We really enjoyed the rest of our time in Sachseln, Switzerland. We spent the next day (after the previous post) exploring the beautiful city of Thun which is south of Sachseln and just a bit east of Bern, Switzerland. The river running through Thun is absolutely beautiful! A vivid light, clear blue. It really took my breath away how lovely both the city and the river were. It was oddly relaxing and I kept finding myself, no matter where, with a big grin on my face. My grandfather on my mother's side is from Switzerland, his parents having immigrated to the U.S. before he was born (why to northern Ohio specifically, I have no idea!). Perhaps it's the Swiss in me that identifies so closely to the people and the land. Below is a view from the top of Schloss Thun (the Thun castle).
Our next move took us to . . . Lyon, France!
We arrived in Lyon on Saturday, August 16 and stayed in the neighborhood (or arrondissement, en français) of La Crois-Rousse which is situated on a very steep hill to the north of the old town. We definitely got a good calf and quad workout walking to/from (i.e. up and down) to the city center!
Having no GPS or detailed map (other than handwritten "Google Map" instructions) we were impressed that we kept accidentally kept making all the "right" turns (both as in correct and as in direction). We spent maybe 10 minutes looking at a map, thinking we were totally lost, only to look up and realize we were in fact on the street we had been looking for!
We really enjoyed wandering up and down, in and out of the older Presqu’île (or peninsula en français) and the Vieux Lyon (or Old Lyon en français) arrondissements.
Our last night we decided to find a spot in our arrondissement with a big, open view of the Presqu’île and Vieux Lyon to watch the lights come on as the sun set. Below is a photo taken in a small square just a few minutes walk from our apartment where we enjoyed a bottle of wine. (The city center is behind me as I took this photo of the square.)
After watching the lights come on we wandered back up the hill of our neighborhood to explore. As we were headed back to our apartment we decided to stop at a little café situated on one side of a nice walking path/plaza looking out to the east of the city center. The dessert (house made creme brûlée), the wine and the view made for a spectacular last evening in Lyon.
Our server was a delightful french girl named Joanna who had recently gotten back to Lyon after spending 8 months in London. She shared with us that she's a singer and some of her favorites hail from London which is what inspired her to spend time there. She was such a treat to chat with and insisted as we left that she take our photo in front of a prehistoric rock that was transported from the Alps to La Crois-Rousse by a glacier.
The next morning we packed our bags and headed south to Vars, France . . . !
- Kelsey
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