The third weekend in September is designated European Heritage Days, and for two days buildings, gardens, and museums are open, many of which are not normally accessible to the public. The city was filled with people and there were long lines, but it was interesting to see a side of things one would not normally see.
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| Started the day at Theater Celestins near our apartment |
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| This dad deserves an award for playing with his son in the fountain. I walk the dogs here every day and didn't know there're were fountains underneath. |
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| School near Jörg's first flat. |
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| There is an old chapel in the school that is now the home of the Chamber Music Society of Lyon. |
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| Inside the courtyard at Hotel de Ville (City Hall) |
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| City Council Chamber |
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| Door inside City Hall |
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| Grand Staircase, painted in the 17th century, depicting the great fire of Lyon during Nero's reign. |
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| One of three red salons |
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| Painting depicting the "Death of Chilperic", who was murdered in Lyon |
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| The main reception hall since around 1700 |
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| Fireplace from 1863 in the room that functioned as the commercial court of Lyon |
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| Painted Ceiling |
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| The Mayor's Desk |
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| The top of the opera viewed from the courtyard of City Hall |
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| Lines waiting to tour the Opera House |
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| The opera house was originally built in 1830, but was renovated in the 1990's with a completely new structure built within the walls of the old building. |
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| Two of the original muses |
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| The old foyer of the opera house |
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| The painted ceiling in the opera house |
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| View of Fouviere from the Opera |
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| The top of the opera (up 11 flights of stairs) houses the dance studio for the opera ballet |
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| A beautiful place to rehearse! |
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| Croix Russe from the louvered windows of the opera |
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| The inside of the public space of the opera is all shiny black marble and red velvet |
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| Poster for a new ballet by Benjamin Millepied, Natalie Portman's husband and Black Swan choreographer |
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| City Hall from the portico of the Opera House |
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| Next stop was Chapel Hotel-Dieu, which is the chapel inside a huge hospital complex that has existed on the site since 1454. The hospital has not been in use since the 70's, but unfortunately was not open due to being under construction. |
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| Stained glass inside Chapel Hotel-Dieu |
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| Baptism font, where they estimate 40,000 babies were baptized between 1945 and 1975 |
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| Jesus statue in front of organ pipes in Église Saint François de Sales |
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| Cute bookstore tucked away in the courtyard of one of the buildings in our neighborhood |
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| "The Glory of the Republic" |
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| Modern architecture in Confluence, the neighborhood where the Rhone and the Saone meet, which used to be industrial, but is now being gentrified. |
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| Team Paddleboard Races |
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| The trees think it is fall, but the temperature does not yet agree. |
