The Institut Lumière
is in the Monplaisir area of Lyon, where the Lumière brothers are said to have first invented film-making. We thought to pass time there just because it was there - but we were blown away by what was available to us. In a short afternoon we were taken back over a century and privileged to watch the very first films ever made, (according to the French). 
We learnt about the family, the invention of filming and projecting moving images, inspired by the way a sewing machine pulls the material through as it sews, the proliferation of movies in a very short time span, colour added to photographic plates (Red, Green, Blue), 360° projection 6 metres high (1901). So much of what we still see on the screen seems to have been created in about a 15 year time span.
The Institute is housed in the family house, 1902, where the family lived until the late sixties. Even the house is a work of art, called by the locals at the time Lumière Castle, with a winter garden and parkland surrounds. The factory, where they made the photographic plates which were the basis of their fortune, were bulldozed down in the 60s, and only a bit of the old warehouse remains, now classified as an historical monument, and turned into a cinema and exhibition centre.
While waiting for my bike part, we realised that we had another bike available for short excursions (Julian's bike - not quite my fit...unfortunately...). We took the bike path to the river and then followed bike paths all the way to Mirabel Park, a vast open area with a huge lake, mountain-biking circuits, tennis, fitness, golf, walking tracks, beaches, places to eat (in season- not quite yet, though we managed a coffee while sheltering from the rain.)
White swans kept us company as we ate the sandwiches we had bought at the local bakery before leaving. Coming home (in the rain) we managed to cut across the town, using bike paths where obvious, and taking shelter as appropriate.
On the following Sunday we went out to Miribel again, 6 adults and two 16 month olds in a bike trailer. Same impressive openness, but with a stronger wind. Same fearless swans who thought we might perhaps help them out with a few tidbits. We did have picnic fare but nothing with swan or duck written on it. Coffee to warm up at the same seasonal cafe, this time offering midday meals, since it was the weekend. Big bonus this time was following the leader, both out and back, so the network of bike lanes became clearer. And easier.
La Confluence
is a newish project in between the banks of the Saône and the Rhône, to the south of Perrache station. The development will be extensive. The tramway takes you right to the doors of the new shopping centre, which feels a little like being on the decks of a boat. It is where Lyon is currently developing, both commercially and residentially. I was stopped from taking photos by a security guard...
No comments:
Post a Comment