. . . .
We left Valence at four, and came that afternoon to Lyons, still along
the Rhone. Either the waters of this river assume a transparency in
winter which they lose in summer, or I was mistaken in thinking them
transparent on our former journey. They are now turbid; but the hue does
not suggest the idea of a running mud-puddle, as the water of the Tiber
does. No streams, however, are so beautiful in the quality of their
waters as the clear, brown rivers of New England. The scenery along this
part of the Rhone, as we have found all the way from Marseilles, is very
fine and impressive; old villages, rocky cliffs, castellated steeps,
quaint chateaux, and a thousand other interesting objects.
We arrived at Lyons at five o'clock, and went to the Hotel de l'Univers,
to which we had been recommended by our good hostess at Avignon. The day
had become showery, but J----- and I strolled about a little before
nightfall, and saw the general characteristics of the place. Lyons is a
city of very stately aspect, hardly inferior to Paris; for it has regular
streets of lofty houses, and immense squares planted with trees, and
adorned with statues and fountains.
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