A weekend in Lyon

Truth be told, Lyon was a weekend destination because the particular weekend we had in mind was also the weekend of the Marche de la Mode Vintage.   Once a year, the students of the Fashion University in Lyon organize a big market of vintage clothing and accessories and where both amateurs and professionals can come to buy and sell.  I had heard about this market but have never had the chance to actually go see it for myself until this year, that is.

It was a huge market. To house all the participants and visitors, whole affair took place in the biggest Wholesale Market inside the city Lyon which was indeed enormous.  There was a cheerful ambiance about the fair, everyone dressed in their vintage finest.  Clearly this was a gathering of fans and aficionados.   There were stalls and stalls of everything –clothes from all eras, shoes in all shapes and sizes (and varying conditions I might add) and tons of accessories.   Bakelite brooches shared precious space with swinging sixties glass love beads. And because this is a vintage fair after all, there were bags a plenty, in various leathers and skins.  And while the ambiance was fun and cheerful, there were also serious vintage buyers in the crowd—the ones with the ferociously concentrated expressions methodically looking through everything on offer.   Prices at the fair varied but were for the most part quite reasonable. It was quite a far cry from the rather snooty and stratospheric prices that were at the recent Salon du Vintage in Paris.  It was great fun discovering the Lyon vintage crowd and the welcome discovery that not everything vintage costs an arm and a leg.

Vintage fair aside, there are a lot of delightful things to see and do in Lyon.  The historic city center is even a UNESCO World Heritage site!  It is here that you see the Vieux Lyon’s famous traboules or secret passages. Taken from the Latin words “trans ambulare” meaning to pass through, the traboules wind their way beneath the old city, starting from one street and ending on another often going all the way up to fabulous spiral staircases.   Some of the older traboules date back to Roman times but most of them were constructed by the silk weavers during the 19^th century to facilitate the transport of silk which was a major industry in those times.  It is nice to walk along its narrow cobblestoned paths while admiring the different buildings, some of which have some beautiful Italianate colors. Of course part of the fun is going in and out of the different traboules.

After enjoying the charms of the old city, if you want to find the best view of the city, make your way up the Fourviere.  Once up there, take a few minutes to savor the panorama spread out from the viewpoint of the Basillique Notre Dame de Fourviere.  

Here's a view of the River Saone

Some of the more striking traboules...

The famous Rose Tower

Before closing this piece, there is one last piece of advice.  A visit to Lyon wouldn’t be complete without partaking of its culinary delights.  The city is renowned for its bouchon or a small friendly bistro serving traditional city cuisine.  They are great for the food, which is hearty and savory as well as the friendly ambiance that permeates the bouchon.  But if you really want to splurge, you can’t go wrong with either Paul Bocuse or Nicolas Le Bec.  Two memorable dining experiences designed to leave you full until the next day

A view of the Basilica ...

Along the banks of the River Rhone, they've constructed a playful water filled walkway

The city from the river Rhone side