So much has happened since I last wrote. Our friend Jeanne came for a visit and together we went to Lyon. Since a picture is worth a thousand words – here goes.

Lyon is two hours by train from Paris. Since we had so little time and since walking any distance is a challenge for George and me we took tours. We did a dinner cruise on one of the two rivers that go through Lyon – it was nice but nothing I’d recommend. The next day we had a private driver – English speaking- who gave a great tour of the city including some of the areas out of the downtown. First we drove up winding roads through Lyon to the cathedral Notre Dame.

From here we made our way winding through narrow roads to the old silk production area of the city. The first place we stopped was one of hundreds of passages that connect streets passing between apartment buildings. There are more than 600 such passages in the city. This one below is in the old silk manufacturing area and was used by striking workers who fought to get better living conditions. These workers are credited with start of social security benefits in France.

As part of a tribute to Lyon’s silk production history (which is no more) these murals were painted depicting the life of a silk worker. When you look at these remember that everything you see is a painting or frescoe.

In the evening we went on a food tour walking through the old city. First we went to a cheese shop, next a charcuterie, and then a bouchon- the famous family eateries of Lyon