Author Archives: Graham Miln

Musee Gallo Romain

Posted on by

The Musee Gallo Romain at Fourviere, Lyon, is a museum showcasing the Roman past of the Rhône region in France. The museum is located next to two impressive amphitheatres.

One of Lyon's amphitheatres

One of Lyon's amphitheatres

We have been to the museum a few times over the years and the exhibits no longer grab my attention. I find the collection difficult to absorb; it lacks an easy narrative to follow and guide you along.

Detail of Roman carving

Detail of Roman carving

Collection of Roman era glass bottles

Collection of Roman era glass bottles

What continues to delight is the building itself. It is a five story concrete monster embedded inside a hill. The walls, floors, and ceilings flow around and down to guide the visitor from the first floor to the fifth floor below. The building is full of smooth curves and arches.

Spiral staircase inside Musee Gallo Romain in Lyon

Spiral staircase inside Musee Gallo Romain in Lyon

Flowing concrete structure of the Roman museum in Lyon

Flowing concrete structure of the Roman museum in Lyon

I had fun putting together a short film of the museum. I am continuing to play with my camera to learn what works and what does not. The resulting film is below and available in High Definition on YouTube.

This is my first film that uses music licensed from MobyGratis.com. The sound track makes a huge difference to this film. I deeply appreciate Moby’s project to help non-commercial film makers gain access to high quality music.

Green is Returning

Posted on by

Having arrived in a bleak winter freeze I have been keen to see the return of greenery to the trees and plants around the city. The last two weeks have fulfilled my wish and suddenly greenery is emerging everywhere.

The once frozen lake of the main park in Lyon, Parc de la Tête d’Or, is now surrounded by vivid green grass.

Grass next to the lake in Lyon's main park

Grass next to the lake in Lyon's main park

Greenery in Parc de la Tête d'Or, Lyon

Greenery in Parc de la Tête d'Or, Lyon

Most welcome of all is the return of greenery on the trees lining the boulevards of Lyon.

Tree lined boulevard in Lyon

Tree lined boulevard in Lyon

First green leaves showing on a boulevard in Lyon

First green leaves showing on a boulevard in Lyon

Both the boulevard photos above were taken at lunchtime over Easter weekend when the city was unnervingly quiet. I was able to stand in the middle of normally busy streets to capture moments impossible on any other day.

Turtles in Parc de la Tête d’Or

Posted on by

Parc de la Tête d’Or has a sizeable collection of turtles in a pond near the field of deer.

My understanding, is that the turtles have been given to the park by members of the public who are no longer allowed to keep them as pets. This pond is an anonymous drop off point for these now illegal pets.

Turtle lifting itself out of the water

Turtle lifting itself out of the water

The limited sun bathing areas are crowded with turtles and they try to crawl all over each other. The resulting slow speed collisions and collapses draw a constant crowd of spectators.

Turtle swimming with its head just out of the water

Turtle swimming with its head just out of the water

Turtles swimming in a pool

Turtles swimming in a pool

Palm Sunday

Posted on by

The Roman Catholic Church is celebrating Palm Sunday today. For the last week, street stalls have appeared near churches selling palm fronds and cuts of another plant. Given the large number of people carrying the greenery this lunch time, I imagine at least some stalls are doing a good trade.

Street stall outside Basilique de Fourvière

Street stall outside Basilique de Fourvière

We walked up to Basilique de Fourvière passing a handful of marshals guiding the Urban Trail runners. We only saw a few runners and they looked suitably exhausted for their efforts.

Basilique de Fourvière is still being renovated inside, so the opportunity to peek in at the scaffolding was unexpected. The church was open and a service was ongoing.

Scaffolding inside Basilique de Fourvière

Scaffolding inside Basilique de Fourvière

On the way back we walked down through the gardens that line the hillside.

Garden wall and pathway

Garden wall and pathway

Gardens below Basilique de Fourvière

Gardens below Basilique de Fourvière

Motorbikes in Place Bellecour

Posted on by

There is a community of motorbike owners in Lyon. They have popped up unexpectedly twice in the last weeks. The latest time was in Place Bellecour on Saturday evening.

I managed to capture a little footage of the gathering; the resulting film is below and available on YouTube in High Definition.

The crowds do not appear to be phased by the motorbikes weaving between them. Of course, the average Lyon resident seems not to be concerned about walking amongst traffic in general.

Motorbikes in Place Bellecour, Lyon

Motorbikes in Place Bellecour, Lyon

Springing into Blossom

Posted on by

Spring has arrived in Lyon. The trees in front of the theatre have burst into blossom.

It is good to see colour return to the streets and squares. I am looking forward to seeing the first green leaves return; the large boulevards around Lyon feel bleak with their rows of bare trees.

Row of trees in blossom

Row of trees in blossom

First signs of Spring in Lyon

First signs of Spring in Lyon

Blossom bursting from the branches

Blossom bursting from the branches

Théâtre de Lyon with blossom in the foreground

Théâtre de Lyon with blossom in the foreground

Mesh Overhead

Posted on by

I took this photo waiting at a crossing in 6ème, Lyon. The myriad of cables stretching across the intersecting streets was delightful; with the backdrop of typically French buildings, how could I not take a photo.

Mesh of overhead power lines for Lyon's bus service

Mesh of overhead power lines for Lyon's bus service

Somewhere there is a schematic explaining how all these power lines should work.

This morning we got our Carte Técély to make travelling around Lyon a little easier; another tick off our long list of to-do items.

Deer in Parc de la Tête d’Or

Posted on by

Parc de la Tête d’Or, the main park in Lyon, is large enough to be home to many animals. One walled off area contains deer – and oddly ostriches.

The park has now thawed. The sun has been out consistently enough for the crowds to return and for the animals to return to public view.

Deer looking up at the people

Deer looking up at the people

Signs ask the visitors not to feed the deer, but this seemed widely ignored. When we visited a few weekends ago, the deer knew that food would be forthcoming from the crowds peering over the wall. We watched small children gleefully sharing their food with the waiting deer.

The sight of an ostrich walking through the field caught me off guard. Once I noticed one, it was not long before I realised it was not alone. There were quite a few ostriches living alongside the deer.

An ostrich co-existing with a field of deer

An ostrich co-existing with a field of deer