It feels good to be back here. An unexpected twist of fate and I've spent the last week in this exquisite city.
Lyon was historically the western-most city on the ancient silk road, a loose network of trading routes which stretched from ancient China, through south and central Asia, the Middle East, Europe, all the way to here, this terracotta-coloured, bustling settlement nestled between the plains of rural France and the mighty Alps.
To and from Chang'an (modern day Xi'an) to Lyon, via Byzantium, Damascus, Antioch and Venice, through the Gobi Desert and Mediterranean currents, flowed ideas, faiths, merchandise, goods, jewels, spices, and, as the name gives away, silk.
Not just the physical material, but the knowledge and craftsmanship required to produce the precious cloth.
Craftsmen here learnt silk weaving skills from the rapidly expanding horizon of trade and learning the silk road provided, and Lyon became the heart of mediaeval Europe's silk industry.
Unfortunately, the scarf on my head is not silk, it is 100% good old polyester. But hey, it looks a bit like silk, and it is from China, so I think it makes for a loosely relevant visual connection to the history of the silk roads.
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