Lyon - France 2014 - page 1370

buckets of dye, and artists in action. Friendly staff members speak some English and are
happy to field questions while they work. Climb the staircase to visit a boutique selling
handmade silk creations. Prices range from €25 to €250.
Cost and Hours: Free entry, Mon-Fri 9:00-12:00 & 14:00-18:30, Sat 9:00-13:00 &
14:00-18:00, closed Sun, tel. [phone].
La Croix-Rousse
Hilly, untouristy, and SoHo-esque, this neighborhood hummed with some 30,000 silk
looms in the 1800s. Today this part of town is popular with Lyon's tie-dye types, drawn
here by abandoned, airy apartment spaces (built in the age of the Jacquard loom, which
required exceptionally high ceilings).
ThesmartestwaytovisitistotaketheMétrotothetop,thenfollowaseriesofscenic
slopesandstairsbackdown(seemapon here ) .Onthe20-minutestrollfromtoptobottom,
you'llpassbohemiancafés,artgalleries,creativegraffiti,andused-clothingshopsonyour
waytothePresqu'île.(Or—toburnofflastnight's Lyonnaise feast—followthissuggested
route in reverse.)
Begin by exiting Métro line C at the La Croix-Rousse stop. Every day except
Monday, until about 12:30, a local produce market stretches across the square and down
Boulevard de la Croix-Rousse (much bigger on Saturdays). The statue at the center of the
square is Monsieur Jacquard, inventor of the loom that powered Lyon's economy in the
mid-1800s.
StartyourdownhillstrollfrombehindtheMétrostopalongRuedesPierresPlantées.
Pause to appreciate the views from the top of the Montée de la Grande Côte, and notice
how the small concrete square may be used as a soccer field, a tricycle track, an outdoor
café,andanyotherpurposetheneighborscanfindforit.Continuedownthestairs,through
the gardens along the Montée de la Grande Côte. Detour a block to the right on Rue des
Tables Claudiennes for a view over the Roman Amphitheater of the Three Gauls. It's hard
toimaginethatthisruinedarenawasoncethesamesizeastheoneinArles,holding20,000
spectators. Parts of the arena were destroyed in the 1800s for city development, and seri-
ous excavation did not begin until the 1960s. In most other cities, a Roman amphitheater
would be big tourist news, but in Lyon it's ignored by most. Backpedal to the hill climb
and continue your descent, working your way down to Place des Terreaux via Place des
Capucins.
▲ Museum of Fine Arts (Musée des Beaux-Arts)
Located in a former abbey, which was secularized by Napoleon in 1803 and made into a
public museum, this fine-arts museum has an impressive collection, ranging from Egyp-
tian antiquities to Impressionist paintings. The inner courtyard is a pleasant place to take a