First of a series of pictures from an extended stay in Lyon in mid-September.
In my time, la Fosse aux Ours was a large, rather nasty, roundabout (as on the current Google Earth images – [45 45 22 N, 4 50 25 E]) just down the road from my apartment on Cours Gambetta. This has since been completely remodelled as a pedestrian-friendly urban space with an underground car parks. By a curious coincidence, the city council are planning to do exactly the same thing with the traffic interchange at the end of my street in Durham – spooky!
Previously the banks of the Rhone were used for open air car parking. With the new underground parking, the space has been re-modelled as leisure space.
Place Bellecour [45 45 28 N, 4 49 56 E] is the largest “clear” city square in Europe (at 300 by 210 metres). But its size does make it pretty dull except on the 14th of July when youths start throwing fireworks around… The Fourvière basilica and radio transmitter are visible in the background (see following set).
Rue de la République from Place Bellecour leads to Place de la République [45 45 38 N, 4 50 8 E] with its splendid fountain and carousel.
The Lyon opera house [45 46 4 N, 4 50 12 E].
Chandeliers in one of the function rooms of the Hotel de Ville. These had been opened to the public just for that weekend as part of the journées européennes du patrimoine.
Two views of one of Lyon’s many trompe l’œil: la fresque des Lyonnais [45 46 5 N, 4 49 41 E], which depicts famous Lyonnais and Lyonnaises (this link has an index).