiful modern museum. The
exterior is glass and steel in geometric shapes which converge to create the
illusion of organic flowing of water and the whirlpools of the rivers. It’s an amazing architectural
construction, reaching high and with complexities of structure. I start at the top floor to get an
overview of the city from there and to have a café and juice at the rooftop
café. The coffee is so-so, but the
juice is nectar of apricot. It’s
like drinking a pure apricot smoothie.
Amazing. Beautiful views of
the city. The Rhône from here
takes on a deeper aqua tone.
The two stories below are the
permanent exhibitions. Very well
organized and presented with exceptional lighting and backgrounds. Basically the collection and
organization of an influential man in Lyon years ago. Now it belongs to the
city.
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