France 2015 – Day 8 / Lyon

OHHHHHH I am in the lap of luxury!!!

We feel like a million bucks in a business hotel at the Lyon airport – our last night.  You should see this room, especially after the bed-in-a-box we had in Avignon!!

The room is HUGE! there is a ton of place to put anything you want anywhere, a bunch of plugs so no matter where you want to settle in (bed, the desk, the couch by the window where I am currently sitting) you can effortlessly plug in what ever you want. King sized bed, lots of plush pillows, relaxing atmosphere, spa-like bathroom…. terrific.

I could not end my vacation without diving into a cheese plate one last time, so after we checked in (around 8PM) we went to the hotel resto and indulged for the last time. I purposely did not finish my 2nd glass of wine so that I could bring it up to the room with me and enjoy it while writing up my blog post. It’s so loungy!!!  If only I could afford this kind of hotel all the time.

So that’s it – vacation over… it was really great! No complaints or regrets. Fantastic weather: wall to wall blue skies and sunshine, a little cold on the first few days but toward the end we were looking for shade in the afternoons.

On our last day today, we explored corners of Lyon that we had not seen on Day 1 and 2.  I think after today I have to change my statement that 2 days is enough for Lyon – of course it always depends on what you want to do, but now I think 3 days is good.

We were on the go since we arrived from Avignon at 10AM, taking about 2 hours for lunch and about an hour total for 2 drink stops, then maybe another 30 minutes for public transportation rides meaning we are on out feet for over 6 hours.

The highlight of today’s explorations was the Croix-Rousse district, a hilltop neighbourhood north of the city.  We went up to see one of the many impressive murals that can be found around Lyon and then walked back down – the views from up there are breathtaking.

The mural (Mur des Canuts) was very impressive; we were staring right at it before we even realised what it was! Then once we caught on, we kept realizing how big it was!! The closer we got, the more amazed we were. From a distance, you don’t see at first how the crane, the store fronts, the advertisements and the background are in fact all part of the image!

Here’s another one we saw earlier in the day that also took me a while to realize the entire thing was a mural – at first glance I thought it was only the main floor until I craned my neck upwards.  “La Fresque des Lyonnais” which features 25 local personalities.

And so – that’s it!  Back to real life (AND A STRICT DIET) after a fantastic week!!  I’m not happy it’s over, but I suppose if I am honest I am ready to get back into a routine…  and of course, let’s not forget London awaits in a mere 2 weeks!

Adieu!