15 DEC 2017: A towering Gothic cathedral that’s stood solidly on a square in Lyon for centuries has just come crashing down, only to be reassembled in brilliant abstract swirls of colour. Glowing birds swoop through the night sky. And a unicorn joins flying horses on a hillside that’s glittering with candles.
Everywhere you look, Lyon is constantly transforming as colourful moving images appear on buildings and glowing kinetic sculptures and lighted decorations fill the streets.
I was fortunate enough to be in the city for its annual Fête des lumières, a December tradition that predates most festivals of light anywhere else. Lyon is the starting or ending point for cruises on France’s Rhone and Saone Rivers and itineraries often include two or three days docked in the city.