Vieux Lyon

Vieux Lyon

On Tuesday, March 22nd, we got to explore vieux (old) Lyon. We started off the day by going CSI with our parteners in the morning, and then right before lunch we set out for the metro. The metro took us to a funicular that was located across the Rhône river, at the base of the hill that held the beautiful church, Fourvière. When we got to the top, we ate lunch on a terrace beside an amazing view of Lyon. After lunch, our tour guide met us by the terrace and talked a little about the geography of vieux Lyon. He then led us into Fourviére, which was absoluetly beautiful. There were many meticulous details inside which added a very special and sacred feel. After our tour, we started our way down the hill by foot. There were many great view points, and cool stone work that decorated the side of the hill. We walked through narrow cobblestone streets lined with old houses and buildings, and finally hit the base of the hill, where the heart of vieux Lyon was located. There were little shops and cafes everywhere, as well as beautiful, old, stone buildings. While walking through the streets, our guide pointed out various types of architecture, and explained a brief background on what they signified in the medieval time period. One that I thought was particularly interesting was the octagonal-shaped towers attached to the side of certain houses. He said that the octagonal shape was a flashy way the upper class showed their wealth to society. During medieval times, the towers held stairs used by servants. Poor citizens did not have stairs in their homes, as they didn't have servants, nor the money to pay for multi-floored homes. Along with looking at architecture, we also walked through many passageways called traboules. Traboules were first implemented to help bring supplies to stores and businesses from ships docked in the Rhône faster. This was because since buildings and streets are parallel to the river, the trip to stores in the center of the city very long as you would have to walk to the end of a row of buildings. Now citizens use traboules to get around the city easier. We concluded our visit by the metro station, and headed back to CSI to meet our parteners. 

-Hannah Posencheg