I hadn't been to Lyon since I attended a wedding with my French girlfriend, and twice beat the male guests at boules, thereafter refusing to play a third game on the grounds that they weren't good enough. It went down like a lead balloon, but I have my standards.
I decided that a return visit was in order, it has been several years now, and I felt fairly confident that the boule-ists had long since moved on.
The greatness of Lyon’s past is truly matched by its present-day cultural dynamism and diversity.
Its location, at the meeting point of two great rivers, was always a guarantee of prominence, and today Lyon (usually spelt Lyons in English) is France’s second city.
Many would agree that for the visitor, Lyon offers so much more than Paris - of course, many would also disagree. But I find there is an intimacy and warmth about the bouchons of Lyon that is often lacking in Parisian equivalents.
Lyon’s geography is dominated by the Rhône and Saône rivers that converge to the south of the historic centre forming a peninsula, or ‘Presqu’île’; two large hills, one west and one north of the historic city centre; and a large plain which sprawls eastward from the historic city centre.
The original medieval city (Vieux Lyon) was built on the west bank of the Saône river at the foot of the Fourvière hill. This area, along with portions of the Presqu'île and much of the Croix-Rousse is recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. To the west is Fourvière, the location of the basilica of Notre-Dame, several convents, the Tour métallique (half an Eiffel Tower) and a funicular railway. To the north is the Croix-Rousse, traditionally home to many small silk workshops, an industry for which the city was once renowned.