About Lyon

Usually on Saturdays I try to run for an hour or so, often in a different direction to see parts of Lyon that are new to me.  Recently, I ran across town to the Saône River, and then north along the quai for quite a ways.  I already knew about the "Frèsque des Lyonais," but I had never really paid much attention to where it is, and I had never thought of going to see it.  But, that morning, I stumbled on to it during my run.  It's pretty cool.  It's the entire side of a building, plus the end, painted to look like windows with people standing on their balconies.

The people are all famous people from the history of Lyon (as understood by the proud Lyonais).

It begins with Roman Emperor Claude (14 BC - 54 AD) who single-handedly invented the Roman amphitheater (of which two fine examples are still in use here in Lyon).

Others include Laurent Mourguet (creator of Guignol);  St. Exupéry (author of "The Little Prince," inventor of air mail, and France's answer to Amelia Earhart - having disappeared on a flight to Africa during World War II);

André-Marie Ampère (inventor of electricity, for whom "amps" are named);

Joseph-Marie Jacquard (inventor of the jacquard knitted sweater);

The Lumière Brothers (Auguste & Louis) inventors of cinema (for whom Disney's candlestick character in Beauty & Beast is named);

and Paul Bocus, of course the world-renowned inventor of French cuisine.  

Across the street for this building, there's another building with a window painted on the wall in which a grandmother and her grandson are looking across the street and the grandson is pointing to all the famous people on the first building.  Is this the invention of "interactive?"

One of the people honored on the big building was Major Général Martin who created a famous school (high school) in Lyon called "L'Ecole Martinière."  Several others on the wall were famous graduates of that school.  The school itself is just up the street from the Frèsque des Lyonais:

Around the corner from the school is an interesting luthier shop (violin maker) that reminds me of the one in downtown Salt Lake, with the mural on the wall.  Here's a picture of this shop's wall and its store-front window display - made even more interesting by the reflection of buildings across the street.

A few more tidbits.  In a city filled with wonderful wall art and out-of-control random graffiti, here is a bit of the melding of the two:

And, of course with two grandfathers and an uncle named "Leonidas Kennard," I couldn't pass up this little shop selling Belgian chocolates:

Finally, as I made my way home, and the battery on my camera was about to give out, I came to the Lyon Stock Market building (La Bourse).  Mom and I had seen it once before and wanted to shoot it, but we didn't have our cameras.  So, here it is.  Enjoy!