Our last day we enjoyed a walking tour of Rennaisance-era Vieux Lyon (Old Lyon).
The cobblers street still sells shoes.
According to the sign in the window, this used book store specializing in alphabet books and primers was open "de temps em temps" or by appointment.
The most fun was tunnels between streets. We entered this one at what looked like an ordinary entry at #6.
On the other side of the door was a tunnel under the apartments on the upper floors.
Half way through was a window well to give light to these 16th-c apartments. The landlord would have lived in the tower.
For this let's-see-what-lies-around-the-next-corner girl, it was hard to resist climbing these stairs.
Another opening, another tower, further along the tunnel.
This tunnel past this stairway didn't go to the next street.
It led to a courtyard with an artist's shop.
Given some free time for shopping, Ingrid and I wandered toward the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.
From there we could see across the square to the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourviere that we visited yesterday.
Ingrid had been in Lyon before. She remembered being moved by ruins of a church somewhere, but didn't remember where. We took a different route back to our meeting place. When we rounded the cathedral, there they were--ruins of the 4th-c Church of St. Stephen.
Remember those tortured martyrs from AD177 memorialized in the basilica mosaic? Their faith didn't die. It was still here in the 4th century and even in the 21st.
This was our last night on the
Van Gogh. Despite all the pictures in this blog, the music has been the highlight of the trip. We travelers bonded over our evenings in the lounge, sharing musical memories of the day and enjoying "our" musicians. I would like to put together a playlist of what we heard, but most of the recordings would not be played by Jackie and Aloysia. We'll just have to plan that trip to the
Orcas Island Chamber Muisc Festival.
*Jacob Gade – Jalousie (written by a Danish composer, a compatriot of Thomas Søndergård)
Fréderic Chopin – Waltz in A minor (newly discovered at the Morgan Library in 2024)
Edvard Grieg – Notturno (in honor of the Minnesota Orchestra’s Nordic Festival where Jackie will perform the MAX Concerto by Anders Hillborg in November 2026)
*Jake Heggie – Crossing from Orcas Island Ferry (with a discussion of Aloysia Friedmann’s Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival presenting its 29th season, including a Grand Piano Spectacular, in August 2026)
Claude Debussy – Claire de lune
Claude Debussy – Les soirs illumines par l’ardeur du charbon (discovered in 2001, written in exchange for more coal to keep Debussy warm)
*Astor Piazzolla – Oblivion (Piazzolla also studied in Paris with Nadia Boulanger. Years later Aloysia performed with him in New York City)
*Astor Piazzolla – Libertango (a program bookended by tangos!)
*Herman Hupfeld – As Time Goes By from Casablanca (“We’ll always have Paris…”)
In the morning we go our separate ways. But MPR, MSO and Earthbound Expeditions are already making plans for our next musical excursion, so some of us will reunite then. My husband emailed me part way through this trip that next time, he wants to come with me. I don't think it will be too difficult to convince Jack and Ingrid to consider joining us. As Jackie reminded us, we'll always have Paris.
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