We stay at a different hotel in CDG this time. We think it is closer to the TGV station however we are wrong this time. Especially we didn’t know that we have to walk outside to the hotel from the train station, quite annoying if it is raining. It is not raining today at least but it is relatively late when we arrive and it doesn’t look 100% safe either. The lobby at least is quite interesting but the check in is automated. Or it is supposed to be automated but there is a human that does all the data entry so not sure why they created the automated stations.
The room itself is quite small, almost a capsule hotel with a bed with no space around it and a really small bathroom. We paid quite a lot for it and the room is quite a disappointment in our opinion.
What we like at the hotel is the fact that we can eat dinner, there is a menu and the food is actually quite good so we enjoy it sitting at a table down in the restaurant.
Next day we walk back to the train station, at least there are birds in the morning as we pass by carrying our luggage slowly and surely. And then it is a short train ride to the TGV train station. We already have tickets so we wait till we are let in to the actual tracks about 15 minutes before the train leaves.
And here everything goes to hell in a way that we didn’t expect in a developed country. They simply forget to change the car numbers AND they are not in order. Everyone is running around like crazy chickens and we have of course a carriage that is at the end of the train. So we run to one end then when the numbers change to the other and board only about two minutes before it leaves. Not everyone is making it and at every station there are at a few people that are fighting for the place as they climbed before the numbers changed and have no idea they are in the wrong carriage.
At least the train is working and going really fast through the countryside and we enjoy the views. What we don’t enjoy is the fact that the AC is not really working or is overworked and it is quite hot inside. But we survive and are happy when we descend in Lyon, airport not train station. We have to take an additional tram that is at a reduced price to arrive at the train station from where we decide to walk.
There is a relatively direct road to our hotel from the train station however we have to walk two kilometers in the heat. Luckily it is cloudy now and it is not that bad as we slowly make our way west passing the famous Paul Bocuse Hall on the way.
We pass from a more modern area to an older section of town with some 19th century buildings that we enjoy seeing on our walk. We are surprised that no one is batting an eye on us carrying our luggage for kilometers after kilometers, guess they see all kind of people here.
And then we arrive at the first of two bridges and the first of the two rivers which are the highlight of Lyon. In fact the city was built at the confluence of the two rivers to promote and control trade on them. First up is the Rhone with some beautiful views that we enjoy while catching our breath and then moving on.
The area between the two rivers is one of the oldest areas of Lyon with some beautiful buildings that we really enjoy in passing as we make our way step by step towards our hotel.
And then we arrive at the second river, the Saone, and pass it also while enjoying the views. And then the hotel is right next to the river and it is time to check in and the explore the town until the first of our relatives arrives later in the day.
