Lyon, Take 5.

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5.

Goodbye Lyon.

Good News!
We found ourselves a French Christmas market minutes from our hotel.

And, with our hearts full of Christmas and our heads spinning from Vin Chaud, we head to Italy.

Buche de Noel.

Buche de Delicious.

I'm not going to lie; I retained very little of the French language from the 4 years that I took it in high school. What I do remember very well, is that a French Christmas tradition includes indulging in Buche de Noel. A cake rolled with creams and frosting that resembles a log.

So we did like the French and ate some wood. And it really was de-to-the-licious.

Can't make it to France but want to pretend?

Try making the recipe at home!

Frenchie Christmas Love.

Merry Christmas Eve!!

Love,

A.B.C.

Statue of Saint John the Baptist.

Hike to Basilica.

Remember how I loved that one Lyon basilica?

Good news!

Walking up to {and back down from} Fourviere Basilica is equally as amazing.

Told you it was pretty.

And worth it.

The hike up is gorgeous, and, I'm not exactly sure the mileage, but my 60+ parents would definitely have conquered this hill.

Notre-Dame Fourviere Basilica.

Most beautiful church I've ever seen.

{And at this point, I think we all know, I've seen a lot of them.}

It dominated my trip to Lyon like skiing dominated my trip to Saas-Fee.

See for yourself.

It's way better in person.

Just sayin' ;)

Grand Roman Theater of Lyon.

This theater was built in 15 BC and was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998. It is situated on the hillside of Fourviere Hill in Lyon, France, in what was once the Roman settlement Lugdunum.

The facts you need to know about these Roman ruins:

1. They include the oldest theater in France.

2. In its prime, the theater had enough space for 10,000 people.

3. Throughout June and July, the amphitheater becomes the stage for a performing arts festival called the Nuits of Fourviere.

4. Next to the large theater is a smaller theater called an Odeon which has also been known to host plays or other community events.

5. There is a museum containing Gallo-Roman artifacts and if you look at the picture below,you can see that the museum is literally built into the hill with larger windows created to provide views of the theaters from inside.

6. The hike up Fourviere Hill leads to an absolutely breathtaking view.

7. These ruins and views would make a great backdrop for a romantic photo-shoot. {This is actually an opinion, not a fact!} Scroll back through my pics and add a little bride and groom or kissing couple into them...see?

Boat Bars in Lyon.

Along the Rhone sit several boat bars.

They're themed providers of booze and river views.

Some local college students warned us to stay away from the Australian Boat, claiming it was too young of a crowd for us.

{Yikes! I think that means we're officially old.}

Switzerland to France by Train.

I would call our train from Saas-Fee to Lyon, France, the poor man's Glacier Express. I mean, the train route we took through the Swiss and French Alps, small ski villages, and sunset vistas may not have come with the words, "A train to fall in love with" stamped on the tickets, but I think we fell in love just the same.

There may be nothing better than riding a train with two great friends, a couple bottles of budget wine, and windows that frame the Alps at sunset.

For train information, check websites well in advance. You may want to look into the Europass, which offers the most flexibility. But if you know your travel dates, buying individual tickets may actually be cheaper. Enter your planned trip at http://www.railsaver.com/ to find which strategy will cost you the least.