Lyon is a complex and beautiful city in France. A wintertime trip has taken us across the Atlantic to visit this gorgeous urban destination. This is the fourth and final post in the series about the trip. The series tells 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.

A favourite piece of history is the traboules of Lyon. Both Vieux Lyon and the slopes of La Croix-Rousse are known for their narrow passageways called traboules that pass through buildings and link streets on either side. The traboules allowed the neighbourhood residents to get from their homes to the Saône river quickly. Historically renowned for its silk industry, Lyon was known as the silk capital of the world. La Croix-Rousse’s silk district was home to many small silk workshops. The traboules also allowed the canuts, the silk workers, on the hill to get quickly from their workshops to the textile merchants at the base of the hill, protected from the elements. Wandering through these secretive passageways with historical textile connections is unique to Lyon.

Dressed in a red wool coat to wander the wintry streets of Lyon, so many sights made the heart beat faster. Lyon is divided up into nine arrondissements neighbourhoods, like Paris and Marseille. From beautiful architecture and historic landmarks to elegant building facades the streets of Lyon are romantic. Pretty bridges line the banks of the Rhône and Saône rivers which meet in the centre of the city. The Hôtel de Ville, the Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Lyon, the hillside steps of the Roman-era theatre ruins, and La tour métallique de Fourvière, the steel framework TV tower replicating La tour Eiffel, each make Lyon extra special. Visions of spectacular wine, cheese and chocolate market offerings are unforgettable. It was a somber morning to start our journey home. We left Lyon’s Part-Dieu station via the TGV headed to Paris.

Hope you have enjoyed this travel documentary in pictures and text. Lyon was a lovely place to visit in the wintertime. Looking forward to visiting again one day to see the city come to life in another season. I welcome you to enjoy the collection of images in the other posts of the Wintertime in Lovely Lyon, France 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 Three

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 36, 62, 63, 72