Two years ago on Christmas day, I took the TGV from Paris to Lyon to have lunch at Restaurant Paul Bocuse. After a leisurely four-hour meal, my friend and I toured the city a bit before catching the bullet back to Paris.
As night fell, we were treated to a magical walk.
Beneath the gaze of the many-spired Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière from across the Saône River to the city’s west, we discovered a spirited carnival in play at Place Bellecour, a large field in the middle of the city.* There was a carousel, game stalls, and an enormous ferris wheel. It appeared as if the whole city had turned out to play in the winter parkland.
From there, we turned and headed east toward the Rhône River at Place Antonin Poncet. At the water’s edge, we stumbled upon a rainbow of flowers sprouting from the ground, a winter bouquet aglow. It was surreal.
Although this photo has appeared on my blog before, I can’t help but repost it, a memory of a Christmas past. For this twenty-sixth photo of the week, I give you Lyon from the banks of the Rhône, with that ferris wheel at Place Bellecour riding above the city in the background, and Notre-Dame de Fourvière on the cliffs beyond.
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* The Bellecour Room – the private dining side of Restaurant Daniel – is named after this famous town square in Daniel Boulud’s hometown.
