Lovely Lyon

After spending my leave at home, I still had a few days off which I didn’t want to waste. Kirsty, my lovely ex-flatmate who is now living in Hong Kong (once you’ve got the travel bug, it never leaves you!) invited me along on a little trip to Lyon. It was one of the places that she’d never got round to visiting in her four year stint in Dubai, so I booked my tickets and hopped on the plane!

Kirsty had already arrived the night before, so she gave me instructions on how to get to our hotel and came and met me outside. Just in time for a lovely sunset stroll and some delicious French food and wine!

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The next day we were up bright and early, and after a very typical French breakfast of baguettes and cafe au lait, we were on our way. Kirsty had already done quite a bit of exploring the day before, but luckily she was happy to see some things again!

Our first stop was the market, perfect for a Sunday morning.

To get there we walked past so many beautiful buildings, and up a whole lot of stairs!

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At the top of the stairs, the view over the city was stunning. We stopped to admire the view (and get our breath back!) before continuing on up to the market.

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Once we arrived, it seemed to go on for miles, and we strolled through smelling the delicious fresh flowers and fruit and veg, and attempting to practice our French! We picked up a few cherries, apricots and peaches, for a mini picnic later on.

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After we’d made our way through hundreds of stalls, we wandered on down to our next stop, the Basilique Notre Dame de Fourviere. Although it looks like an incredibly ornate castle, it’s actually a cathedral, where regular services are still held.

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To get there, we had a bit of a walk (and we only got lost once!). Nothing our cabin crew legs can’t handle!

We walked all along the river, and there were plenty of people out on bikes enjoying the beautiful sunshine.

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Everywhere we stopped, there was a beautiful view of the hills and pretty colourful houses. We even stumbled upon another market, which was just closing up for lunchtime. We stopped to admire the pretty flowers and were both given a rose by the stall holder!

We had to cross the river to get to the other side of the city, which would take us up to the Basilica.

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There were plenty of bridges leading over to the other side, and we made our way through the winding streets, stopping for some delicious ice cream on the way.

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Before making our way up the many steps to the Basilica we stopped to admire another beautiful church. Lyon really is full of such lovely buildings!

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Once we reached the top of the steps (I’m sure there are over 500!) it was so worth it. There’s a panoramic view over the whole city and we stood admiring it for quite a while, before going inside the cathedral to have a look around.

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On the same site, not too far from the cathedral, there is an amphitheatre, which is hundreds of years old. It’s is actually still in use, as we could see from the stage and lights all being set up!

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The area surrounding the cathedral is full of beautiful flowers, and there’s a lovely rose garden which we wandered through. We found a park bench in the shade and stopped to enjoy our market feast!

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We wandered back down the hundreds of steps (in around half the time it took us to come up, I’m sure!) and back through the cobbled streets to find somewhere for a late lunch.

After a delicious 3 course meal (when in Rome…or Lyon!) we crossed back over the river towards the centre of town….and happened to stumble upon this beautiful fountain, decorated for the Festival of Roses!

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Our walk back towards our hotel took us through a pretty square, which looked right up towards the cathedral (or castle, as I like to think of it!)

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The day ended with a beautiful sunset, and we packed up our bags and got back on the train to head towards the airport, not before stopping for one last coffee in the sunshine.

Although it was only a short trip, I had such a lovely time exploring a beautiful city in France with Kirsty, our last adventure together before she left Dubai! Thanks so much for inviting me along, and here’s to all your new adventures in Hong Kong! 🙂

P.s. Follow me on Instagram & Twitter for more regular updates of where I am in the world! 🙂

17 Comments

  1. Abena
    June 29, 2015 / 3:16 am

    Hi dear,i follow ur blog and i must say God richly bless you for your kind heart,i have Ad early next month,ive read more abt ur interview tips and all,done more research studied more images of the city but im still scared.I feel its not enough.Any advice for me please.Thanks and God bless u for ur beautiful heart.

  2. June 29, 2015 / 1:57 am

    Can I ask what camera you use? It takes beautiful shots 🙂

  3. lucy
    June 25, 2015 / 9:35 pm

    Wooow i had no idea Lyon is such a beautiful city!
    Your pics are awesome, as usually 🙂
    Btw Rachel, are you still with the boy, I believe his name was Harry or something like that?:-D

    • June 26, 2015 / 5:51 pm

      Me neither! It’s definitely a hidden gem, would highly recommend it 🙂 Haha Harry is my one of my younger brothers!

      • lucy
        June 27, 2015 / 3:59 pm

        Oh I meant your boyfriend, I forgot his name…:-(

  4. aggie
    June 24, 2015 / 6:54 am

    looks like a lovely romantic place to visit…. love following your posts.

  5. June 23, 2015 / 9:18 pm

    Still feels like you’ve just gone on a long holiday, can’t believe you’re not living here any more! 🙁 Hahah that chocolate mousse picture is not going anywhere near the blog 😉 xxx

  6. June 23, 2015 / 5:14 pm

    another great post! Lyon is a beautiful and charming. thank you so much for the tour! 🙂

  7. Vince
    June 23, 2015 / 4:41 pm

    Looks like a lovely trip in Lyon. Beautiful pictures!

  8. Margarida
    June 23, 2015 / 2:45 pm

    Hi Rachel!! When in the interview they mesure if you can reach the 212cm do they allow you to be in high heels?

    • Anonymous
      June 24, 2015 / 12:31 am

      No, you have to be bare foot.

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