ROMAN RUINS

Bryce has been asking to see some Roman ruins, so today we went into Lyon to visit the outstanding Musee Gallo-Romain.  The museum is anchored by an ancient amphitheater and it is one of the best displays of Roman ruins we have visited anywhere in the world.

After parking the car we strolled up the hill first to visit the beautiful church, the Basilica Notre Dame de Fourviere.  The mosaics on the walls are stunning, on a par with Orvieto, I think.  This church is not particularly ancient, having been built in 1872 with private funds, but it is worth a visit because of it's beauty.

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The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and her image is in every nook and mosaic and statue in the church.  There are many legends about how she saved Lyon from attack and from epidemics and the Lyon residents have a Festival of Lights every year in her honor.

Next we walked down the hill to the museum and when we entered we were provided with audio guides in English which enhanced our visit greatly.  Most of the artifacts were excavated right at, or near, this sight and there is an extensive collection of tombstones, tablets, pots and glassware, coins and statues.  The displays illustrate everyday life in Lugdunum (the Roman name for Lyon) from about 45bc to 145ad.  In addition to Roman artifacts there are some things from the Gauls, the people who lived in the region before the Roman invasion.

There was an interesting display of an ancient Roman pump, glass making tools, a Gallic calendar, giant funerary heads, a stone carving of the text of a 48ad speech given by Claudius, and many mosaic floors.  The mosaics were remarkable in number--I have never seen so many in one collection--and also in condition.  They portrayed life in the times, including a good one about horse races.

The display started at the top floor and moved down 5 floors.  On the bottom floor was a children's area with floor plans and big Lego's for children to build a replica of the village.  Our 15, 14, 12 and 10 year old had a great time playing blocks for about an hour while Grandpa and I strolled leisurely through the exhibits.  We knew they were there because from time to time their structure would collapse and the clatter of the blocks falling to the stone floors reverberated up through the entire museum.

When we left the museum we went into the huge amphitheater to have our lunch.  While we ate we listened to a band practice.  Eventually the guard came and shooed us out because the museum was closing.

We took a short side trip to check out an ancient Roman aqueduct and then we headed home.  We decided to skip the freeway because there is a serious traffic problem in and around Lyon, and we went out into the country and took the back roads home.

 When we got home the kids went swimming and Grandpa took a nap and we all met up again for dinner al fresco.  We have so many nice outdoor spaces at this house and the view is so pleasant, we spend a lot of time outside.