Patrimoine. Loosely translated, it means "cultural inheritance" or "heritage". But here in France, and in Europe more broadly, patrimoine holds a significant weight that is difficult to describe. Evidence of this are the annual "Journées de Patrimoine", held this weekend, which open the doors of every site that could possibly be linked to the development of culture to the public, free of charge (for the most part). Thus, the last 48 hours have been chock full of historical and cultural enrichment, and thanks to all the walking I've done, I really feel like I know Lyon a lot better. To give you an idea, here's a quick recap of how I spent my weekend:
- Standing on the stage of a 19th century theater considered to be one of the most beautiful in France
- Hiking up the ruins of a 2000 year old Roman amphitheater - where productions are still staged to this day
- Getting a private guided tour of the Basilica that graces every postcard of the city
- Listening to a cello concert in the cloister of nearly 400-year-old hospital
- Riding an escalator past the orchestra pit at the Opera House
- Wandering through the hallways of a former military storehouse - now turned into the uber-modern School of Fine Arts
- Learning about the architecture of a wheat reserve built in 1728
- Walking along the top of a sixteenth century fort built under the orders of Louis XII
- Climbing the gorgeous staircase of the City Hall annex, which housed a middle school in the 1600s
And to think I only explored 2 arrondissements!
No comments:
Post a Comment