St Malo to Paris to Lyon

Yesterday after a relaxed breakfast we taxied to Gare St Malo, and boarded a TGV (Train Grande Vitesse - Very Fast Train), and travelled to Paris at 295 km/hr! We broke the journey at a 4-star hotel, with the smallest room I think I have ever slept in with another person. Thoughts of swinging cats!

This morning we crossed Paris to the Gare de Lyon (cover picture), boarded another TGV heading for Lyon, Wonderful way to travel!.

It was about 3pm when we reached Hotel Des Artistes, in a great location for the things we want to see.while we’re here. But we had to begin with something to eat, so we went to the closest cafe, and enjoyed Assiettes de Jesus, which turned out to be acres of salami with small gherkins and French bread, washed down with a beer.

Needing a walk, we crossed the river (the Saône) on a large footbridge. The first thing we saw on the other side was a statue of a nude man with another obviously dead man in his arms. This sculpture is titled “The Weight of One’s Self” - both the faces are identical. a great statue, but very deep, Des preferred “a French episode of Bondi Rescue”!

Further we came to the Cathédrale de Sainte-Jean-Baptiste, or St Jean, as the locals call it. This Cathedral, now a UNESCO World Heritage site, was begun in 1180, on the ruins of a sixth century church. It was not completed until 1486. Over the centuries, it has been the location of a papal council (1245), a conclave of cardinals electing a pope (1316), and the site of the marriage of Henri IV of France and Marie De Medici (1600). Famous visitors included Emperor Napoleon and Josephine (1805), and in more recent times, Pope John Paul II, and ecumenical patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. The Cathedral was fully renovated in 2012, Apart from being a spiritual centre, the church is a historic monument wIth many important art works.

Two associated churches nearby were destroyed in the French Revolution, and only ruins like the arch in the photo, remain.

Today being the 1st of June, Desiree wanted to light a candle for her late cousin Editha, whose birthday was today. Her candle is the stongest in the photo! The painting above the altar was originally from Notre Dame de Paris. This is one of a series of paintings sponsored in the 17th century by the Guilds (associations of skilled craftsmen) of Paris, to be hung in Notre Dame.

The next photo is of the beautiful Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, where people stop to pray.

While we were in the church, we saw and heard the 17th century astronomical clock. WOW!

At 4.45 we joined a river cruise from the centre of Lyon. We went up the river for a while, and then came back down and carried on to the Confluence, where the River Rhône (blue water, coming from the Alps) joins the River Saône (green water, rising in northern France), On the way we saw some amazing buildings that Lyonnais have given nicknames to:: the orange Cheddar Cheese, the starship Enterprise,, and the green Pencil Sharpener. All along the banks of the river were converted barges, houseboats, restaurants, and even nightclubs!

Another great day! More Lyon tomorrow.Baca lagi