Etap Hotel Lyon Gerland

L'horloge astronomique

by Klod5

Originellement du XIVe siècle, elle fut remaniée plusieurs fois.
Elle indique : la date, les positions de la lune, du soleil et de la Terre, ainsi que celle des étoiles au-dessus de Lyon. Bien entendu, compte tenu des connaissances de l'époque, c'est le soleil qui tourne autour de la Terre. La date donnée sera exacte jusqu'en 2019.
Au-dessus de l'horloge, une série d'automates se mettant en mouvement plusieurs fois par jour : des animaux et une scène représentant l'Annonciation.

Originally of the XIVe century, it was revised several times.
It indicates : the date, the positions of the moon, the sun and the Earth, as well as the one of the stars above Lyon. Of course, considering the knowledge of the time, it is the sun that turns around the Earth. The given date will be exact until 2019.
Above the clock, a set of automatons getting in movement several times per day : of the animals and a stage representing Annunciation.

1837 - 1893 : les premiers TC lyonnais

by Klod5

Le premier service de transport en commun fait son apparition à Lyon en 1837, avec des fiacres à chevaux portant le nom d' omnibus.
Très vite, la concurrence est telle qu'une compagnie unique, la CLO (Compagnie Lyonnaise des Omnibus) est créée.

La CLO se lance dans la construction d'un réseau de tramways à chevaux circulant sur des rails.

Surmontant les contraintes topographiques, la CLO inaugure en 1862 le premier funiculaire du monde, reliant le cœur de la ville au plateau de la Croix-Rousse.

Des bateaux à vapeur commencent dès 1863 à circuler sur la Saône : construits dans le quartier de la Mouche, ils sont qualifiés de " bateaux mouches".

Incapable de faire face à cette nouvelle concurrence, la CLO disparaît.
La Compagnie des Omnibus et Tramways de Lyon (OTL) la remplace en 1879.

En deux ans, 10 lignes de tramways sont construites. Mais l'entretien des 1000 chevaux nécessaires à leur traction coûte cher et la CLO recherche des solutions alternatives…

Le Parc de la Tête d'Or

by Porteplume

ENGLISH:
I can remember the many time I went to the Parc de la Tête d'Or in the years '69, '70 & '71 when I was a student at the Psychiatric Hospital of Vinatier in Lyon-Bron.
I always succeded to relax when visiting over and over... You shouldn't miss that beautiful parc !
.
Web: "There are 7 entrances but the most impressive is the "Enfants du Rhône" gate which opens out onto the lake, the centerpiece of the park's landscape design. The immense lawns of romantic inspiration alternate with groves of trees often over a hundred years old. The flower beds, rose and peony gardens bring a year-round touch of color and perfume. The Tête d'Or Park is open to the public and admittance is free. If you want to go for a stroll or just laze under a tree, visit the botanic and rose gardens or maybe the zoo: this is the place."

Basilica de Notre Dame

by keeweechic

Situated at the top of the Fourvière Hill overlooking the city and its environs, the site on which the Basilica stands today has always been a place of worship. It was built in 1870 at the request of the women of Lyon, and dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

Lyon

by podinfrance

"Lyon Food"

I don't want to incur too much rage, but Lyonaise food...eh? I understand that it may be the seat of French culinary history, but it should be left to history! Now I'm talking about "traditional" food. There is plenty of great food, in fact in Lyon you probably have a better chance of scoring a great meal by just wandering into any ol' restaurant than in any other city in the world. But give up the quest for "traditional Lyonaise Food" we tried several before we realized that the traditional stuff was a bit heavy, wierd, and dare I say Bland? Sort of comfort food from the middle ages! But wow, we had some great meals by happenstance, my reccomendation here is to avoid the reccomendations. Walk the foodie streets and when a plat du jour sounds good...sit down!

"Bikes in Lyon"

Gotta do it! They have set up a bike rental thing in Lyon (and several other French cities) run by and with the advertising revenue from all the public signage (bus shelters and such). So there are 3000 (expanding to 5000 soon) bikes all over the city. They are clunkers, but in good shape, well geared, well maintained and if you find one with the key where it is suposed to be, they even come with a bike lock. Don't be scared by the system, they are easy to use, you need a European credit card with a microchip, or you'll need to get creative and ask at the tourist bureau, but once you register and get the free card, the rest is a breeze. If your "borrow" of the bike is less than 30 minutes, it's free! after that (and the bike beeps to tell you the free part is over in a few minutes) the fee is only 1.50 euros per hour. They are very cool!