The restaurant is connected to the Mercure hotel and its bar. (an excellent location for a high standard service).

The setting and the architecture are worth seeing. This restaurant is located in a former garage (hence its name!) built in 1932. At this period, Lyon was one of the most innovative cities in the car and automobile industry.

To know more about this restaurant, have a look at the menu and even book a table, go to its website (unfortunately the English version is under construction): http://www.le-garage-restaurant.com/presentation.php

fete des lumieres

You might already know about the very famous « Fete des lumières » of Lyon, mightn’t you? There has recently  been almost 4 million  visitors coming for this great event! The festival is taking place in Lyon and its different districts for 4 full days of shows, performances, conferences and religious ceremonies. This year, it is starting Friday, the 5^th of December, till Monday, the 8^th. The programme can be downloaded from the following website.

The home website contains a great short movie very inspiring presenting the festival. Let you self be dragged in by it, have a look!

polychromie

You will also find all the practical information for how to come, and please, try public transport specially free (or almost) and with an increased service. It will be definitively the best way to get around during  this event!

To make it short, here are some remarkable aspects of this festival:

• Its origins: The 8^th of September 1643, some monks (les Echevins) made the wish that if Lyon was spared from the Plague (it was so!), they would carry out an annual commemoration to the Virgin Mary. So in 1852, in memory of this wish, it was decided to erect a golden statue of the Virgin Mary. But a flood caused the event to be postponed. Therefore, it was decided to celebrate the erection of the statue on the 8^th of December, which was also when the Immaculate Conception was celebrated, rather than the 8^th of September. But a storm came and ruined the former plan, and the commemoration could only happen few days afterwards. Nevertheless, thanks to a short lull, all the inhabitants of Lyon put lanterns on their windows and spontaneously went outside to celebrate and live a rare moment of brotherhood, while the Fourviere church appeared in the dark, so it is said!
• What else about the lanterns?: Putting such lanterns at your windowsills has therefore become a traditional participation to the festival. Nowadays, by buying the lanterns at the desks put in place during the event, you can help the action against starvation all around the world. The money raised by this action will indeed be given to the NGO “Action contre la faim”.
• Is it just for 4 days? “All that for that?!”: Of course not! Many examples can be given such as the illumination of the Tour TDF on the Fourviere hill (our Tour Eiffel!) since the 2006 festival, the Lycée Saint-Just since this year… Lyon is, from now on, one showcase for the way it puts in place its lights on its buildings. The municipality is working each year on an action plan for it. For further information, go to the Lyon website.
  

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The old Lyon and the lower part of the Croix Rousse district slopes are full of English or Irish pubs where you can spend a nice evening not only drinking good Guinness and Red Beamish beers, but also playing quizzes ! Indeed one night a week (not the same day for all of the pubs), the “quizmasters” prepares and then asks a list of questions concerning cinema, sports, geography, history, everyday life, music, etc. Each team (the more the merrier!) tries to find the answers to the questions : “Oh S…, I saw this on the news yesterday but can’t remember the name!”, “let’s hope the luck’ll be on our side!” They concentrate on the songs played during the blind test : “lalalalalala… I have it on the tip of my tongue!” But at the end of the game, only the best team will win!

Let us recommend the Smoking Dog, a really nice English pub located in the Old Lyon and the walls of which are covered with books. You can play quizzes every Tuesday night, from 8:30pm and try to compete against the best teams! Yes, you can!

The Smoking Dog in the Old Lyon

Its name comes from a legend saying that treasure with a golden Christ’s head was buried at this place. At the beginning of the 19th century, large excavations were carried out to find the treasure, later abandoned in 1860 without any success.

Its size 117ha (289 acres) makes it the largest French urban park. it was built in a British style, with large lawns and gentle hills and slopes. A large lake is situated in the park. Anybody can hire a boat to have a pleasant time in this peaceful environment.

At first, it was a large botanical garden. Nowadays, the park has more than 8800 trees, some of them are remarkable for their sizes or species.

Large greenhouses were added in 1865.
The velodrome, the “Guard’s Chalet” and the “Chalets” were built in 1894 when the world fair took place in Lyon on the site of the “parc de la tête d’or”.
Greenhouses dedicated to collectors’ items were built in 1899.
A Memorial was built on the Swan island between 1914 and 1930.
From 1861, a zoo was added. In 1917, the lions’ cage was opened, and pens for elephants and giraffes only appeared in the 1960′s.

In 1989, a special area was created in the northern part of the park where the text of the universal Declaration of Human Rights were written on erected monoliths.
A bronze sculpture from Xavier de la Fraissinette, named “Together for Peace and Justice”, was installed in 1996 to mark the occasion of the G7 summit.

Some associations are strongly committed to promoting cycling behaviours and keep complaining against the lack of investments done to develop the facilities. For instance velo-lyon is a local association acting for better use conditions of the bicycle.

But things have been done, and a useful association named Pignon-sur-rue was created thanks to the community grants. This association aims to help and develop the uses of cycling locally. Thanks to them, cycling tours are organised, so if you are shy about trying your bicycle, go to their website to find the next event created especially for you! Personal cycling lessons can also be asked for. Besides, a place has been installed to let you repair your bicycle. Tools, but also advice, can be found there at the opening hours. Other good stuff can be found, let’s go to their website: http://www.pignonsurrue.org/ Hence, Pignon-sur-rue is a very active partner in the promotion of cycling. Their partnership is taken into consideration for local action such as school cycling buses (and more widespread walking buses) or enterprises events (“au boulot à vélo” challenge,…).

You are ready to ride your bicycle?! Jump on it and find your path thanks to the maps available on the municipality website: http://www.velov.grandlyon.com/fileadmin/user_upload/pdf/pistescyclables_lyon2006.pdf

And if you are keen on cycling, but with no bicycle to ride, there is the Velo’ve solution put in place for you! For further information: http://www.velov.grandlyon.com/

Finally, what else better than riding a bicycle? Maybe, to ride it with friends! Hence, let’s convince them to come with you! Conferences are regularly organised. Pignon-sur-rue, Le Grand Lyon or other associations provide it for you. The next in your diary can be at the end of November:

“VELO ET TRANSPORT PUBLIC : COMPLICES OU CONCURRENTS ? Jeudi 27 novembre 2008 à 18 heures ; Maison Rhodanienne de l’Environnement”.

Localisation du parc

A cycling path connects it to the city-centre, it can take you around 30-50 minutes to go there. A bus is also operating for the summer period, its time-table can be downloaded from: www.grand-parc.fr/pdf/pratique/ligne83-2008.pdf

The association managing the park is very active and a lot of events are planed all year long. You can enjoy, for instance, an organic market every first Sunday of the month. If you have children it would be a very good idea to go there and so they can have fun thanks to the various activities on offer. An agenda is available at www.grand-parc.fr/evenementiel/

If you are in great shape, why don’t you try the facilities put there for you? Mountain bike paths, “parcours de santé”, fitness lessons, golf, seaside activities, races… could interest you, don’t you think? Maps are available at the park tourist office or downloaded from the website:

plan du site

For any further information: www.grand-parc.fr

If you’re here for longer why not buy a ‘carnet’ pack of ten tickets. You can get these at the ticket machine in any underground station or tram stop.

Follow this link to the TCL route map http://www.tcl.fr/documents/pdf/lyon_villeurbanne.pdf

Personally we recommend getting a table outside at the Brasserie de Lyon. The address? Don’t worry, you’ll find it! And make sure you get a lovely bottle of Côte du Rhône to go with it. Yum!

A 5 kilometre newly developed riverside for pedestrians, cyclists and rollerbladers, stretching from the Parc de la Tête d’Or to the Parc de Gerland, with cycle paths, trees, greening, fountains, walkways and play, rest and sports areas.

Take a look at these great photos http://www.grandlyon.com/Les-berges-du-Rhone.2223+M5beb042105e.0.html