Erin and I left Lille in a rental car since there was a train strike. We had hit the road without eating much and knew we wouldn't make it all the way to our destination in Lyon. Erin's research lead us to the city of Reims and it made for a great stop. We had a fantastic lunch, visited the incredible Gothic cathedral, some Ancient Roman sites, and wandered by a few other beautiful buildings and streets before getting back on the road. Driving on French freeways isn't the best experience - the truck speed limit is far too low and no one drives at a consistent speed - good luck trying to use cruise control(the car did end up coming in handy later in Provence though). We arrived in Lyon in the evening and met our AirBnb host - we were sleeping above her art studio/gallery space in Vieux Lyon(the old town) and it wasn't long before we were smitten and thinking we should have planned more time for this city.
Notre-Dame de Reims - one of the best examples of a Gothic cathedral in Europe. Most of the French Kings were crowned here. This was the view from where we parked.
This is also an interesting example of what its like to be a photographer while traveling - this isn't near the best shot of the Reims Cathedral - but it is the best shot I could take at the moment. It was an unplanned stop at midday - if I was shooting this for work I would have planned to be there at the perfect time of day to catch the perfect light. I don't have the luxury while traveling. So, although I'd like to think many of my "vacation photos" are better than your average joe's - some of them are still simply vacation snaps.
I am glad I decided to bring my super-wide-angle lens on this trip - it came in handy often. I would bring it with me during the day but then switch to my 35mm f/1.4 at night.
The ceiling was destroyed during WWI from German shelling. Rockefeller actually donated a bunch of money to rebuild it. There is still an ongoing restoration.
The scale of these giant Gothic churches awes today - I can only imagine what it would have been like when it was being built in the 1200's.
We had lunch at this cafe. We weren't even 100% sure what we ordered but it was really good. The waiter didn't speak much English but combined with Erin's French we got by - and it was enduring how hard the waiter was trying.
The view from where we were sitting - the ancient Roman Forum.
We stopped in this bakery which had some of the most beautiful bread & pastries.
So pulling out my Rick Steve's guidebook I decided we should walk over and see the Porte Mars - a Roman triumphal arch that was once part of the city gates and the widest in the Roman world. Erin kept pointing at the map and saying we were there. I didn't want to believe it. As you can probably guess it was behind this scaffolding and I was quite let down...
We arrived in Lyon when it was just getting dark. We met our host and then headed out for dinner.
Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière - we went to check it out the next day.
Vieux Lyon "Old Lion" was so cool.
This was a super early Peugeot in a shop window(did I mention I like French bikes?)
Look how cool that chain ring is.
We had one of the best meals of the trip here. The waitress asked us if we had seen the menu outside before she let us order - it was very French.
Cathédrale Saint-Jean
Erin in the AirBnb
It was such a cool little apartment above the gallery/studio. I didn't photograph the downstairs but I do have some video that will be posted soon.
In the morning we crossed the river and went to find some good coffee and breakfast.
Both of the cathedrals in the old town.
Iglesia de St-Nizier
City Hall
Fontaine Bartholdi
The sculptor, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, also made the Statue of Liberty.
Did I mention that I like bikes and bike shops on this blog before?
Prices
??
Views
With Erin's line of work we made sure to work in as many markets as possible(not that we wouldn't have enjoyed them anyways).
Market field trip.
All of the olives.
We took this funicular up the hill on our way to check out the Roman Theaters.
"The Greek Theater" - the smaller of the two.
The larger Roman Theater - originally built in 15BC it was enlarged in the second century to seat 10,000. "The upper deck" is now in ruins but the lower bowl is still used today.
Shooting some black and white film. Can't wait to get the chance to develop that. I think I shot three rolls.
This view would have been obscured in ancient time by the sound wall - it is pretty incredible now though.
Just can't get enough...
We walked to The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière from the theaters - its not a super old church(built in the late 1800s) but is beautiful inside and out and has commanding views of the city.
Lyon is France's third largest city.
Really ornate - really amazing.
The mosaics on one side were religious history and French history on the other.
We decided to walk back down the hill.
Les Traboules - Lyon's "secret passageways". Behind some doors on buildings are passageways between blocks - they are technically private but if you are respectful they can be explored.
Just a classic French scene - the light was perfect.
Looking up.
We walked a lot of miles in France - but I probably still gained weight....
This was the view from our lunch spot. We were saying that in the US restaurants would have a painting of this on the wall.
An astronomical clock in Cathédrale Saint-Jean originally built in 1383. One of Europe's oldest.
I believe this window was an original.
After checking out the cathedral we were back in the car and on the road. We were "heading to the sun" - Provence - or so we thought....
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