May 28, 2018
Lyon
City of silks and cycles
May 28 Monday
Lyon
City of silks and cycles
Monday May 28th
We discover gas! There are four Au Vieux Campeur stores in one street. We identify with the title. Each shop sells a different selection of sporting equipment. We are directed there from the posh sports shop in centre, which sells Jetboil but not the gas. Go figure!
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Lots of walking today: to the heights of the Basilica de Notre Dame des Fourvière, through the narrow streets of Vieux Lyon with its hidden staircases and traboules ( passages), and down to the other river of Lyon - the Saône, last seen on our 2016 cycle trip.
Of great interest are the Punch and Judy style of puppets. In the early 1800s Laurent Mourguet, an unemployed silk worker, with family of eleven hungry mouths to feed took up dentistry – or rather, pulling teeth in the streets – he used his Polichinelle puppet to distract his clients from the pain of his dreaded pliers. This in turn attracted crowds of curious onlookers and he eventually gave up on teeth pulling and in 1808 Guignol the mischief making puppet was born. The Lyonnais Puppet Theatre still keeps the tradition going.
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We see a live silkworm in a display case, and admire the fabrics and colourful clothing in shop windows. The silk weavers were established by a Piedmontese under Francis I who gave them tax free status.
Lyon is also a city of cyclists with a great network of paths including those along both sides of the river. Fancy dress isn't a requirement as all genders, cultures and ages fly by.
The washing is done, the diary up to date, and train strikes notwithstanding, we shall get to Vienne in the morning. Otherwise the route is on a very busy road.
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