Monthly Archives: November 2023

Dijon, France

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Day 71, Tuesday November 7, 2023

I forgot to post the drawings I did at the Lyon Zoo, so here they are.  It has been a long time since I have been able to draw at a zoo.  It was a cool day and most of the animals were out and easy to see.

Giraffes are hard to draw, they always look rather strange with their long thin necks and muscular bodies.

The monkeys are always fun but they tend to move around a fair bit.

Too bad it was time to go, I was really enjoying this, but the clouds were very dark and we wanted to get home before it rained.

I was really tired on the drive to Dijon after we left Cluny and when we arrived at our apartment I started to feel very congested…full of a head cold.  Darn…  Here is our apartment, it is tiny but has everything we need.  It is also on the third floor which was more like the sixth floor because the ceilings were so high and there were two flights of stairs for each floor.

This is our apartment building.  We are way up in the attic with dormer windows, on the back side of this building.

Here is the view from our windows over the roof tops.

We both stayed home today.  I wasn’t  feeling well and we were both happy to have a quiet stay home day.

Lyon to Cluny and Dijon

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Day 70,  Monday November. 6, 2023

This morning when Bob is taking our stuff out to the car he meets the sniffer dog in the hallway.  He was quite excited to start his bedbug hunt!  I’m sure he gets treats when he does his job well.

Today we are driving to Dijon with a stop in Cluny.   It is cloudy and rainy today and we are surprised to see these sunflowers still in full bloom.  They were finished and harvested over a month ago elsewhere.

In just an hour we arrive in Cluny, find a parking lot and paid .15€, which is about 24 cents,  for all day parking!  What a bargain, although I wondered why they even bothered to charge anything.  It is quite a walk to the Cluny Museum and it is raining and cold.

These medallions set in the road and sidewalks help us find our way…kind of like our walk in Vincent’s footsteps in Arles.  They were really helpful, and before too long we arrive at the museum.  We find out that the museum closes in half an hour so we barely have time to see everything.  Good thing it is a small museum.

The museum is all about the Cluny Abbey,  the oldest Abbey in France.  It was founded in 910.  This is a model of the Abbey in 1250 when it was at its peak.

The lady who works at the museum suggested we visit the library before it closes.  It has a lot of very old books and manuscripts but the room is not climate controlled, and I think the books are suffering because of that.

The books on display have warped, wrinkled pages…from moisture I wonder?  It seems a shame but everything costs money and I don’t think this little museum would have the funds to make the library climate controlled.  As soon as we left the library they locked the doors behind us…they kept it open so that we could see it.  Nice!

In the museum we see this carved stone with the same symbol as the bronze medallions that helped us find our way earlier.  It is called the ‘keystone of the paschal lamb’.  I looked up paschal and it means relating to Easter and the Jewish Passover.

There were interesting carved panels that lined one of the museum rooms.  Every circular design was different than the others.

These reliquaries were interesting.   The relic is usually so revered that the reliquary is traditionally made of precious metals or gems like these two below. Relics may include pieces of bone or hair, pieces of cloth, or natural objects that were significant in the lives of a saint or holy person.  The bottom photo is of two unusual portrait reliquaries.We have a rather quick look a the rest of the museum and then we are told that they need to close up so we go outside to find the ruins of the Abbey.  On the way we walk by a lovely medieval herb garden.

By the time of the French Revolution, hatred of the Catholic Church led to the suppression of the order in France in 1790 and the monastery at Cluny was almost totally demolished in 1810. Later, it was sold and used as a quarry until 1823!  This plaque shows what is left of the Abbey Church…only the black bits remain today.

The Abbey Church was the largest church in the world until the construction of the St Peter’s Basilica in Rome.  These are the remains of a few of the church pillars.

Our entrance to the museum also gives entrance to the Abbey.  There is a fantastic 3D film that shows the construction of the Abbey and we walk through many of the existing Abbey buildings.  Today only part of the transepts and bell tower remain of the Abbey Church. There is only 8% of the Church still in existence today, but that little bit is spectacular.  

It is 30 meters up to the vault above us.

Around 1100, Cluny and its monastic order held authority over 10,000 monks and 1,500 monasteries across Europe. The decline set in from the end of the Middle Ages. The abbey became the target of an entrepreneur who used explosives to demolish the buildings, and sold the stones as building materials!

There is a small chapel with sculptures of biblical figures.  Some of then still have bits of their original paint.  We are used to seeing sculptures as bare stone and it is easy to forget that they used to be colourfully painted.

We marvel at this intricately carved stone and wonder at the skill it would have taken to carve such delicate work.

The remaining abbeys is currently a trade school.  Here are some of the hallways around what used to be a cloister.

The granary has the most amazing wooden roof that was constructed using wooden dowels, which you can see in the bottom right photo.The basement of the grainery was used for storage.

Parts of the remaining abbey are shown their age and really need major repairs.

The cloister looks quite lovely… but when I hold my camera up to a broken panel in one of the doors along the cloister walkway this is what is inside!  Not what I was expecting.  I thought these doors would open into rooms but at least some of them seem to be storage rooms…for what looks like junk.

On our way back to the car we pass an artists studio, which is closed but I sneak a photo through the window.  

It is another two hour drive to Dijon and we see a lot of army trucks on the highway.  We wonder where they are going. 

The Lyon Zoo

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Day 69,  Sunday, November 5, 2023

We are going to visit the Lyon Zoo today.  We haven’t been to a zoo yet this trip and I love zoos.  I’m not sure what this one will be like as it is free.  Usually zoos are quite expensive…it takes a lot of money to take care of all those animals.

These beautiful Passion flowers covered a wall right beside our bus stop.

We find an outdoor market on our way to the indoor Lyon market. This is the first time we have seen the produce arranged in these metal bowls.  Only 2€ for a big bowl of lemons or tomatoes.  We bought a bowl of plums for 2€…they were good but it did add a couple pounds to Bob’s backpack for the rest of the day!

There are a lot of people shopping today.  The prices are very reasonable and the produce looks amazing.

This pedestrian street lead us to Les Halles de Lyon,…the indoor market.

I thought this was an interesting combination of buildings…old and new.

Inside there are many types of poultry, all with heads still attached.  This is so that it is easy to tell what type of bird you are purchasing. Apparently in “old times” people were being sold “this meat” as “that meat”, not getting what they paid for… so butchers were told to start leaving the heads/feathers/feet on birds they sell so that customers will know exactly what they’re buying.  This is still in practice today.  The spotted birds are guinea fowl and the brown gathered birds are pheasants!

We grow peas in our garden and shell huge bowls full when we harvest.  I never thought about how much it would cost to buy shelled peas…almost $60.00 a kg!

But that doesn’t even come close to the price of truffles!  WOW!!  That is over $2000 a kg!

French pastries are getting expensive too.  I sure notice the difference from when I was here nine years ago.  The big raspberry one is €59.90….or $86.00!  

Even these little pastries are 8.90€ each.

These micro macarons are the cutest, tiniest I have ever seen.  They are the size of a nickel…barely a mouthful!

The candied fruits look delicious.  I think we will have to try some before we leave France.

I have no idea how they make whole candied fruits?

I had to laugh at these monkey lamps!  I didn’t notice our reflections until I was editing photos for this post.

We arrive at the park and find a bench for our lunch and realize that we are in the zoo already.  The deer enclosure is huge with lots of grass and trees.  No fence, just a ditch to keep the animals in.  So far I am impressed.

The flamingos are always fun and they can be very noisy!

This is an old bear cage from many years ago.  It is left to show how zoos have improved the way animals are housed today.  I am so very glad that they are no longer in use…it is terrible to think of a bear living in here its entire life.

This Watusi, or Ankole cow shared an enclosure with the giraffes.

I love giraffes, and there are four beautiful ones in this zoo, including this young one.

They are just as interesting looking coming…

as they are going!

They have impossible necks that simply do not look strong enough to hold up their heads!  An interesting giraffe fact, they have seven vertebrae in their necks …exactly the same number of vertebrae as we have!

I don’t know the name of this cute little bird, but it ran around on the ground and it didn’t mind being close to people, even when some children tried to pet it.

One more flamingo photo…loved their reflections in the water.

The pelicans are amazing and their fathers have hints of pink and yellow.

The zoo has over 300 animals in 66 species.  We also saw many other animals including leopards, monkeys, and gibbons, but they weren’t in the mood to pose for photos!  The whole zoo is very well maintained, the animals look in great condition and their enclosures were clean and spacious with lots of trees, shrubs and grasses…it is all funded by the city of Lyon. We were very impressed.  It is a small zoo but just right for an afternoon visit.  

There is a play area for kids and we had fun watching children try their hand at harness racing…with reins that actually worked to steer their horses.  Then it looked like it was going to rain again, so we head of home. There was a downpour when we first arrived but we found shelter under the roof at a puppet theatre so we stayed dry.

Our metro station on the way home is not busy at all.

When we get home this notice is on the door to the building. The bedbug sniffer dogs are arriving tomorrow morning to check out nine apartments and returning on the 30th to recheck another 6 apartments.  There are 34 apartments in this building and looks like 14 of them have bedbug problems.  So far so good, there is no sign of them in our apartment….but I think it is a good thing we are leaving tomorrow morning

Lyon…Rain, Wind and More Rain!

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Day 68,  Saturday, November 4, 2023

Today is absolutely miserable out.  Gale force winds and lots of rain.  I was watching these poor pigeons sitting on the roof of the building next door.  You would think they would find somewhere better to hunker down and ride out the storm than the edge of a rooftop!

We are staying put today, it is even cold in our apartment.  Apparently the building management controls the heat, not individual owners and I am really feeling chilled.  When I contacted our hosts they tell me that there is an electric heater that we can use.  Yay!  It really makes a big difference.

Here is an interesting tidbit.  We noticed that two apartments have their doors taped shut and there is lot of powder on the ground around the doors.  Bedbugs??  It sure looks like they are fumigating for something…and one of the apartments is on the same floor as us, but at least it is at the other end of the hallway.  We have been lucky, no bedbug issues so far, although I always check the mattress when we move into a new place just to reassure myself that all is well.

 

Notre Dame of Lyon and Lugdunum

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Day 67, Friday, November 3, 2023

It is still not very nice outside but tomorrow is supposed to be even worse, so we take a bus and the metro to visit downtown Lyon.  Public transportation in Europe is so easy to use and much better than driving and trying to find a place to park.  We walk across the bridge over the Rhône River towards Notre Dame de Fourvière, the church high on the hill in this photo.

The funicular to the top is 3.50€ each and well worth it.  Sure saves us a lot of stairs.

Notre Dame de Fourvière is impressive.  It took 25 years to build, was completed in 1896, and is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.  This UNESCO World Heritage Site has over 2.5 million pilgrims and visitors each year.

We walk into the church and stop to stare in wonder.  This is one of the most richly decorated churches we have visited.

Everything is in immaculate condition, there are barely any signs of damage or wear.  The column are beautifully carved with magnificent capitals.

The floor is made of many small mosaic tiles interspersed with marble tiles.

A view of the altar and ceiling.  Gilt, marble, stained glass and coloured mosaics cover almost every surface.

On the sidewalls are six 50 square metre mosaic panels. Those on the left illustrate Mary’s relationship to the Church, and on the right, Mary’s relationship to France.

They are spectacular…but difficult to photograph.

There is so much to look at.

Here is a closeup of part of the ceiling…

which is also incredible.

We spend quite a while here, it is an awe inspiring church.  

This close up of one of the pillars shows their intricate decoration…all painstakingly carved from stone.

I need a photo beside these magnificent columns on the church steps.  It is quite cool and windy up here on the hill.  I am wearing 5 layers!

The crypt is closed today as they are setting up for some special event…we have not had much luck visiting crypts this trip.  But just outside the crypt there are these interesting molten candles.

We spend a bit of time at the lookout beside the church…

along with many others…but it is really cold and windy …

so after a selfie we head inside to a nearby café for hot chocolate, regional mushroom soup and a couple pastry treats.  It was so nice and warm inside!

Warmed up, and fortified, we set off in search or some Roman ruins.  These wishing trees are in the courtyard beside the church.

Nearby I spot this little fountain, just for dogs!

There are four church towers and each one represents one of the virtues…Prudence, Temperance, Fortitude, and Justice.

It is a short walk to the Lugdunum site.  Lugdunum was the capital of Roman Gaul in the 1st century.  During the Middle Ages it gradually became known as Lyon. These ruins are from the oldest theater in Roman Gaul and it is also one of the largest (108 m in diameter). we are pleasantly surprised that there is no fee to visit these ruins. It is a long ways down, and no railings. This theatre held 10,000 spectators.

Photos show where the theatre was completely concealed in 1933, partially excavated in 1934, and a view of the uncovered theatre in 1946.

Bob spotted these  bits of remaining marble that once covered the stone surface.

We wander through some of the back rooms and alleys, imagining what they must have been used for.

Pretty sure this was a takeout restaurant.  We saw very similar rooms in Pompeii where patrons could buy prepared food.

It is getting dark and the gates close soon so we walk back towards the funicular.

Everything looks different lit up for the night.

We decide we should walk about and see some of the old town of Lyon tonight.  The wind has died down and it is nicer than it was earlier in the day.  There is another huge church here and although it is impressive it looks so bare after visiting Notre Dame on the hill.

Interesting motto!

There were a lot of interesting little shops to peek into, although many of them were already closed for the night.  

We really enjoyed our leisurely stroll through Old Lyon.  The city is pretty at night, but it is getting late so we head home.

 

Lyon

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Day 66,  Thursday, November 2, 2023

When travelling for such a long time it is essential to schedule in some down days.  Today was one of those.  We drove to a big grocery store to replenish our supplies, did a couple loads of laundry, researched and planned activities for our stay here in Lyon, and worked on the blog…I seem to be forever playing catch up with my posts!  It is also cold, wet and windy so it is a good day to stay home.

Our apartment is on the sixth floor of an older building on the outskirts of Lyon.  On the way to Lyon we were commenting on how great it was that there was an elevator…but when we arrived last night we discover that it was out of order!  Yesterday was All Saint’s Day, which is a French National holiday, so there were no repairs scheduled until today.  Last night we only took up the bare essentials with the hope that the elevator would be repaired today.  We were lucky and by mid afternoon it was once again in working order.

Our hosts are an older couple who took great pride in explaining everything we needed to know about the apartment. They only spoke French and I was pleased that I was able to understand and respond in French.  All that Duolingo online French is paying off!

We had a very frightening experience last night.  In the dark last night we drove past the gate to the apartment complex and had to turn around so we could get back to the gate.  Bob put his signal light on and just as he started to turn left a young man on a standing electric scooter came flying down the hill past us.  He swerved and barely missed hitting us…literally by inches.  He was going very fast and he was out of sight in seconds.  It  really shook us up.  If he would have hit us it would have been an awful accident.  What an idiot!  He was dressed all in black, had no lights, was going way too fast, and he was very lucky he wasn’t seriously hurt or killed.

 

 

Nîmes to Lyon and the Pont du Gard

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Day 65,  Wednesday, November 1, 2023

On our drive to Lyon we visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Pont du Gard.

The Pont du Gard is an aqueduct bridge built by the Romans in the 1st century AD.

At 50 meters high, it is the highest Roman aqueduct bridge in the world. It is made up of 3 rows of superimposed arches (6 arches on the first level, 11 arches on the second level and 47 arches originally on the third level). It is in remarkably good condition and is considered a masterpiece of human creative genius. The Pond du Gard is the only example of an ancient 3-story bridge still standing today.

Our tour takes us down to the river bank to see the strong foundations that have supported this bridge through many floods.  We are shown a photo of floodwaters that were higher than the level of the bridge above these bottom arches.

And today we are going to walk across the very top third level, inside the original water channel!  This old photograph from the museum on site shows where we will be walking and just how high above the river we will be.

Nearly a thousand men worked on this colossal project, and it was completed in just 5 years!  We climb up to the very top level inside a staircase for tourists that was constructed in 1842…and that little staircase took three years to complete!

We climb the spiral staircase and emerge on the top of the bridge.  WOW!!  We are 50 meters above the river and the views are amazing. This is looking downstream…

and this is upstream.

It is time to walk inside the water channel that supplied the city of Nîmes with water under pressure for 5 centuries!  Can you tell I am excited?

Portions of the top of the channel are open and allow us to see the calcifications that built up inside the  water channel and eventually stopped the flow of water in the 6th century. Bob had to duck in a few places… 

but I am just the right height!

The aqueduct carried an estimated 8,800,000 gallons of water a day over 50 km, to the fountains, baths and homes of the citizens of Nîmes.

The aqueduct had an average slope of just 25 cm per kilometer, over a distance of 50 kilometers.  That is an incredible feat of engineering 2,000 years ago.  Bob kindly acted as packhorse so that I could take photos and use my walking poles.

We exit on the far side of the river…

and I take one last photo of the inside of the water channel that shows how dark it was when we weren’t under one of the areas open to the sky.

Everyone lingers on this open section of the bridge, reluctant to leave.  It was an incredible experience.  We are so glad we decided to take the guided tour that allowed us do this.

Another tourist took this photo for us, and just about cropped Bob out of the picture!

We were way up there!!

The second level of the Pont du Gard had a road bridge added in the 18th century so that it could still be used as a transport bridge as the original bridge only had a narrow ledge beside the arches to use to cross the river.  Walking back along this bridge we are surprised to see a lot of soldiers walk by, both men and women.  We think they are heading out for maneuvers of some sort as they are all carrying big packs and have camouflaged faces.  

On the way back to we pass two magnificent old olive trees.  The average life span of an olive tree is 500 years and some can live as long as 1500 years!The rest of the drive to Lyon has has a lot of variety.  We pass interesting rock formations, a nuclear power plant right beside wind turbines, lots of small towns and villages on the distant hilltops, all under  an ever changing evening sky.

Our last restroom stop was a surprises.  I love foxgloves but didn’t expect to see them on the bathroom doors.

This is what the toll booths look like… and on the other side it is a free for all as all the lanes of traffic converge into just two or three lanes on the highway.  It was dark by the time we arrived in Lyon and it took a bit to find our apartment.  Google maps was a bit confused and tried to take us to the wrong building!