A Step (Up) in the Right Direction

Cities you travel to may be known for key characteristics.  Chicago is the Windy City... Paris is the City of Lights... Jerusalem is the Holy City... and Walla Walla is the "town so nice they named it twice."

What is Lyon known for, though?  Of course I knew Lyon is the gastronomical capital of the world (trust me, you'll see posts about that later)... but was there anything else?  Why yes.  Yes there is...

The City Of... STAIRS

Prior to leaving for the semester, I did research into Lyon.  I read about the culture, the food, the history, and the geography.  I should have known what was coming after reading that Fourvière is known as "the hill that prays" and the Croix-Rousse area is "the hill that works."  (Fourvière is the location of the famous Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière, and Croix-Rousse was the location of many small workshops that specialized in silk.)  Thinking back to my learning of this... I wish I had been more "inclined" to do more research to see just what kind of elevation we were talking.

I arrived in Lyon on Thursday (Aug. 30) and had orientation  on Friday.  I had the weekend free to do whatever I desired.  Friday night, I sat down with my map of Lyon and planned out sightseeing tours for myself.  (I will talk about those tours in one of my next posts.)  I set out early on Saturday, and I began exploring the city.  I had started in the main center of the city, so the walking was perfectly fine.  As I continued walking, though, I realized one thing... I was almost constantly traveling uphill.  Everywhere I went on my route had either an inclined path or stairs.  However, I've learned to LOVE this.  Once I reach the top of a hill, I can almost always turn around and have a spectacular view.  (Trust me... you will see photos soon.)  I took incline after incline, stair after stair. Although exhausted at the end of the day, I absolutely loved all that I had accomplished.  I was able to get a great night of sleep and be ready for Sunday.  I just wasn't exactly prepared for what was ahead...

I set out early on Sunday to cover the Fourvière area of Lyon.  I had planned to go see the basilica, ancient amphitheaters, and a walking path through various gardens.  I accepted the fact I would have to do a little uphill hiking.  What classified as "a little", though?  The three pictures I attached with this post should explain how I spent much of my day.  Was it tiring?  A little.  Was it strenuous?  Sure.  Did I have fun?  Most definitely.  Although I was exhausted at the end of this day... I felt so accomplished (which made up for the lack of feeling in my calves).  To summarize, I absolutely love this city and all it has to offer... stairs included.  Let's just see where the next set of stairs takes me...