www.american-in-france.com & www.french-alps-tours.com Lyon’s Fete des Lumieres, or the Festival of Lights, began in 1862 when people first placed candles in their windows in honor of the Virgin Mary on December 8th, the Feast of Lights religious holiday. It has been transformed into a major 4-day festival attracting more than 50,000 people each year. Lyon illuminates their finest architecture with fantastic lights, shows and music; the ‘light architects’ are chosen through an annual competition. It is worth a trip to Lyon for the event which is held during the weekend of December 8th, the Immaculate Conception holiday. See http://www.american-in-france.com for tips about the festival.

If you have an IPhone or IPod and are planning a visit to Chambery, buy my ITunes App. It will walk you through the city of Chambery to each historic landmark with walking directions, history, a map, and narrative.