Perouges & Lyon

About 30 mins north of our accommodation in Cremieu lies the small medieval village of Perouges, which is deservedly listed as one of the Plus Beaux Villages de France. We make our way along cobbled (mostly vehicle-free) streets, passing some small boutique shops and cafes. It's fairly quiet here, and you are tempted to think that this is a tourist monument rather than a populated village, but the sounds coming from the small school in the centre prove otherwise.

Leaving this place it's hard to believe it's only half an hour or so from the third largest city in the country, but our fast transfer into Lyon is aided by a couple of toll roads. We have now become used to building road tolls into our daily budget!

We have a little less time than anticipated to spend in the city, so we focus our time in two main areas. A friend / former work colleague who is native to Lyon recommended Fourviere, a hill overlooking the city, and the older part of Vieux Lyon.

Fourviere is reached by a 150 year old funicular system and, from a vantage point next to the basilica, offers a great view of the city centre below.

At the other side of Fourviere, we visit the partially restored ruins of two Roman theatres. The large amphitheatre is used each summer as part of a festival featuring live evening performances.

Down below in the old town, we stroll through the pleasant streets looking for a bite to eat. Unfortunately French restaurants have a habit of closing for the afternoon, but in the end we find a spot to grab some French onion soup (known here as onion soup) to warm us up on this damp afternoon. After a further stroll, we start our journey back to this week's base at Cremieu.