(Lyon, France)

I’ve written before about a vacation’s last day – it can often be tinged with a bit of sadness. But because of what happened in Largentière (more details to follow in my trip debrief), the paradigm had shifted on this trip. Everything I did on the last day was really just a bonus.

I spent most of the last afternoon in Lyon’s grand 19th century downtown. A significant part of it is pedestrianized, so it is really a great place to be when the weather is nice (unlike my visit here in the winter of 2024!). I even revisited some familiar haunts, like the FNAC music store on rue de la République

Walking along the Rhône (see photo at the very top of this post) under sunny skies was a pleasure too. Topping it off with some delicious gelato (cassis, of course, this being southern France) was undoubtedly the right thing to do. I took care of some business at my hotel, before heading out for a dining adventure.

Even though I had Ethiopian food the night before, I was ready for more African food. It is much more readily available in France than in Canada, particularly West African food. Remembering my 2018 trip to northern France, when I had eaten at a Senegalese restaurant, I decided to try some Senegalese street food at a place called La Cuisine Moudery.

I went for the Tiep Rouge au Poulet: basically grilled chicken with a red tomato and onion sauce. I went for the full experience – a large helping of the main course along with a typical beverage (Bissap rouge) and dessert (Beignets sénégalais). I don’t know if the photo captures the enormity of the meal, but it was too much for me. The bowl was very deep; it could have fed two people easily! The deep-fried “donuts” with a chocolate sauce were delicious but probably unnecessary.

My trip back had to Canada had an interesting twist. My Lyon hotel was right beside the train station…a location I chose deliberately. My first “flight” was actually a TGV train from Lyon to the De Gaulle International Airport in Paris. I was there in exactly 2 hours, and I didn’t have to arrive 3 hours before the train left! There was a security checkpoint at the Lyon station but it was over very quickly. The train segment was on my airline ticket.

I had a direct flight from Paris to Montreal. Once again, I was reminded of how the glory days of economy air travel are over. I had an exit row seat, so at least I had extra legroom. But the seats are now so narrow that the legroom is no longer the only pressure point. Anticipating this, I had already treated myself to a business class seat on the train from Montreal to Kingston.

Next up – the “debrief”!

(Lyon, France)

After a restorative ramble among the Roman ruins, I wanted to finally see the much-vaunted old city of Lyon (Vieux-Lyon). But first I had to descend from the mighty heights of Fourvière.

It took quite a long time, via a combination of winding roads and steep narrow staircases (disguised as streets). But I eventually made it, and found myself in an ancient, well-kept, warren of restaurants and souvenir shops. I don’t think I’ve ever seen as many shades of gold as I did in this part of Lyon.

As noted during my trip to Lyon last year, Lyon is really the cradle of what we call “French cuisine.” So, it is no wonder that Vieux-Lyon is full of restaurants serving that kind of food. Many of them are called bouchons, which typically feature hyper-local Lyonnaise cuisine using local ingredients. The idea of a bouchon is very appealing to me, and I had hoped to try one for an authentic local experience.

There was only one problem: Lyonnaise cuisine just wasn’t calling me today. Generally, I have enjoyed the local food in other French regions. I really enjoyed the food in Normandy and Brittany, with its emphasis on apples and cheese. And I like the Savoyard cuisine of the French Alps, which is not much different from the Alpine cuisine I enjoy so much in Switzerland. Earlier on this trip, I tried some interesting food in the Ardèche region.

But I really couldn’t find a bouchon menu that appealed to me. Maybe I can attribute this to a certain level of personal pickiness when it comes to meat. Meat is definitely front-and-centre in Lyonnaise cuisine.

Another factor was that I had eaten a substantial breakfast at my hotel and hoped to have a special dinner later for my last evening in Europe. A light meal was all I needed. I decided to grab my lunch from a street vendor or a bakery (boulangerie). Still French, just not a bouchon.

It didn’t take long. Just across the river from Vieux-Lyon, I found a very humble looking bakery. I suspected that its customers were local. I ordered a freshly-made mushroom quiche and, with a bottle of local sparkling water, had a very simple but satisfying meal on the sidewalk outside the bakery. I must have done a very good job of fitting in: within two minutes, somebody asked me for directions.

My trip was almost done. My flight home would leave Paris in 24 hours. But there’s still more to come from France!

(Lyon, France)

I knew it was around here somewhere. I wandered in the approximate direction of one of the Fourvière district highlights. And even though I was sure I would find it eventually, it was still a surprise when I did. Roman ruins always surprise me.

I hadn’t done a ton of research on what the site contained. But I saw a lot of people in what seemed to be the well-preserved remains of a Roman theatre. I followed the crowd, and discovered that most of the site seemed to be open to the public.

I started with the Odeon Theatre. It could hold about 3000 people for performances (most of which were musical). It was well preserved because it was covered by a landslide for many centuries. It was only rediscovered in the 1700s. I took some time to enjoy the view – of both the theatre and of modern Lyon below.

The Odeon is the only Roman theatre of its type in France that is open to the public. But there was much more to be seen. Moving to the north, I saw the remains of many buildings and what appeared to be another (and larger) theatre below.

Not wanting to rush, I spent some time climbing on and around the various ruined buildings. Some of the walls were still very high compared to other Roman ruins I have seen in Europe – it was quite the labyrinth. And there wasn’t much in the way of protective fencing, so I did have to be careful when I reached the top.

Finally, I turned my attention to the larger theatre, appropriately known as the Grand Theatre. It could seat 10,000 to 15,000 people, and seemed to focus more on comedies and tragedies. It had also been buried for centuries by a landslide. Access to the theatre itself was restricted. In any case, it was being prepared for a series of upcoming concerts. It reminded me of the even larger Roman Arena in Verona, Italy, which was also being prepared for an upcoming concert.

I never tire of visiting Roman sites. Of course, Rome itself wasn’t in the cards for this trip. But other locations, such as Ostia Antica, are just as impressive in their own way. And some, like Volubilis in Morocco, might even surpass the real thing because of their unique location.

The Odeon Theatre and Grand Theatre in Roman Lyon (known as Lugdunum to the Romans) are well worth a part of your day to reflect on empires past. They also provide a nice break from busy modern Lyon.

The common theme of all these Roman sites is the inexorable passage of time. Speaking of time, if I had more of it, I might have visited the on-site museum. Among other things, it had some remarkably well-preserved mosaics.

But wait! There’s more! I had a very busy final day in Lyon – stay tuned!