A Red Footbridge in Lyon

I went to Lyon recently to visit someone. Originally I wasn't going to write a blogpost about my trip, but having seen how beautiful the city was (albeit largely concentrated in pockets such as in the grand park), I decided to go ahead with this brief post on a red footbridge. I'll reveal its name later.

Fine, I was going to write a blogpost partially on Lyon relating to European road signs (which will come in the future eventually), but I think the city itself is much more beautiful than any signs could be. Maybe I'm giving it too much praise (residents can correct me on this) but I think it's justified nonetheless. Anyways - blogpost:

This is the Saône river, its source in the Vosges but most well known as one of the watery veins slicing through Lyon, the other being the much larger and more well-known Rhône which the Saône feeds into. Look down at the Saône during a particularly windy morning, and you can see the water flow past quickly, what with its strong current - a discharge of 14,000 cubic feet per second. This pales in comparison, however, to the Rhône, which has a discharge of about 60,000 cu ft/s (providing the greatest discharge into the Mediterranean). 

The bridge that can be seen in this photo isn't the red footbridge, but rather the Passerelle du College. I've decided to put this photo here because it's nice, and also because the Saone's in the background.

Regardless - on to the red footbridge I mentioned:

There are many bridges in Lyon, some named after prominent figures such as the mathematician Raymond Poincare and the politician Georges Clemenceau - one is even in reference to Winston Churchill, despite us being on the other end of the Channel. 

This eighty-seven metre long bridge which passes over the Saône is named Passerelle Paul Couturier, referring to Paul Couturier, a Lyon priest who was key in establishing Ecumenism, as well as helping to establish the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Such is his influence that he is commemorated in the Church of England every year on the 24th March. The bridge was once named Passerelle Saint-Georges after the neighbourhood the bridge was connected to, as it was after opening in 1853. After being rebuilt in 1944 after being destroyed in war, it was dedicated to Couturier in 2003. 

On Passarelle Paul Couturier, you are a few kilometres away from the confluence where the Rhône and Saône mix, and you're also not far from the rather nice city centre.

Unfortunately I don't have much more to say on the bridge, but neither does the internet, such is the fact that this is just one of several (red) footbridges in Lyon. If you ever find yourself wanting to travel to a random bridge, this might be one (if you can afford travelling to Lyon).