The Festival of Lights

As I wasn't able to get over to London to get all energised with good vibes at the blogmoot organised by Skint, Debi and Minx, I had to find some other trick. Luckily, Lyon has been hosting its annual Fête des Lumières over the past four days. This has become famous, attracting people from afar. Historic buildings and churches are lit up in spectacular fashion!


The light shows that were projected on the façades of two churches in the city were absolutely amazing, but because the images were moving it was impossible to capture them on camera. These other shots give you a general taste of what we saw though.


The festival of lights takes place every year, with its roots in religion. On the first day of the festival residents put little candles in their windows, traditionally to give thanks to the virgin Mary. Our flat doesn't have a view out onto the street, so we don't tend to put up any candles. We overlook an internal courtyard, the historic site of Lyon's first ever hospital.


I find this festival is perfect to get people into the festive mood, just weeks away from Xmas. The roads are closed off to traffic, which gives the city a wonderful ambience of freedom and good humour. You go home feeling absolutely psyched up!


Now, it's true that I would've had a much better time at the London blogmoot. I would've seen light on a different level, the luminosity that only our favourite blogs can provide. But when it came to trying to be satisfied with the next best thing, this festival kept me smiling. Also, sometimes it's good to get out into the world, away from the computer and all of those letters!