A quick update on a wet ‘day off’ in Lyon.
After leaving Normandy we spent a couple of nights in Chartres and visited the old town and the cathedral – reputed to be the greatest Gothic cathedral in Europe.  Not sure if that refers to size or decoration, but it was originally built in Romanesque style in 1020-1100, destroyed by fire in 1194, then rebuilt in 25 just years in the present Gothic style.  It is currently undergoing cleaning and restoration, and the difference between the cleaned and uncleaned areas are stunning.  (Some of the differences are shown in our photos of both interior and exterior).

The stained glass windows are also pretty special, having survived some eight hundred years so far, with a predominance of reds and blues in the main ones, especially the large rose windows in the north and south transepts, and above the west door.
All the windows were removed piece by piece and stored away for safety in both world wars, then painstakingly put back in when peace was restored.

We then drove south around Orleans (we’d been there before) to a campsite on the south side of the river Loire at Gien. We wandered around Gien itself, but the church and chateau were both closed, the latter for restoration.

The big problem we are having at this time of year is whether campsites are still open.  Our next planned stop at Nevers on the Loire was a case in point.  The guide said open all year, but the site was very closed when we arrived, so we carried on another 200 km to Lyon.  Good move actually as it is quite a lot warmer now as we’ve come further south, with 18oC and 19oC forecast  this coming week here, and in Arles where we are headed next.

Lyon is the 2nd largest city in France, very much like a Paris in the south except for all the terracotta tile roofs, and we spent the whole day yesterday exploring on foot, after taking the bus and metro into town.  The Basilica of Notre Dame on the hill was (also) undergoing restoration, but still open, as was the Cathedral of St Jean down by the river.  Both these can be seen in photo #1.

We caught the funicular up to the Basilica, then walked back down through the gardens and many steps to the Vieux Ville (old town) by the river, then walked through the main city centre on the “Presqu’ile” ( = ‘nearly island’), i.e. a peninsula between the 2 rivers Saone and Rhone.  The last photo shows a huge 19th century fountain in the Place de Terreaux by Bertholdi – the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty gifted to New York.

That’s it for now.  Nice to be warm again, even if it is wet, and we’re looking forward to better weather as we move further south – Provence next for a couple of weeks, then into Spain.