Oh France. You charming, lovely, stylish country you. Matt and I spent the weekend in Lyon and wow did we fall in love with the city. My father in law served his mission in Lyon so we felt touched being able to walk where he walked over 50 years ago. We originally wanted to go to Paris in addition to Lyon but with August being vacation month for most Europeans we didn’t want to be swarmed by tourists. How fortunate we are though to be close to many amazing countries!
Right from the start, I knew France was going to be special. We stayed the night in Geneva on Friday evening and bought our tickets to Lyon the next morning. The man at the ticket counter not only spoke French but had a certain flair and style to the way he stroked the computer keys. He would lift each hand high in the air then dance his fingers back down to type. It was as if the keyboard was a piano and he was playing his masterpiece. As my husband would say, “The French are looser than Germans and more composed than Italians” and I would agree they’re right in between. Once we got to Lyon it was pouring rain (is it just me or do most of our weekend trips start with rain?) so we scurried down the beautiful roads to our hotel. Matt and I couldn’t seem to coordinate getting both of us under the umbrella (probably because I was too distracted with our surroundings) so we got a little irritated with each other and were pretty much soaked by the time we got to the hotel. But we got over it fairly quickly and continued to enjoy the day. How charming the hotel was! The room felt very French and our view outside the window was breath taking. Yet again my husband did a great job setting up our fun getaway.
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The view from our hotel window! 
After we rested for a little bit we decided to wander the streets and were lucky enough to find a men’s shoe store right next to our hotel. Since Matt’s sneakers were soaked we got him a new pair and they looked great. As we kept walking not only did the architecture take my breath away but I noticed how amazing the locals look. The men and women wore effortlessly chic, simple, tailored outfits and shoes. It’s not only what they wore but how they wore it. The French have a flair and an effortless energy about them I wish I could bottle up and take to the States. Every single store (no joke) had these beautiful, stylish, classy clothes and chic shoes. This was my dream world come to life and I felt extremely inspired. We also went down this large alley, of sorts, and stumbled into an antique bookstore. As soon as I saw it I went in without a word and Matt understood. I love that about him :) There were books from the 1800s (and earlier too) and I honestly felt like Belle. The smell, the fonts, the binding…it was lovely! Then we got some pastries and made our way to the bouchon Matt made dinner reservations at.
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The alleyway where we found the antique bookstore
Let me explain what a bouchon is and its significance in French culture. First off, Lyon is the gastronomic capital of France. Bouchons are restaurants that serve Lyonnaise cuisine and according to Wikipedia there are “approximately twenty official certified traditional bouchons…the emphasis isn’t on haute cuisine but, rather, a convivial atmosphere and a personal relationship with the owner”. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, small inns began the tradition of a bouchon when silk workers would pass through Lyon. The name “derives from the 16th century expression for a bunch of twisted straw” so the inn keepers would post representations of the bundles on their signs to designate their restaurants. Bouchons are incredibly famous in the city but they mustn’t look too fancy or their restaurant will be labeled inauthentic. Some of the typical Lyonnaise cuisines are: tripe soup, chicken liver salad, and chicken liver cake. Matt and I chose different courses, at our restaurant, and some of the food we ate was a foie gras pâté, a small dish of calf's foot and pig's snout, then a small piece of sausage in the middle of bread with a reduced sauce to start. We also had chicken with mushrooms and Quenelles (pronounced "keNELL"), which is a specialty of Lyon, pictured below. The meal was absolutely delicious and the locals were as friendly as could be. The couple next to us asked how our meal was and recommended certain dishes while also mentioning the restaurant won a prestigious food award for their foie gras pâté The atmosphere was wonderful and we didn’t want the evening to end. This meal was the best either of us had and we went home walking on clouds.
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| Our bouchon is at the end of this street |
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| The famous Quenelles dish. It's fish in case you were curious to know. |
On Sunday morning, we tried attending church but the buses and subways didn’t run often enough to make it there in time so we ended up taking a nice stroll around the city. Then we took a tram up a steep hill to see the stunning Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourvière and the Roman-era Theatre next to it. The church was breathtaking especially on the inside. My photo didn’t do it justice so I borrowed one online to show it’s beauty. I became emotional because as we walked in a mass just ended and the altar boy was walking towards the entrance holding the cross. The spirit was strong, the sounds hauntingly beautiful, and the architecture added to this building’s sacredness.
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"Lyon-Notre-Dame-de-Fourvières-intérieur" by Ludovic Courtès - Own work by the author.. Licensed under GFDL via Commons
Part of the Roman-era theatre
A little room which sits behind the seating area of the theatre
When we came back down into the city we stopped inside a bakery and got a croissant and baguette fresh out of the oven (see video below). The emotion of pure bliss was felt after taking the first bite. Bread in France tastes better than anything I’ve tasted before. The warm, soft gooey inside, and crusty outside was perfection. The croissant too was the perfect mixture of airy, buttery, flaky goodness. Lyon really lived up to its gastronomical fame and what a lovely adventure we had. Matt and I would recommend this city for anyone who wants to avoid tourists, eat good food, and see beautiful, historical buildings. We definitely will go back! The bakers were going as fast as they could to refill the empty baguette basket. We got one 2 seconds after this video ended.        |
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