The Croix-Rousse District and more Murals

We had heard there was a wonderful market and avenue worth seeing in Croix-Rousse which is part of Lyon's UNESCO World Heritage Site.  This was the neighbourhood where the silk workers lived and worked during the late 17 and 1800s.  So, Thursday, we took the metro to Henon, one stop beyond Croix-Rousse.  Interesting that a couple of young women tried to pick-pocket my friend while we were boarding the tram at the Hotel de Ville stop.  They looked like completely nice and normal people so, I guess the lesson is one cannot be too careful even when the situation looks safe.  Thankfully, nothing got taken and their efforts were thwarted.  

The reason we went to the Henon stop, which is one stop beyond the Croix-Rousse one, is that we were told that one of the largest murals in Europe was there, opposite the station.  It is called The Painted Wall of the Canuts (the silk workers).  We found it and it was amazing - the trompe d'oeil made it all look almost real.  The information about this mural from the Internet says:

Built by the Cité de la Création in 1987, this painted wall which extends over a blind façade of 1200 m² is the largest in Europe. Updated for the first time in 1997, it regularly takes into account changes in the neighborhood. The inhabitants represented on this facade are also aged. Thus a young man who carried his bicycle was represented as a young dad in 1997, with his little girl.  Renovated and updated in 2013, it shows a lively district, between history and modernity.  

This evolving painted wall represents the Croix-Rousse district, district of the "Canuts", workers working silk in the 19th century. There are typical buildings of the neighborhood with their high windows and 4m high ceilings intended to accommodate the looms. Several nods to Lyon culture are also present, such as a small theater in Guignol or the velo'vs, Lyon's self-service bicycles.  A central staircase leads up the hill between the tall buildings of the district and gives the whole a striking impression of depth.

We then continued along the boulevard walking toward Croix-Rousse where the market is every day.  I am not sure what we expected but it was a bit smaller and somewhat disappointing as there were only food stalls.  That being said, some of them had delicious looking products.

Then, we gradually made our way down the steep hill.  For the most part, we stayed on the road as some of the stairs looked pretty tricky - no matter if you were going down or up!

Another stop we made was at the Amphitheatre of the Three Gauls located in the Jardin des Plantes.  

Then, we continued making our way down the hill to the river.  Along the way, there were viewpoints which provided sweeping panoramas of this beautiful city.

We then headed into Vieux Lyon, had a (very) light lunch and waited for our food and walking tour which started at 3 pm.  More about that next.