A bouchon, a traboule and a mural (2 October 2024)

 

Le mur des Canuts

Bev’s brother, Graham, was to be joining us on Wednesday but his plane developed hydraulic problems so his flight was delayed for a day.  That meant a bit of a change to our plans. 

 

Given we only had a couple of days in Lyon, it seemed sensible to do all the recommended touristy things.  First  we took the metro to Vieux Lyon.  The system works well.  The first excitement was the train suddenly diving very steeply.  It was quite a shock and for a moment I thought the brakes had gone but it became evident the train had to climb very steeply to get to our area. 


 

After getting out at Vieux Lyon we found a café next to the station and were able to get a couple of coffees.  Then we took the funicular up to Fourvière where a large and very impressive Basilica had been built during the 19th century overlooking the city of Lyon.  The funicular was almost identical to the Wellington one.  The view was great as well and we could see both the Saone and Rhone rivers.  There were also some Roman ruins nearby but instead of visiting them we wandered down through the gardens that lead to Fourvière. 

 


Bascilica Fourviere

There was an impressive set of steps going down for a hundred metres or so.  More impressive were the runners who were jogging up the stairs.  By contrast, there were people walking up who were puffing by the time they got near  the top.  Not surprising. 

 

At the bottom we came across a traboule.  A traboule is a “secret” passage which was used by the silk merchants as a way of transporting textiles and other materials through the city.  In Croix-Rousse and Vieux Lyon there were very few connecting streets.  Also it kept people out of the inclement weather.  During WWII they also served as means for the resistance to move around the city. The traboule was an interesting experience as it went through a tunnel and then there were open courtyards.  It was easy to see why they were so useful to the merchants.

Opening the door to the Traboule

In the passageway

 

Another experience was to have meal at a bouchon restaurant.  There were a whole lot of them near where the traboule exited.  We chose one but I think they were more of a tourist trap as the service was middling and the food while ok was not so great.  A bouchon restaurant is described as  a meal that French mothers used to make.  This is was made food from seasonal ingredients. For me it was a bit of disappointment and it was not helped by the wait staff managing to spill the sauce from Bev’s tripe dish on me as he was serving me my meal. 

The Saone

On of the views from Fourviere

 

The next adventure was to visit Le mur des Canuts.  We decided to walk there which entailed following google, a walk that took us across the Saone and then up many stairs until we found the wall.  It was spectacular.  The mural was on the bare side of a building and in 1987 the company who owned the building wanted to decorate it. They invited a collective to put a mural on the wall.  The result is shown below and is just stunning.   It looked so real.  The version we saw is the fourth one. It has been updated each time to reflect the changes in the area. 

Painted stairway.  Just the front of the steps

 

Nearby was a Monoprix supermarket, and we called in to get some supplies for our meal that evening.  Also with Graham arriving the next day we were going to need a bit more stuff.  

 

In the gardens on Fourviere

Crois Rousses


Outside the metro station Vieux Lyon


People - mainly tourists

A section of Le mur des Canuts

 

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