Les Alpes

We left Paris on a TGV (Train Grande Vitesse) ((Very fast train)) to go to Lyon, the regional capital of the Rhone-Alps region of France. Though 425km apart, the high-speed train got us there in just under two hours. It is widely-known as the gastronomical capital of France, though sadly on our world-wide travel budget we did not treat ourselves to the many Michelin chefs that dot the town's restaurant scene. We both loved the city for its views, its people, and the much smaller feel than a city of Paris' size. 

Emelie, who doesn't keep it a secret from anyone that she loves flowers, proclaimed this was "the coolest statue I have seen so far in Europe." Behind in the photo, the Rhone River, one of two major rivers that converge near the old town. It is because of its rivers and location in a valley between two mountain ranges that made Lyon such a perfect setting for the former capital of Roman Gaul.

A view toward the town's central square, said to be the largest in all of Europe (though obscured from view by the fountains here).

When walking around the town our first full day in Lyon we stumbled upon a market along the Saone river that went on for hundreds of yards in each direction. It made us miss our kitchen back in Portland so much, for the food was so fresh, cheap, and unbelievably attractive when walking by stall after stall. It was one of those things you find when traveling that makes you happy to be where you are at that exact place and time.

Enjoying a freshly-roasted sausage while sitting on a bridge that connects to the old vielle ville (old city).

Fresh rotisserie chickens. Note the steam rising from the pile of poultry.









Below, Emelie again snapping away at flowers, also fresh and available everywhere at the market.

A view from below of the Cathedral of Notre Dame that looks over the entire city.

 

Next to the Cathedral, overlooking the valley floor and Lyon in her entirety.

Not sure what I was doing here. Maybe the church's presence nearby made me reach to the heavens above? In the background, the tallest building in the city is actually very modern. It's in the modern part of town near the train station where most of the newer businesses lie. Locals refer to the tower simply as "the pencil."

As I said before, way back in the day Lyon was part of the Roman empire. I knew this coming into the visit to the city, but was awed by one of the few signs that showed the age of the city and its vast history. These photos show the two Roman amphitheaters that are on the hill and are, for the most part, still perfectly intact. There were a myriad of mazes through the stones and the general scale of everything was impressive, especially considering the mast basic engineering tools they had at their disposal around 2,000 years ago.

After a few days we left, on a whim and because of an incredibly cheap train ticket, we ventured toward a town called Chambery in the Savoy region of the Alps. We spent but one day and night here, but it was great. First, I enjoyed it because it was one of the smallest places we'd been to yet on the trip--we have mostly been going to large cities with all sorts of sights. But for me, being from a small town and a state that's generally rural on the whole, it was nice to see the sky again.

The Fountain of Elephants, in honor of a resident of Chambery from the 1800s who went to India, made his fortunes, then came back to his birth city to bestow his money on the town he called home.

Laundry day in the hotel!

Emelie in front of a classic French boulangerie. Note on the bottom shelf the size of the merangue!

My lovely lady in some orange bushes that were just asking to have their photo taken.

Chambery sat in a valley, but the Alps (on a clear day) were a beautiful presence at all times in the background.

After ten days in France it was time to take off and again encounter the language barrier that would come with the crossing through the Alps into Italy. Au revoir, France...