A Lyon Photo Diary: A Sweet, Rainy Ending to My 40th Birthday Trip

For my 40th birthday, I wanted nothing more than to wander France with some of my favourite humans, and that’s exactly what we did. After the magic of Paris (click here, if you’d like) and the storybook charm of Annecy (ugh, so good – more here!), the three of us made our way to Lyon for the final leg of the trip. My hope is that this Lyon photo diary captures those last, quiet days before real life called us home.

I’ll be honest… it took us a minute to warm up to Lyon. Maybe it was the rain, or the end-of-trip tiredness, or simply that Paris and Annecy are tough acts to follow. But slowly, between the cobblestones and the little courtyards and the absolutely unreal food (probably the best we had on the trip!), the city started to work its way in. Lyon reveals itself gently, and before long, we found our rhythm there.

It was the loveliest way to wrap up an already incredible adventure. And as much as I savoured every bite and every moment, there was also something really comforting about feeling ready to return home, reset, and slip back into our everyday routine.

WHAT I PACKED: