A foodie kind of day!

 

Happy Tuesday!

 

I’m not sure if you can tell from the photos, but we have not seen the SUN since we left Paris.  I don’t remember this the last time we were here, but I do remember the cold … so … up this morning about 7:45 am.  One load of wash accomplished (yes, again; I do like to stay on top of things, and this load included blue jeans – which I know take a LONG time to dry!).  

We showered, and dressed and ready for breakfast.  R wanted a good cup of coffee (there is coffee in the apartment, but comes along with one of the most complicated instructions for a very odd machine) and I was thinking hot chocolate.  (There are lots of tea bags here, but not being a tea drinker, it doesn’t do much for me!). So, we walked across the square in front of the apartment and went to the Café Bavard, on the corner.  R was SO excited!  He got to flash his newly acquired French Health Pass for the very first time!  Bread was great, and so was the jam, but I’m thinking tomorrow we’re back to Chez Jules – compare 4€ yesterday for 2 croissants and 2 pain au chocolat vs. this morning’s 16€ for two, although that did include excellent orange juice.  We didn’t want something big, so decided just on bread with comfiture (jam), coffee for R and chocolat chaud for me.  It was great, but nowhere near as great as the pain au chocolat from Chez Jules!  

 

Beautiful electric buses

Waiting at a bus stop

Beautiful boulevards

This morning's breakfast!

And speaking of O.J.  I walked over to the daily street market across the river to find our OJ guy, and he wasn’t there!  In fact, most of the market wasn’t there!  I mean, there was one cheese monger, and one chicken roaster, and there were lots of veggies and fruits as well as flowers – but the market was only about half its last Sunday size, and again, no OJ guy!  

(Editor’s note:  After we had paid for our “faux” OJ at a Carrefour market this afternoon, we walked right past the machine that juices and provides fresh juice!  Incredible!  Oh well!)

 

After that, we decided that we wanted to take the bus up to Croix-Rousse, which is home of the silk market.  We found a really good bistro there last time, and I wanted to see if we could find it again.  (Unfortunately, I couldn’t access my blog from our last Lyon trip, and forgot to write down the name from the last trip…)  So … up the hill and out of the bus.  I didn’t see our old place, but did fine a place called Bouillon Croix-Rousse – and it was fabulous!

Great sign board!

Lunch time!

My frisbee salad with lardons

R's avocado stuffed with shrimp

 

Robert did want to include a few “general observations” following:  To be sure, Paris has much to offer in the way of attractions – much more than Lyon.  

But Lyon has a more peaceful atmosphere that is in sharp contrast to Paris.  For one thing, the traffic is not an insane gridlock; buses and cars move through the city with ease.  Also, the bus system is fantastic, featuring state-of-the-art equipment.  Each bus stop has a display announcing the arrival times of the next bus; each bus has a display announcing the next stop.  Getting around Lyon is easy as can be.

 

Lyon is not without its historical roots.  The first settlements date to the Neolithic times (about 4000 BC).  Then, in 43 BC, as Lugdunum, it was the capital of the Roman province of Gaul and, over the years, was a major trading center, especially in silks and brocades.  Tomorrow, we will most likely be at the Roman musee up the Fourviere hill.

 

My wonderful map reader!

Lunch was truly amazing, in just about every respect – but most particularly how tight the dining spaces were next to each other … and with my new coat, I truly could wipe tables off completely if I made the least effort!  (But I have been SOOOOO nice and warm!). 

 

For starters, R ordered crevettes avec avocat – shrimp in an avocado half with something resembling (and tasting, according to R!) like Thousand-Island dressing.  I had their salade frisee (with mustard vinaigrette) and lardons – lovely chunks of bacon on top – it was fabulous!  Then for mains, R had their boeuf bavette avec frites – perfectly cooked rare steak and the best French fries in the entire WORLD!  How do they do it???  My main course was a chicken breast over rice with a fabulous cheese sauce.  It was amazing!  

For dessert (always room for that …) I had the mousse au chocolat – sublime! 

Excellent mousse au chocolat!

And R had the Cervelle de Canut – a specialty of Lyon (translates as “silk worker’s brain”!) that turned out to be a cheesy dipping sauce for the wonderful bread.  It was absolutely fantastic!  It is fromage blanc - some kind of white cheese -with herbs (lots of chives) added and mixed, with a bit of red wine vinegar and a few other assorted items – simply WOW!  Had never had that before, but hopefully we will have it again soon, as it was out of this world!  I’d love to serve that at home as an appetizer!

R's steak and fries!

My chicken with sauce on rice

Final total, including ¾ bottle of red wine of the region and a large bottle of Perrier, was 62€ .  How do these small places have such incredibly great food!   We will definitely think of returning up here!

R's fabulous cheese dip!

Wonderful find!

Main square and City Hall

Stunning fountain!

 

A bit of 

bother on the way home, as it seems that our C13 bus got somehow tangled in a mass of construction, and couldn’t make its way through!  As R says, that’s the problem with electric trams or buses that run along lines or overhead wires – they just can’t go off route if need be!

Fortunately, with Robert, no problems improvising on getting home, with a short stop at a Carrefour market for a bottle of wine and a baguette…

 

Back to the apartment now, and it’s a bit after 4 pm.  Having had such a fabulous lunch, we certainly won’t be wanting dinner anytime soon.  We will make do with what we have on-hand; tomorrow, though, I want to return to our original cheese shop!  

Much love,

m

xxx