Looking for traboules

Another day in Lyon, and we’d heard about a riverside market not too far away, so made that our first port of call.

The old centre of Lyon sits between two rivers – the Rhône (which runs through Switzerland and France) and the Saône, which flows into it just south at La Confluence.

We were staying close to the Saône, and there’s a nice walkway along its eastern bank. Looking across there are some great views of the cathedral, the basilica, and the Palais de justice (law courts) building with its 24 columns.

We found the market – not huge nor busy – and bought a few things for later, and had a quick walk around some nearby streets scouting out restaurants for possible lunch and/or dinner later.

Then we walked back, also stopping for one of many visits to the local boulangerie (bakery). We were eating a lot of baguettes and fine cheese on this trip.

Before our next joint outing I went for a walk up to the Perrache interchange where we’d arrived two days earlier.

It’s undergoing renovation, but combines the railway station (including high speed and regional train services), a metro station, a bus interchange, and trams into one complex.

Back home in Melbourne the new Anzac station has been lauded for its train/tram interchange – because you don’t have to cross any roads to connect. But you do have to go up or down two levels.

Lyon has bettered this. For southbound connections between the metro and the trams, you just walk through a fare gate and cross a platform. It’s a little more complicated for some other connections, but the distances are far shorter than at Anzac station.

With frequent services on both the metro and the trams, it seemed to be working – many of the trams I saw were packed.

Next we headed to Place Bellecour, a public square a short walk from the flat, to meet our tour guide at the statue of Louis XIV on a horse.

We’d organised a tour of the old city. We started by heading towards the river, noting the historic Célestins, Théâtre de Lyon, and nearby an amazing structure built into one of the underground car parks.

On the other side of the river, we found the funicular station. Two separate lines, F1 and F2, run from here, but F1 was out of service for maintenance, I noticed with amusement there were signs pointing people to the funicular-replacement bus.

Fair enough too. Funiculars work with two counterweighted trains, linked by a cable. The previous month there had been a catastrophic accident on a funicular in Portugal. Clearly, correct maintenance and safety checks are essential.

So we boarded line F2, which took us up the hill towards the basilica. Both funicular lines are part of the general public transport network TCL, not specifically for tourists.

At the top we looked through the Basilica of Notre Dame of Fourvière,, with our guide explaining some of the history. And the views from the terrace are terrific.

Nearby is a tower that at first glance looks very like the Paris Eiffel Tower. The Tour métallique de Fourvière was built just a few years later, and at one stage had tours and a restaurant, but is now used for broadcasting.

Back down on the funicular and then we walked around the area closer to the river, with our guide showing us the cathedral.

And then the main event: the traboules – hidden-in-plain-sight walkways and shortcuts through many of Lyon’s old town buildings. Some go back centuries, and as the city has developed, their usage has changed – from quick transfer of goods to facilitate the silk trade, to escape routes for the Resistance during WW2, to the tourists of today.

Mostly they are in private buildings but open to the public by agreement with the city to cover maintenance and repair costs.

In some cases you can’t cut through, but can go in to observe some of the courtyard spaces and architecture inside the apartment buildings.

Official info and our guide reminded us to keep the noise down to minimise disturbance to residents. I’d imagine it becomes a problem with big tour groups.

It was terrific to see, and unlike anything at home.

Sure, Melbourne has its obscure laneways, but nothing quite like this.

We thanked our guide profusely, and caught a bus back to the apartment.

Two of us were going out to a fancy restaurant nearby. One had not much of an appetite, and me… I didn’t feel 100%.

I’d noticed a sore throat and a increasing cough since the day we left Paris. A RAT test had proved negative, but rather than go out to a lengthy dinner that I’d cough my way through, I went and got a chicken burger from a local takeaway called Nashville Hot Chicken. I doubt they were actually from Tennessee, but it was pretty tasty.

One more full day in Lyon tomorrow, and still some more exploring to do.