Waking up the next day was a familiar sight… back to Lyon. This time, however, we didn’t spend the morning walking alone. We started it with a guide. We had the option of a walking tour learning about silk weavers, a bike tour (the “let’s go” options are for those who want something of a workout on their excursion), or a part bus/part walking tour. Knowing we would be in Lyon until about 11 that night. we elected to go with the final choice. We figured we’d have time to explore on our own later. We partly chose this particular date for this cruise because it’s the “Connoisseur Collection” and included a few options not available on other tours. We do love our food!

One of the great things about river cruises is the freedom to make choices and the lack of super-short excursion times. We rarely felt rushed, and if we wanted to check out a bike later in the day- so be it!

This tour was with Jerome. He was a truly funny man who was VERY “Lyon proud.” According to him, Lyon is the second largest city in France (although he did say Marseille may disagree – but according to Jerome, Marseille is full of liars…) The tour we chose centered on gastronomy.

We started by going to a food court/hotel in Lyon. This is one of the nicest hotels in France: The InterContinental. Yes, it’s part of a chain, but were I to spend an extra night at the end of my trip – or should I return- I think I’d do a night here if only to see the Le Dome bar, or perhaps have dinner at Epona: one of 83 restaurants in Lyon with a mention in the Michelin guide. Yes, that’s 83… There was quite a bit of controversy, for obvious reasons, when this five-star hotel opened at a former hospital for the poor. The building had been abandoned for some time until it was purchased and renovated. We discovered. to our dismay, that while we were vacationing in France, many of the best food artisans in France were vacationing elsewhere. Several booths were closed. Still, we were able to have a bread and wine tasting where the bread was made by the best bread craftsman in France according to the Meilleur Ouvrier de France.

From there, we went to the origins of the city. We learned quickly that much of this part of France still has Roman ties, even maintaining many operational Roman theaters in several cities.

On the bus, we went to the highest vantage point in Lyon – Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière. The hill, Fourvière, encapsulates the pride of Lyon with its funiculars, its railways, and even its very own Eiffel Tower, which – according to Jerome- is higher than the ACTUAL Eiffel Tower because of the altitude on which it is set. (Remember, Jerome is Lyon proud!)

Other than the absolutely breathtaking views, the hill is also known for it’s church: Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière. When we were there, mass was occurring, so we couldn’t take pictures inside, but it was phenomenal. The mix of the Medieval and the mostly modern made for a striking comparison between the old and new worlds.

From there, it was back to the other side of the river to check out old town Lyon. I was CONSTANTLY confused here whether I was looking at the Saone or the Rhone… I heard the name of both rivers so many times I lost track…

Old town Lyon was fascinating. It’s only three streets that run parallel to one another. So old, it was during a time when cross streets didn’t truly need to be considered. So, instead, there were “traboules” built to move from one street to another. These were doorways that revealed corridors and hidden passageways.

Each passageway led to a courtyard between the streets. The private courtyards are more difficult to enter than the public (Pro tip: Sometimes, if you hit the “mailman” button, they will open for you). The public are available to everyone. There are more than 400 of these secret passages from street to street, and during Nazi occupation, the resistance would meet in these courtyards because the Nazis could never find all of them.

Today, these narrow and gorgeous streets are filled with stars: Michelin stars. On just one pedestrian street three different restaurants with a star each stand within yards of one another. We got to taste a fabulous pastry here: La Praluline, a brioche covered in pink praline.

When in Lyon, don’t forget to look at the sides of buildings: there are elaborate murals everywhere.

From there, we went back to the boat and had a VERY pleasant surprise under our cabin door. We had REALLY wanted to do the private tasting atop Hermitage the next day, but were told that excursion was no longer occurring. I had my travel agent ask about it, and she put it on her calendar to do so every week. Uniworld had told her that the reservation could only be made on the ship. When we got to the ship, however, it was not mentioned on the itinerary. Still, we asked the front desk the day before, and they said it was canceled. We were quite disappointed since that was the excursion we MOST wanted to to, but figured we’d just go with the flow the next day. When we checked with the tour manager, Ingrid, regarding the note under our door, she said that there had been a mistake with the main offices of Uniworld. She shook her head as if this were something that happens more often than not. She said that couples who didn’t plan to go had booked, but now there was an open spot. We didn’t really care HOW it happened; we were just glad that it did. Maybe it was our TA, maybe it was our prodding, but we now had our exclusive- somehow now secret- trip for the next day! (Moral of the story: if you REALLY want something, be proactive.)

Elated, we went back to our room to decide on what to do with the rest of our day. It was only about 2, and we weren’t departing Lyon until 11 PM. A history museum was mentioned, but that was closed on Tuesday. We started to think about making dinner reservations. We are CERTAINLY foodies, but we hadn’t done enough research and were a little overwhelmed. Had this been the trip that began in Avignon, and Lyon was our last night, I GUARANTEE we would have had dinner at an acclaimed place in Lyon. This is one of the few regrets I have of the trip. Still, it gives me a reason to return in the future – with some plans of a place to try in mind. Dinner on the ship is LOVELY, and we greatly enjoyed every meal with our Idaho friends Susan and Gene, and our Irish friends Mary and Tom. Still, when in the gastronomy capital of the world…

No matter, we made the most of our time by visiting a Lyon food hall: Les Halles de Lyon – Paul Bocuse. To say this was an experience doesn’t do it justice. The only food hall type place we’ve been to before is the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia. Les Halles de Lyon was MOSTLY shut down in the afternoon, so it felt like we nearly had the place to ourselves. Many of the booths were closed, but those that were open had the most glorious produce and food. It was so beautiful, it glistened.

We had taken an Uber ride the approximately 2 miles to the food hall but decided to head toward the Rhone and wander back to the boat. The day was hot, so when in France, one must stop at a café. I try hard NOT to be a wine snob. (I sometimes fail.) I was DELIGHTED to see that the rumors are true. When it’s 95 degrees in France, and one orders a rosé, it is served with ice whether I asked for it or not. So, now, I feel like I can boldly ask for ice in my rosé if I want it.

Along our stroll, we even saw a public swimming pool complete with water slides right there on the Rhone river!

Back to dinner with our Idaho and Ireland companions that night. There are no assigned seats on the boat, but it was interesting to see that certain groups tended to gravitate toward one another, and then also formed “spokes” based on those we met at other times. The largest contingency of our boat was American. Still, there were people from Mexico, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, Slovenia, and England with whom we interacted regularly. There were not many singles, but there were some large groups who seemed to travel together often – many met on cruises.

It was a gorgeous night in Lyon. The amount of people exercising there at ALL hours is almost daunting. There was no road in front of the ship, but there was a bike and running path that made it difficult to cross TO the road. There were A LOT, I mean A LOT of people working out, so we felt compelled to stroll ourselves before returning to the ship for a nightcap on the deck.

Back in the room that night, we talked about what a great day we had, how excited we were to return to Lyon for an amazing restaurant experience the next time we are France. We opened up the window on the French balcony to listen to the sounds of the Rhone while we fell asleep and made our way to Hermitage.