Today, January 6, 2019, Angelina and I walked around four miles round trip to the Basilica Notre-Dame of Fourviere. It was built between 1872 and 1884 with private funds, and once was the sight of the Roman forum of Trajan, the forum vetus. I appreciated the sweeping view of the city from the overlook on top of Fourviere Hill. It is known as the "Praying Hill". The basilica was welcoming and felt lighter than many we have seen, the ceilings had teal and gold colors, warming the atmosphere. Inside we viewed the basilica, a chapel and a crypt. I was impressed by the collection of Mother Mary statues donated by various countries in the lower area, two I remember are from Portugal and Africa. We lit a candle for Melva, Jorge's Mom, as she is in critical care with pneumonia, a broken hip, and recently suffered a stroke. So if you have prayers, send them her way.
Returning to our place, we saw a huge ferris wheel, but it was not enclosed like the one in Brisbane, AU, so we passed on that. It was 39 degrees today (very cold), we heard that Colorado was around sixty degrees, almost tropical! I loved the golden lion, it reminded me of Aslan, in The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe.
On our way up, we met Dede the cute pig, mascot of an animal right's activist, she stole the show for today. We passed the Cathedral Saint John, and it is also a prominent place of worship and history in Lyon. I favor the sculptures, in all their glory...-Mona
I certainly enjoyed walking across two bridges today and enjoyed the nice fresh air. The Notre Dame de Fourviere was really a big basilica but it didn't seem intimidating to me like some of the ones in Italy. I loved the turquoise and gold tiles they lit up the space and the view of the city was a highlight. I also loved meeting the pig named Dede, he was so cute and his fur was bristly. The ferris wheel was cool to see but it was not enclosed so we didn't ride on it, it would've been to cold to ride, especially on a windy day. The area is called La Place Bellecour which is a large square in the center of Lyon, France. It is the third largest square in France, behind the Place des Quiconces in Brodeaux and the Place de la Concorde in Paris. I think our day was fun and we're going to have a fun one tomorrow too! -Angelina
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