In the southeast of France, at the confluence of the Rhone and Saone rivers, is the ancient city of Lyon. Back in the 3rd century BC. e. Gallic tribes founded their settlement here, which was called Lugdunum.
In 43 BC. e. the Romans came here. With their arrival, the settlement expanded, wooden and earthen buildings were replaced by stone ones. New houses, aqueducts, roads and baths are being built. Over time, Lugdunum became the capital of Gaul, which ensured its prosperity. Roman buildings in the city have survived to this day. This is an ancient theater, the Amphitheater of the Three Gauls, large baths and four aqueducts. The Museum of Gallo-Roman Civilization houses ancient mosaics.
In 197, the gradual decline of the city began. In the 5th century it became the capital of Gaul. In the Middle Ages, it was often subject to predatory raids. Many wanted to consider the city theirs, including the German Empire and the Catholic Church. And this did not contribute to prosperity in any way.
The situation changed only in the 15th century. By decree of the king, fairs were allowed to be held in the city from 1420. Italian bankers and merchants immediately began to come here. They built houses in the Italian style. There was little space, so the streets were very narrow and winding.
To make it easier to get from one street to another, so-called traboules were built - corridors that pierced through some buildings. This is a unique invention. Traboules were in the form of straight corridors, spiral and ordinary stairs. Now many of them are privately owned and closed to the public, but there are some that you can walk through at certain times.
Like any other ancient city, Lyon has an Old Town. It is located at the foot of the Fourvière hill, at the top of which is the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière. It was built in 1872-1896. From here you have a magnificent view of the city. There is another attraction at the top of the hill - a metal tower, which is a copy of the third tier of the Eiffel Tower. It was built in 1892-1894 and now “serves” as a television antenna.
The old medieval city of Lyon is one of the largest and most complete areas of the Renaissance. In 2011 it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Saint-Jean Cathedral has been preserved since the 12th century. Here is now the residence of the Archbishop of Lyon. There is also an astronomical clock in the cathedral that strikes the time at twelve o'clock in the afternoon.
There is also a medieval hospital, the Hotel-Dieu, in the city. Over its long existence, this complex of buildings was rebuilt many times.
There are many squares in Lyon. Some of them are many years old. Place Bellecour with its chestnut alleys, gardens and the equestrian statue of Louis XIV evokes an indelible impression.
Between the Rhône and Saône rivers is the Presqu'ile peninsula. This is the center of Lyon. Here you will find the City Hall, museums, the Opera, the Celestin Theater, numerous boutiques, bars and restaurants.
Residents of Lyon love holidays. Since the mid-19th century, the Festival of Lights has been held in December. This is the festival of illuminations, when residents place candles on the windows, and thousands of lamps, lights, lanterns and lamps are lit on all the streets. Tourists love to attend this event.
Every summer, in the open air, in the ancient Fourvière theater, built in 15 BC. e., there is a festival of music, theater and cinema called Nuits de Fourvières.
Confluence of the Rhone and Arve rivers in Geneva, Switzerland
The river on the left is the Rhone which flows from Lake Leman, on the right the Arve receives water from the glaciers of Chamonix. The Arve has a deeper muddy layer at the bottom, which is why its waters contrast so strongly with the Rhone.
Confluence of the Thompson and Fraser Rivers, British Columbia, Canada
The Fraser River is fed by mountain waters and therefore has muddier water than the Thompson River flowing through the plains.
Confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers in the National Park, Utah, USA
The Green River forms in the Rocky Mountains of Sublette Forest National Park, Wyoming. It winds south into Utah, turns east into Colorado, and finally back south into Utah, where it ends at the confluence with the Colorado River. The colors of the water differ due to the differences in the rocks they wash away.
Confluence of Ohio and Mississippi, USA.
The waters of these rivers do not mix and have a clear boundary at a distance of almost 6 km.
Confluence of the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers, India
In the area of the city of Devprayag, two rivers merge, feeding their waters from glaciers at the foot of the Himalayas. These two holy rivers later form the Ganges River.
Confluence of Rio Negro and Rio Solimões, Manaus, Brazil
This phenomenon is due to differences in temperature, speed and density of the water of the two rivers. The Rio Negro on the right carries sandy water mixing with the almost black waters of the Rio Solimões
Merger of Jialing and Yangtse Chongqing, China
The Jialing River, 119 kilometers long, flows into the Yangtze River in Chongqing on the right. The clear water contrasts strongly with the brownish-yellow waters of Yangtse
Confluence of the Moselle and Rhine rivers in Koblenz, Germany
Confluence of the Drava and Danube rivers, Osijek, Croatia
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Why is the town sometimes called the beginning of the most sacred river in India - the Ganga?
Do you know this unforgettable story about how, in ancient times, the Ganga was not an earthly river at all?
The story of Ganga and King Bagirati
In ancient times, the Ganga flowed across the sky in the form of the Milky Way, and King Bagirati performed asceticism day and night. And when he, so righteous, asked Ganga to descend to Earth, she indeed descended, but so that under the weight of Ganga the Earth would not move from its axis, the great Shiva nobly offered his head, and Ganga descended to Earth along his strands. Having fallen on the head of the beautiful Shiva, it spread through his sacred long tangled hair, and then gathered together again. Therefore, the god Shiva is depicted with Ganga on his head.
So with this Ganga everything is not as simple as with other rivers. Ganga bears its proud name not from the very source, but from the place where two powerful streams united on Shiva’s head into one. This place is a town .
Devprayag - the confluence of Bagirati and Alaknanda
Among Hindus, the confluence of two rivers is called “prayag” and is considered sacred. There must be a temple in such a place. If there is a city during the merger, then it most often bears the name “...-prayag”, for example, Rudraprayag, Devprayag, Karnaprayag...
At Devprayag, two sacred rivers - Bagirati and Alaknanda - merge to form the most sacred river in India - the Ganga.
The source of Bagirati is the Gomuk ice cave on the Gangotri glacier.
The source of Alaknanda is located near the Neelkanth mountain in the Badrinath region.
Hindus consider the Gomuk ice cave to be the source of the Ganges.
A 19-kilometer trail leads to this ice cave, which I have already walked twice, and I still can’t get enough, I really want to repeat this trek again.
So the great Ganga gets its name only here, in Devprayag.
The moment of the confluence of two rivers. Very impressive!
These rivers differ in color: Alaknanda is dark, Bagirati is light, whitish. After merging, their waters flow for some time without mixing, and a clear boundary is visible, especially when viewed from above.
In the next photo: on the right - Bagirati, on the left - Alaknanda
Bridge over Bagirati
Streets of Devprayag
Rocky coast of Alaknanda
Town very sincere, not at all touristy - in the town itself we could not find a single hotel to spend the night.
But they found a cool hotel a couple of kilometers from Devprayag, on the high bank of the Ganges.
From there we watched with interest how the border of the two rivers moved either to the right bank or to the left, depending on whose peaks the snow was melting the most at the moment. For example, in the evening the water boundary ran along the middle of the channel, and early in the morning we discovered that Bagirati had completely fallen asleep, Alaknanda strangled her, and the boundary moved almost close to the right bank.
I worried about my beloved Bagirati, as if I were a close friend :)
Well, how can you not say that rivers are living beings? Each river has its own character, its own energy, and at the confluence this energy intensifies many times over. The confluence of rivers is a place of Power.
At the confluence there is an ancient temple. They say that it is 10 thousand years old...
And this is the goddess Ganga. Well, isn't she beautiful?
On the arrow itself, in the mornings and evenings, the pujari performs aarti - fire puja. When in the evening, standing right next to the water, he turns his lights to the accompaniment of sacred hymns, and you sit on the steps of the arrow, two powerful streams rushing from both sides of you, you feel like you are part of this great event - the birth of the Ganga.
Road to Devprayag
You can get here by bus from Rishikesh - 70 km towards Badrinath, i.e. upstream. The road stretches along the green slopes above the Ganges, very beautiful. All along the road, serene monkeys sit on the sides of the road, phlegmatically crossing the road right in front of the vehicles. Not far from Devprayag, a large blue Shiva stands near the road.
When you drive along this beautiful road from Rishikesh to Devprayag, you can see for many kilometers that the Ganga in these places is quite calm, despite the high steep banks. One of my dreams that has not yet come true is to cover this section in a kayak...
View of the Ganges from the road 
In geography, there is the concept of the merger of several rivers into one. Rivers can merge in different ways. One of the most popular options is for a smaller river to be absorbed by a larger one.
Let's look at some unique places in the world where rivers met and joined together.
It is worth noting that the Jialing River is quite long, its length reaches 119 kilometers. In the Chinese city of Chongqing, this river flows into another river - the Yangtze. The uniqueness of this place is that the waters of the Jialing River are clean, and the Yangtze River is brown. The result is very impressive.
In the Bahamas, the turquoise green waters of the Caribbean Sea are interestingly separated from the blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean. They are separated by a small rock formation that was created naturally. This formation is called “Glass Window Bridge”.
5. The confluence of the Rio Negro and Solimões rivers near the city of Manaus (Brazil)
The confluence of the Rio Negro and Solimões rivers near the city of Manaus (Brazil)
The Green River carries its green waters into Colorado, merging in Canyonlands National Park, Utah (USA)
