Lyon AirBnB Experience

Published on January 20, 2018May 7, 2024 by joannaalmasude

Jan 15 – 20, 2018 we stayed at a cosy little studio in the Bellecour area of Lyon, to be specific it is 3 Rue Émile Zola 69002 Lyon. You can see the link to the AirBnB Ad here. It was a great experience and just large enough for Amar and I… and all 6 of our bags. The kitchen area was large enough for us to make all our meals. The private bath was nice – however the shower was too small for anyone overweight. I know I wouldn’t have fit in it a few years ago. I’m not sure what floor the apartment was on – seems like the 5th or 6th, so the elevator was necessary for our stay and easy to use.

The best part about this studio apartment was the location! Literally you walk a few steps to the right corner and you see the beautiful huge fountain at Place des Jacobins. You walk 1 and 1/2 blocks to the left and you are at the Place Bellecour!! You can see the La Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière from just about every where you walk near the studio.

We spent 5 days in this location and everyday was full of exploration! It was a little rainy, but we rarely needed an umbrella. Overall it was a wonderful experience and made exploring and researching Lyon a pleasure!

Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste in Lyon

Published on January 16, 2018May 7, 2024 by joannaalmasude

We visited the Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste on January 16th 2018, and it was very interesting. It was easy to walk to from our place between the two rivers. This Cathédrale is in the old city.

Architectural styles: Gothic architecture and Romanesque architecture
Opened:1480
Region: Rhône-Alpes

The most interesting item in the Cathedral is the Astronomical Clock. Here is some more information about the clock I found through research:

Astronomical clock

The astronomical clock of the Primatiale is one of the oldest in Europe.
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After Cluny (1340, now disappeared), Strasbourg (1354), it is in Lyon in 1379 that a clock clockwork with astronomical mechanisms is installed. The first document relating the existence of the clock of the cathedral dates from 1383.

The clock is composed of a square tower of 1.80 meters side surmounted by an octagonal turret in which evolve automatons. Two fixed statuettes represent the first two bishops of Lyon: Saint Pothin and Saint Irénée. The work ends with a dome supporting a rooster that rises 9 meters above the ground (the total height is 9.35 m).

The clock rang every day at 12:00, 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00. The automata then start moving: An angel on the left turns his hourglass, another on the right makes the conductor Rooster sings 3 times, raises neck, opens bill, flaps wings Three of the six angels surrounding “The Heavenly Father” operate the hammers of the bells playing the hymn of St. John the Baptist: “So that we may sing the marvelous facts of your life, wash the sin that defiles our mouth, O Saint John the Baptist

UT queant laxis
REsonacre fibris
MIra gestorum
FAmuli tuorum
Pollute SOLVE
LAbii reatum
Sancte Ioannes.

The Swiss turns quickly, starts his round, salutes with his head and hand Mary turns to the Angel Gabriel, the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descends from the ceiling that opens “The Heavenly Father” blesses his people by three times The Swiss finish his round while the big bell under the cock sounds the new time

To complete the perpetual calendar, an ecclesiastical almanac specifies in particular the dates of Ash Wednesday (first day of Lent), Easter, Ascension, Pentecost and Advent until 2019.

Here are some more photos from today’s adventure:

Lyon the Old City!

Published on January 16, 2018May 7, 2024 by joannaalmasude

We explored the Old City of Lyon on January 16, 2018, actually we didn’t plan the trip, we stumbled over it while walking. And it was a very nice discovery! The old city is to the east of where we are staying, across the bridge over the Saône river. The main road through the old city is called Rue Saint-Georges. It’s cute and it was all dressed up for the Christmas holiday. There are many quaint shops, each pretty unique. There were a few museums, Miniature Museum and Theater, Musee des Automates Vieux Lyon, as well as Saint-George Gallery. Most cost money to view, and our preference was to walk and see as much as the street antiquity as possible. We also visited the Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste, but I’ll leave that to another post.

Here are the photos I took of the old city. The photos do not really do it justice, and I highly recommend spending a day walking around the old city if you ever make it to Lyon!