France’s third biggest city may be perceived as the ugly duckling among the cities of France. Lyon or Lugdunum with its two rivers has seen its fair share of history, settlement for the Celts, stronghold to the Romans, home to the Gauls, Silk Capital of World, Head Quarters of the Gestapo and ironically thanks to its many, 500+, secret tunnels it was also the HQ for the Resistance, it is the home base for Interpol.
In a city that has seen so much history there should be many stories to tell, and Lyon doesn’t disappoint. Lyon was home to the Montgolfier brothers that invented the hot air balloon. Nostradamus spent time in Lyon where he printed some of his works, he also predicted that Pope John Paul II would die in Lyon in 1986 and he did . Maybe the only city to have a floating morgue and definitely the only one to have lost it’s morgue to floods twice! Folklore also claims that aliens had landed in Place Bellecour, the town square …but the most fascinating is Lyons 150 murals, 80% of which have been painted by women, a whimsical way to tell a story of the past and simultaneously repaint the future. As you know how the story goes the ugly duckling, is actually a beautiful and intriguing swan!
