Sample Curso eG Lyon_travel_writing: Let Lyon Spin You Right Round

Let Lyon Spin You Right ‘Round

Avant, avant, Lion le melhor!

Translated, this franco-provencal motto from the medieval times reads “forward, forward, Lyon is the best!”

Humble isn't it? Centuries later, the motto may have changed, but the pride among the Lyonnais people remains the same... with a city like this, who could blame them?

The capital of gastronomy, the birthplace of cinema, the home of a century-old silk weav-ing tradition. There are many reasons that Lyon could be considered 'the best'. Most no-tably, its clever paradox of being old yet mod-ern. Uniting UNESCO listed heritage sights with daring new architectural creations Lyon has managed to achieve big city convenience whilst maintaining a small town 'human' vibe.

Unlike other cities overpopulated with tourists, you will find that Lyon has all the attractions and charm without the price tags and crowds. With a plethora of things to see and do, you will never find yourself bored in this dynamic, inter-national, yet quintessentially French metropolis.

DEMOGRAPHIC:

The atmosphere in Lyon is vibrant and youthful. Thanks to its world class education opportuni-ties and increasing economic attractiveness, the city of Lyon has become one of the biggest cities in France with a population of 470, 000 in the inner city and over 1, 700, 000 in greater Lyon.

GEOGRAPHY:

Shadowed in the north by Croix-Rousse, ‘the hill that works’ and in the west by Fourviere, ‘the hill that prays’, Lyon, the former capital of Gaul, is now the capital of the Rhone-Alps region. At the bottom of Fourviere lies the heritage listed city centre of Vieux-Lyon, beyond which the riv-ers Rhone and Saone converge in the south to form the Presqu’ile.

ECONOMY:

Driven for centuries by the silk industry, the economy of Lyon has shifted its focus in recent times. Said to be one of the most favourable cities in the European Union for company creation and investment, Lyon is a place of innovation and wealth creation. With many multi-national com-

YOUR GUIDE:

Join us on a journey through the main arron-dissements of Lyon. After discovering the city’s main sights and scenes, the rest of the adventure remains entirely up to you.

Bon Voyage!

panies, like Euronews and Interpol, establishing themselves in Lyon, the city is well on it’s way to becoming a top European centre for business.

Fuelled by a strong history of bio-technological research, Lyon prides itself on having the world’s best doctors and medical research facilities. For this reason pharmaceutical companies such as Pasteur and Bio Merieux have chosen Lyon as their headquarters. Interestingly, some of the world’s deadliest diseases (think Ebola, Hendra, Marburg) are housed in this city’s labs.

Tourism also plays huge role in the modern economy of Lyon with over six million tourists visiting the city each year, a statistic that is only going to grow as the city of Lyon continues to develop.

Table of Contents:

This guide has been broken down into several sec-tions pertaining to the four distinct geographical ar-eas. Following this, you will find a series of subsec-tions to equip you with all the information you will need to make the most of your time in Lyon.

Fouviere Hill - Known as the hill that prays, this area still has the remnants of its Roman origins

Vieux-Lyon - The oldest part of town, this UNESCO heritage listed area will take you back in time

Croix-Rousse - Known as the hill that works, this area forms the heart of Lyon's silk in-dustry

Presqu’ile - Contemporary & vibrant, the peninsula is a hive of activity, not to be missed by any high street shopper

Tips - Transport, accommodation, phrases, day trips and dates... everything practical you need to know about visiting Lyon

Shopping & Fashion - If museums and gal-leries are not your thing, this section is for anyone requiring a little retail thera-py.Also, if you are a little low on funds you can still enjoy your time in Lyon with the help of a few innovative suggestions

Dining and Nightlife - Where to eat, what to eat and of course how to spend your evenings, you will find it all in this sec-tion

Culture - Diverse and rich, this section will expose a little about what makes the people of Lyon who they are

Special dates: guide on typical Lyonnais and French celebrations

Lugdunum, now modern Lyon, was founded in 43BC after the Romans conquered the Gauls in the expansion of their empire. Ancient Roman structures from this period such as the two Ro-man theatres, the Odeon and the grand theatre still occupy the hill today. Identifiable by the Ba-silica sitting atop its peak, this 'praying hill' is the perfect vantage point from which to absorb pan-oramic views of the whole of modern Lyon and beyond.

FOURVIERE Les Nuits de Fourvière

A Festival of Nights

Imagine a modern graduation ceremony, when the students thrust their mortarboards into the air in a moment of cheer. Turn those hats into the little green complimentary cushions you receive on entering Les Théâtres Romains de Fourvière, the oldest Roman Amphitheatre in France, and you might be able to imagine the scene at the end of a stirring concert on a warm summer’s eve. Emerald squares litter the sky, thrown by the two thousand strong audience in a spectacle that we were told has become an unofficial tradition of Les Nuits de Fourvière.

The Funiculaire (Vieux-Lyon station) is the traditional mean of trans-portation to get to the top of the Fourviere Hill.

A Roman Riot

Winter Time is Skiing Time

Whether you prefer down-hill skiing, cross-country skiing, or snowshoeing – Lyon has access to it all.

The mountains Vercours, Chartreuse, les Arcs, la Nor-ma and even the Mont Blanc

are easily reachable from Lyon and provide great ski-regions for downhill fans.

A day trip, a weekend, a week or more, everything is possible.

Those who like to stay on the

ground should go to Autran, a town that hosts the yearly Nordic Combined competition, called “La Foulée Blanche”.

Website: h t t p : / / a b o u t - f r a n c e .c o m / to u r i s m / s k i i n g . h t m

A Journey Through Time – Pérouges

“One of the most beauti-ful towns in France” wel-comes the sign of Pérouges.

You wonder whether this might be an overstatement until you are standing in the middle of the Medieval Town of Pérouges. Whatever you expect, the

charm of this town will cap-tivate you within seconds.

Walking through the cobbled streets, you wait for a black-smith crossing your way. To get a feeling for the place, simply dander along, try a galette and feast your eyes on what you see.

Meet The CTR Lyon Team

From left to right and up to down:

Seona (Scotland), Therese (Sweden), Jes-sica (Australia), Tiffany (USA), Mareike (Germany), Shakira (England), Nora (Germany), Kirstin (Scotland), Susanna (Germany), Ozel (England), Charlotte (England), Jelke (Belgium), Lauren (South Africa) and Simon (Germany).

City Travel Review Lyon project

Summer 2012

The CTR team received the support of Only Lyon

The CTR team would like to thank euronews for

welcoming us