Lyon continued - October 3 & 4

 October 3  Jerry departs

View from "our" apartment

Today was a quiet day. Jerry and Barbara went out to get a baguette & croissants. Mark made some eggs for breakfast. We went for a stroll in part of "our" neighborhood that we hadn't strolled yet.

     At around 11:30, we all left by bus to go with Jerry to the railway station. We had train station fare - and sat at a comfy Starbuck's to eat sandwiches, salad and coffee until Jerry left.

     We wandered through a mall, but quickly realized we were not interested. So, we took the bus back and went to a Monoprix and bought a few things to eat later in the day.

October 4 - A Day in Lugdunum

     Today we walked to the Funicular that goes up to St. Just. We walked around, but didn't find a coffee shop or anything in particular. So, we took the funicular halfway back down to the stop for Lugdunum, an important city in Roman Gaul where Lyon is now.

    Lugdunum was founded in 43 BCE and became the capital of the Roman province of  Gallia Lugdunensis. Between 69 and 192 CE, the city had 100,000 inhabitants; some estimate that it may have been as high as 200,000.  While the site is high on Fourviere hill, most people lived on the banks of the Saone River at the bottom of the hill. It was strategically important to the Roman Empire for 4 centuries and the juncture of 4 main Roman roads. 

    Many emperors visited Lugdunum, both before and after becoming emperors and Claudius was born here. During his reign, a bridge was built over the Rhone. 

      Lugdunum flourished in the 2nd Century with 4 aqueducts bringing water to the city. There were theaters and public baths. But, a battle in 197 CE ravaged the city which never fully recovered and Lugdunum became a secondary city in the Empire. As the Empire fell, the Roman city fell into decline.

       After wandering about, we took the funicular down and walked back to our neighborhood where we got a baguette and some ice cream and went "home" for the late afternoon. 

      The history of the funicular is also interesting. The first line was build in 1862, but that one became a road tunnel eventually. The one we took today was built in 1878. The two lines that operate now were modernized in the mid 1980s and again in 2018 and 2019. The funiculars are part of Lyon's transit system and cost the same as a bus or subway.