At the Top of Lyon

I excitedly left the hostel this morning to explore more of Lyon. All the roads in the old part of town are made of cobblestones and all the roofs are terra-cotta tile. Of course, this is classic Europe. But it's so nice to be back. The buildings are all a minimum of five stories high, which makes it very interesting to walk through the streets with no idea what's beside you on the next street. I took a funicular up to the top of the hill to see the Fourvière Basilica and ended up talking to a lovely local lady at a lookout point in front of the church. She was immensely proud of her city, and as we sat overlooking the entire city, she pointed out some must see sights around town. The line of trees running through the centre of town is the marker of the Rhône River. The black cylindrical dome is the Opera House. She pointed out the university area and told me about her own time there for school. After a while, she left to meet her friends in a nearby art gallery and I was struck by the fact that if I had been traveling with someone else, I probably never would have had that encounter.

Then again, if I had been traveling with someone else, my imaginary partner never would have allowed me to have a four hour nap in the middle of the afternoon. Jet lag sucks.