Vacation Lyonnaise Deux: Back to Lyon

Outside the Basilica of Notre Dame

One day in Lyon was not enough.  So we headed back to Lyon for the other non-game day in Saint-Etienne.

First stop:  the end of the other funicular line.  The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, Lyon's own Notre Dame.

Outside the church on the entrance-side is a statue of Pope John Paul II, the Great, who visited here in 1984.

Let's walk around to the other side, shall we?

That is the Tour Metallique, which was built to look like the "third floor" of the Eiffel Tower.  It's now a TV transmitter, visible throughout Lyon.

As is the Basilica Notre Dame, which is on a hillside overlooking the city.  A steep hillside, hence the funicular.  You can walk it from Vieux Lyon, but why when there is a funicular?

The view are awesome.

And it was crowded at the viewpoint.

The interior was typical European old church magnificent:

Interestingly, the votive candles only came in three colors, blue, white and red.  Trez French.

Artsy shot of a lone priest at prayer.  This is a church, after all.

More votive candles in the tri-color colors:

This is the crypt area, below the main church.

And this is a giant tapestry, depicting the sites within France on the Road to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia Spain.
 

Then it was down the funicular to Vieux Lyon to check out the interior of Saint-Jean:

This is from the "treasury" section off to the side of the church:

Technically this next one counts as an artsy self-portrait, since I'm reflecting in the glass:

More from the Saint Jean interior:

They had this way-cool astronomical clock inside, too:

Another angle:

Time to go exploring Vieux Lyon.  Yesterday it had been packed with Northern Ireland football fans.  Today it was lousy with fans of Romania and Albania, who were playing at Lyon's Stade Olympique at 9:00PM this night,

Notre Dame visible from the square outside Saint Jean.

Notre Dame and the Tour Metallique visible from this bridge over the Saone River, going from Vieux Lyon to Presqu'Ile.  Presqu'Ile was the "modern" section of Lyon about 100-150 years ago.

A motorboat on the Saone.  Seemed a bit cold for me for this, but I'm not the one in the boat.

Another view of Notre Dame and the Tour Metallique.  I keep trying to take the definitive picture of this view.  It may require a helicopter.

Another attempt:

Back in the Vieux Lyon, we came upon a band playing marching band versions of disco hits from the 1970s.

This was K.C. & The Sunshine Band's "Shake Your Booty," which works well with brass.

This was a view toward Presqu'Ile:

And this meant it was time for supper.  Dinner was at Les Ventres Jaunes, the Yellow Windows:

Note the yellow awning.  Distinctive.

Dinner was delicious.  It was Lyon:

Always order the selections from the prix-fie menu when in France.  The appetizer, or entree, as they say in France, was a selection of chatcuterie.  Deli meats.

The main course was a snail souffle.  Hey, it's France!

And dessert was the chocolate mousse.

The inside of Les Ventres Jaunes was packed, once the skies opened up and it was pouring rain.

An even more excellent meal in the food capital of France.