A weekend in Lyon with motorbike ride into the Monts d'Or

While the UK has been agog with Brexit, the French with the footie and Tour de France, I (who couldn't vote) have been battling with my new project of learning C sharp, in the heat, with a rubbish internet connection and laptop that keeps overheating.

Fun.

By way of distraction last weekend, I went to help my DB move from one well-appointed flat that he wasn't paying for (director's perks during his trial period) to one that he will be paying for (his trial period being at an end). (And while I was at it, take advantage of his super fast internet connection.)

The last time I was in Lyon it was also to help him move, funnily enough. This was a fairly painless affair because he was moving from one furnished flat to another furnished flat within the same city, so it just took a couple of car loads, a reasonable amount of humping up stairs, and a limited amount of cleaning (for me at any rate).

He moved from a flat with no view, to this:

Overlooking the Confluence district

The trees form part of a park that residents can enjoy, that goes right down to the river Saône, only separated from it by a main road.

Looking towards the centre of Lyon

The Alps are almost visible in the far distance.

The building is a former convent school

The flat, and building are full of original features, but it's all been nicely renovated too. Quite the des res!

On Sunday morning, we took a break and went for a motorbike ride into the Monts d'Or and Beaujolais. The local stone is a remarkable vibrant orange/yellow and makes for some charming villages.

The scenery was typically rolling hills, pasture, meadows, fields of cattle, scattered villages, leafy woods and, of course, vineyards.

This church positively glows in the sun

We were on the new bike (BMW1200 GS) which purred through the villages, and roared through the countryside. My DB loves the engine... The passenger seat is comfy too.

The pink ribbon was to celebrate some sort of Rosé day, I think

Beaujolais country

Either the fields in the photo above are on a slant or the village is. I can't quite make up my mind. As I took it from the back of a moving bike it could be either! The vineyards are part of the Beaujolais appellation. Let's hope they have a good year this year and produce lots of delicious wine.

Rolling hills, charming villages in les Monts d'Or

One village that we went through obviously had some eccentric inhabitants with a fine line in graffiti.

This is the best graffiti I've seen in France

We didn't stop to find out any more about who had created the artwork but I know that s/he is not impressed with the modern state of France...

Most graffiti around Montpellier is of the basic tagging type

My favourite said: "Julien Coupat - Eric Hazan (radical lefties) -> un livre d'opinion mène en prison au nom du terrorisme!".

Nifty artwork and wonderfully radical messages, plus a lovely red door

Love the skull on the left

Someone's been very busy!

We finished the day, later, with an apero outside a bar in the Croix Rousse quartier which is where all the bobos live. The air was balmy, the rosé iced, and it was lovely and peaceful, with just the murmur of conversation from tables nearby.

I could get used to that.