Lyon, France

Mike and I flew from Venice by way of Paris to visit our nephew and his wife. Lyon is the third largest city in France and a beautiful medieval city with Roman ruins! We arrived in Lyon on Saturday evening and walked to the Rhone River bank, one of the two rivers that divide Lyon. The other is the Saone. As it was Saturday night the area was filled with young people! The next day this same area was the location of the local farmers' market. 

Sunday we took a walk through the city and visited the oldest part , walked through the large central square, and headed to the hill overlooking the city. 

My favorite structure on the hill was the Metallic Tower of Fourvière. At 1/3 the height of the Eiffel Tower, it was built three years later in 1894. The tower once contained a restaurant at the top. It is no longer open to the public and is now primarily a radio and television tower, as it stands at the highest point in Lyon. A funicular takes people to the top of this hill to visit the nearby Catholic Basilica and see the tower. 

The view from this hill above Lyon is remarkable! 

We took a walk through the city's Central Park. The roses are gorgeous! 

Lyon is known for its cuisine, and we certainly have experienced that. We had lemon-basil gelato while walking through the old city (great flavor)! 

My favorite restaurant so far is Les Apothecaires, where we ate last evening and had the best meal on this trip! I know, food porn, but it was an incredible meal! 

Earlier yesterday we took a wine tour of the Cotes du Rhone. The vineyards hug the south facing mountainsides above the river. We stopped in Malleval, a town from the eleventh century and had some wine while viewing the town from above. Lovely! Then we traveled on to the winery of Domaine de Corps de Loup. Great stop! 

Today we headed to Annecy! This beautiful town is grounded by a turquoise colored lake and surrounded by mountains. The canals leading into the lake are bordered by shops and restaurants and are inhabited by ducks and swans. We saw a swan family as it swam by. 

Tomorrow we head home to Maryland. We are so glad we stopped in Lyon! Thank you Derek and Sonia for the lovely visit! 

Visiting Venice

Venice is beautiful but exhausting. The best way to get around is on foot. The vaporettos and gondolas ply the Grand Canal and will take you close, but you will still walk down narrow alleys and over numerous bridges to reach your next destination. 

St. Mark's Basilica is undoubtedly the most beautiful church I have visited on this trip. The mosaics that cover the ceilings and the marble covering the floors and walls are incredible. No photography is allowed within the church or the museum area where the original four horses are displayed, so I took a few outside only. 

Venice is the city of Tintoretto and Titian and the birth of the republican form of government. This form was considered democratic, but essentially meant government by the aristocracy. 

The election of the Doge, the head of the government, was designed to avoid corruption and influence by any one group of the aristocracy. It supposedly worked well until Napoleon conquered Venice. 

Venice today is supported by tourism. The challenges facing the city are unsustainable tourism, that is, the visitor spending only a few hours visiting St. Mark's Square; the increased flooding of the city due to climate change; and the decreased population because of the high cost of living in Venice. 

We had our last gelato in Venice this afternoon. And it was terrific! 

Florence Addendum

Florence is formidable, which is probably why a few days isn't nearly enough to fully appreciate it. 

The Medici family ruled Florence during much of its history, even though Florence is generally thought of as a republic. This banking family was responsible for much of what makes Florence worth a visit, simply because they paid for much of the art. 

They even have a church that was built with their money and is the burial place of all the principal members of the Medici family, the Basilica San Lorenzo. 

The church had one thing I especially enjoyed in Florence, although others found it underwhelming. A wing of the complex houses the Laurentian Library, designed by Michelangelo in a style called mannerism. This library holds one of the first collections of ancient manuscripts and early printed books, the personal library of the Medici family and built under the patronage of a Medici, Pope Clement VII. 

The library reading room is not often open to the public. The library is lined with reading desks containing the chained manuscripts and books. The outside column of each desk holds the list of what could be found in that row. The librarian in me liked this. 

Yesterday we had tried to find a restaurant called Brac, housed in a contemporary art bookstore. We were unsuccessful. Today Mike and I tried again and found that it did indeed exist, but did not open until a bit later. It was definitely worth the hunt! 

Florence Art and Architecture

Florence is the home of Renaissance art. Michelangelo's David is here, arguably the best sculpture ever. He was influenced by Donatello, whose David is depicted as the adolescent he supposedly was. (Some undergraduates call him "Puss in Boots.") He is next to St. George in the Bargello Museum.

The Ufizzi has a collection of paintings that overwhelm. One afternoon is too little to take them in properly. Botticelli, Giotto, Lippo, da Vinci and more in the 60+ rooms. 

Botticelli's Venus

Botticelli's Spring

Michelangelo's Holy Family

Da Vinci's Annunciation

Lippo's Adoration of the Magi

The Duomo's Cathedral Museum contains the original "Gates of Paradise" by Ghiberti and a very striking "Magdalen" as an old woman, by Donatello. 

It also contains Michelangelo's second "Pieta," never finished as he was dissatisfied with his progress. 

Florence is the home of great leather and more. The Ponte Vecchio is a must see, especially near sunset, as the shops on the bridge close for the day. 

Brunelleschi's Dome takes the simple Duomo from spartan to elegant. 

The Baptistry next door, however, has a ceiling of gold mosaics, with the mosaic that partially inspired Dante's Inferno, from "The Divine Comedy."