We travelled to Lyon, France for a frosty wintertime escape and took many photos of the captivating scenes. This is the third post of a four part series, a story about the colour and texture of Lyon’s cityscape from a personal frame of reference. Instead of capturing the all the typical highlights, this is a curated view of Lyon, a photographic essay of the city experience in the wintertime. Highlights vary from cityscapes to little details from our perspective framed in the viewfinder.

Lyon is a lovely French destination that has character, depth and grit. The city is not pristine and it tells stories through its imperfections. Lyon’s edge is seen in contrasts between the old and modern additions to the city and in the ornate historic details alongside graffiti and tags. The combination of colourful architectural details next to splashy street art is intriguing. Perhaps it is the harshness of the time of year, but in any case Lyon is authentic, complex and beautiful.

Despite the frosty temperatures, some locals are still spotted dining on patios with tiny coffees and pastries in the morning and wine and warm meals in the evening. We much prefer purchasing breakfast at a little boulangerie in the neighbourhood and enjoying the meal in the warmth of our cozy apartment. Eating ‘à la bonne franquette’ is a lovely option when you can pick up a selection of local cheese, bread, vegetables and desserts at the Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse market.

This collection of images includes a chilly morning walk through France’s largest urban park, Le Parc de la Tête d’Or located in central Lyon. La Place Bellecour, the large town square in the shopping and tourist area, is located on the Presqu’île between the The Rhône and Saône rivers. In the winter a Ferris wheel is installed in the square and lights up the night sky. Lyon also has some steep vertical geography with two hills, to the west is known as Le Fourvière, where La Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière towers over the city, and to the north La Croix-Rousse. There is a lot to see at La Place des Terreaux including the grandiose Fontaine Bartholdi and Lyon’s fine arts museum, Musée des beaux-arts de Lyon. Throughout the city, buildings and church exteriors are adorned with exquisite detail including the lion motif, the seal of Lyon. We were lucky to have friends living in the city to give us the best tour and who where patient with all of the photography stops along the way.

Hope you have enjoyed this travel documentary in pictures and text. The fourth and final part of the series Wintertime in Lovely Lyon, France will be posted next week. This is your invitation to pour a warm drink and return to explore again! I welcome you to view the other posts in the series, the links are listed below.

Links to Wintertime in Lovely Lyon, France Series:

Wintertime in Lovely Lyon, France ~ Part One

Wintertime in Lovely Lyon, France ~ Part Two

Wintertime in Lovely Lyon, France ~ Part Four

I always wonder what my life would be like in French.

 Dabbling in living with a little translation :: TRADUIRE LA VIE

Photographic Credit: VinnyBoy Images 18, 32, 35, 36, 42