We are finally getting better acquainted with our city of
Lyon. Lyon was founded as Lugdunum in
A.D. 43. It was a critical transportation
hub for the administration of Roman Gaul.
The city became the central metropolis of the Three Gauls---the
integrated Roman provinces of Aquitiania (Aquitaine), Belgica (Belgium) and Lugdunensis (Lyon Region). Two Roman emperors were born in
Lugdunum. Last Saturday we visited some
major Roman ruins (two outdoor Roman theaters) and a well organized and highly
interesting Gallo-Roman museum that displays artifacts of ancient Lyon and
surrounding locations. I will write more
about the museum in the next letter.
The ruins and the museum are located on Fourvière Hill which
displays a dominating view of the Baslique Notre-Dame de Fourvière. The construction of the cathedral began in
1872 and was completed at the beginning of World War I. We caught the métro at our closest stop called
Garbaldi and traveled past three metro stops to arrive at the Vieux Lyon
stop. From there we caught a funicular
train that transported us up the hill.
When we got off the funicular and climbed up the stairs, we found
ourselves right in front of and gazing up at the imposing view of the
cathedral. It took about thirty minutes
to get there. When we entered the
cathedral we discovered elaborate mosaics on the walls that depict various
religious events that took place in France with an emphasis on their view of
the role of the Virgin Mary in these events.
In back of the cathedral we gazed out at the panoramic view
of the city of Lyon and its two rivers, the Saone and the Rhone. Of course the crayon building as it is called
by the French dominates the view of the city.
We could also see the most famous “Place” (large square or park) in Lyon
called Place Bellecour where there is a large bronze statue of King Louis XIV
on horseback. We celebrated our 44th
wedding anniversary by eating at a restaurant called PizzaPino located at one
corner of the “Place” a few weeks ago.
We are fortunate to have good accessible public
transportation since we are not driving our car right now because my wallet was
stolen and I lost my driver’s license, some euros, and some credit cards that
we are in the process of replacing.
Replacing my driver’s license is becoming a little complicated because I
need my signature on forms sent by the state of Utah notarized. The Notary process is more complicated in
France especially when almost everyone takes off for three weeks of vacation in
August.
A new couple, the Greens from the Salt Lake City area,
arrived a week ago. They replaced
another couple and will direct the young adult activities for the Lyon
Stake. There is a building near our
office where the young adults gather for activities and institute classes. All of the couples from our mission traveled
to Lyon for an afternoon conference last Friday at the office. Six couples direct young adult activities in
the cities of Geneva and Yverdon in Switzerland and the cities of Lyon,
Toulouse, Nice and Marseille in France.
Two other couples serve in Member and Leadership Support roles. I had not yet met two of the couples. We enjoyed getting better acquainted and felt
the Spirit of the Lord during our meetings as the couples shared ideas and
discussed some of their experiences.
Nos Petits-Enfants
On Sunday, I spoke for a while with Yan, a university
student from China. She will start
school next week. She is an amie
(friend) who is being taught by the missionaries. She told me that she is very impressed with
our church’s teachings about the family and our family values. She is the only child in her family. Her parents live in central China. I told her about brothers-in-law and sisters
who have some connections to China through their experiences there. She was very interested to learn about our
family. We are very blessed to have a
close knit family that enjoys doing things together as demonstrated by all of
the activities that took place while Liz was in town. Many of our grandchildren have begun or will
begin soon a new year of school. Some of
our children or their spouses will experience a new year of teaching. Please study hard and take advantage of this
wonderful learning opportunity. During
this time, it is also important to remember the words from the primary song,
I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus.
Love, Grandma and Grandpa Jeppson
We are fortunate to have good accessible public
transportation since we are not driving our car right now because my wallet was
stolen and I lost my driver’s license, some euros, and some credit cards that
we are in the process of replacing.
Replacing my driver’s license is becoming a little complicated because I
need my signature on forms sent by the state of Utah notarized. The Notary process is more complicated in
France especially when almost everyone takes off for three weeks of vacation in
August.
