Day 5: Sun 28 May - Lyon

14-26 (feels like 31) degC, another glorious day in France

Walk: 14km; total: 33km

Now that Greg has shaken off the last of the jet lag, he was up before the sparrows this morning for a walk along the river. Hardly a soul around and the light was gorgeous. After breakfast we set off, on foot, to find the murals and frescoes in the Croix-Rousse (Red Cross) district of Lyon. Unfortunately Croix-Rousse is situated on top of a substantial hill! Although being on foot made the ascent a lot easier than yesterday with the bikes.  We found all four main murals, a few more unofficial ones and a heck of a lot of ugly graffiti that tended to cheapen the suburb. It would be nice if the graffiti was more than senseless tagging and maybe organized in some way. There was still one elusive mural that Greg had seen during his last visit here. It was a down the hill and on the way back to the hotel, so that suited Wendy just fine. The size and quality of the artwork certainly confirms Lyon’s reputation as the mural capital of the world.  

Along the way, there were lots of other interesting things to see - fountains, statues, buildings, etc. After 14km and a little over four hours of almost non stop walking, we were back at the hotel for lunch.  We could have stopped for an ice cream, however because it was warm (hot for the French), all ice cream shops had queues out the door and down the street. Maybe another day when it’s fair dinkum hot.  

After our afternoon rest, Greg went for another walk to find a better route to the city.  We currently go through the nearby railway station which is very crowded on occasions.  He also checked out bicycle access to the platforms which we’ll need on Tuesday. 

Dinner was at Brasserie George’s about 30m along the road. The meals were very nice as was the venue. Wendy’s Caesar salad was so huge she didn’t even get through a third of it. Couldn’t ask for a doggy bag as the room does not have a fridge. Greg’s sauerkraut with haddock and prawns was just right. 

Greg’s early morning walk

The murals and frescoes

Mur de la Terre

Mur de Feu

Mur de L’air

Mur d’eau

Mur des Canuts 

Fresque des Lyonnais Celebres (Fresco of famous people and parts of Lyon)

A modern Mona Lisa

Finger

Fontaine des Jacobins

Fontaine Bartholdi

Saint Nazaire Church

Lyon Town Hall from the other side

Views of Lyon from Red Cross hill

They must have used a whole lettuce in this salad