Pour quoi Lyon? Why Visit Lyon? There is so much to see and do.

Louis XIV at Place Bellecour, Lyon

How much can a city in France change in 30 years? A lot. It is still the same city with all the same interesting sites but Lyon has become so much more interesting and friendly to visitors that it is almost a different place.

An example is Place Bellecour, the big square in the central peninsula between the rivers Soane and Rhone. What once was a huge, crushed limestone-covered area with a large statue in the middle of it has been renovated considerably.  About a third of it is being transformed into a space for pedestrians to enjoy sitting under lovely green trees. Artfully planned, additional modern sculpture and fountains have been added.

The statue of Louis XIV remains, imposing a sense of awe to those in the square. If I remember my Lyonnaise history, Lyon took the side of the royalists during the French Revolution and suffered the consequences with mobs burning major churches and other buildings. This Louis has survived in the heart of Lyon for many years.

So what makes Lyon now seem so much friendlier?

First of all, much of the tourist literature is bi-lingual with English. When I was here in 1985, tourists were barely recognized as important and actually rather a curiosity to the locals. There were very few people interested in English or what that might mean to the local economy. I was told back then that most foreigners visiting were German and they were on their way to the Cote d'Azur (Nice and Cannes) on the Mediterranean.

Second, people are smiling everywhere and having a good time. Children are playing. One of the things I remember most about Lyon was how serious everyone took themselves. I'm sure the local culture hasn't transformed into happy-go-lucky people, but there has been a remarkable change in attitude on the streets. This is pretty amazing given the financial crisis France is climbing out of right now.

Third, there really are lots of tourists from many places visiting here. The tourist office and local campaigns to improve the city have drawn many people.

Fourth, city transportation has been developed into a very easy to navigate place. Funiculars take visitors and locals to the top of the hill that overlooks the city. There are underground metros and buses. There are boats that transport people and goods up and down 2 rivers.

Roman theater in foreground with Lyon behind.

There is so much to see and do in Lyon that I really don't understand why more people don't visit here. Many Minnesotans who talked to me about our upcoming trip asked us "why Lyon?". As I will be writing about in future days, there is everything here: Roman ruins, a tradition of gourmet food and chefs, significant architecture old and new. Paris is lovely, but all of France is so diverse and interesting that it's difficult for me to understand why so many of my fellow Americans think France outside of Paris is primarily wine country. Wine is nice. But there is so much else.

Our goal today is to explore the Roman ruins and the Gallo-Romaine museum that has been created here. Why not start from the beginning, ne c'est pas?