Au revoir Lyon

We had such a wonderful last day in Lyon. Visit to a silk workshop where they hand make silk screened and painted scarves, just like in the old days when Lyon had the silk monopoly in France. Then the fine arts museum, where I  found a painting by one of my favorite obscure Italian renaissance painters (Francesco) and lots of other fine works until I got serious museum headache. After salade avec chèvre chaud in the adjoining cafe it was shopping time! Lily and I cruised the main shopping streets with a successful stop at Longchamps for new bags - in the new seasonal colors.

This is eggplant, not black, FYI. 

We also had coffee and pastry at a cafe, and bought a can of French dry yeast for Art. Then our group gathered for a boat ride on the Soane, when we learned more about the terrible wars that have ravaged this region since before the Romans. I forgot to mention that the shoe museum in Romans had a few rooms dedicated to history of the Resistance in WWII. The place of dubious honor, lit up like a macabre moon rock, fell to a piece of human-rendered soap from Dachau. And horrific as the  Holocaust was, after the millennia of atrocities here can it be that surprising that it occurred when technology caught up with the hatreds? Thanks heaven for the Marshall Plan, the EU and almost complete peace since 1945. 

After the boat ride and packing we went down restaurant row, aka Rue Merciere, where many traditional restaurants feed the tourists and locals alike. And of course we found half our group at the bistro started in 1896 with all the Lyonnaise specialities. So we went in together and enjoyed a wonderful meal. I wasn't leaving without tasting the traditional pike dumplings "quenelles" and it was delicious as only something enveloped in butter sauce can be. Our desserts, walnut tart and chocolate cake, were everything you'd hope for in a French dessert, and the congenial company added that special flavoring of fellowship. 

Before I close I want to let Laura know that I've told everyone about Nuxe dry oil that smells and feels so good, and I've gotten some more Nuxe items, as pictured here. Before I leave France I may well turn myself over to one of the white coated ladies in the pharmacies, point to my neck, and have her pick out a few creams for me! They are so eager to assist!  

I'll do a  more extensive picture selection tomorrow. Bon nuit!

Silk screening demo

Notre Dame basilica above Lyon

Huge "hearts of beef" tomatoes at market along Lyon waterfront. Would they grow in VA?

 

Pics from Vienne and Lyon

Yum - gateaux in Viene 

Gargoyle, St. Pierre church, Viene

Viene and New Haven - both cities of elms

Viene, St. Pierre church/museum looking like archeological dig. 

 Kale roses, Viene market

Tomatoes, Viene

The "Loup" at the "Corps de Loup" vineyard

Vineyard tour, Viene

Sea creatures, mosaic, Gallo-Roman museum, Lyon 

Wine, Lyon, and global cuisine

I'll do some text and post pics later. I should add about Viene - without it there'd be no Da Vinci  Code or sequels, because that's where Pope Clement ?? outlawed the Knights Templar. 

Yesterday we had a wonderful vineyard visit outside Viene at a family owned vineyard Cours de Loup (there's a wolf on the label) where the 27 year old son of the owner gave us the most informative wine tour ever.  For example, he explained why the different hills on the west side of he Rhone had different terroir (his was granite, but not NH style) and therefore different designations. He took us on a short walk thru the vineyard of Syrah grapes which slanted up at least 50 degrees - if you slipped, you weren't stopping until you hit the roof of the house. But no slippage, and he gave us a great tasting with wine and house-made hard goat cheese and sausage. Their white Viognier was so good, and it's hard to find good ones at home, so we bought a bottle. We first discovered Viognier on our family trip to the Loire valley in 2003; thanks GWBush for the tax cut that paid for it and Laura and Lizzie for coming along!  We gave him a Chicago Blackhawks t-shirt, which  he loved once he knew what sport it was: "there's no ice hockey in France".

After that, on to Lyon, third largest city in France. Looks like a mini-Paris with 19th century houses along he Rhine and Soane rivers and old churches, cafés, and shops. We had to quickly spruce up for our once in a lifetime dinner a a Michelin 2 star French restaurant with Lily and Jerry. The restaurant, L'Auberge d'Ile, was recommended by a Francophile work colleague.  I'll copy the email I sent him about it:

        Of our menu, the tuna tartare was amazing. The veal was delicious. The soufflé was a wonderful combo of texture and flavor. The cannoli was good but the ice cream made it, I've had as good in New Haven (DWS, please note!). The mushroom was transformational, the best tase of mushroom and foie gras ever. The fish was just ok. The crab was good but we get crab at home. The wine pairings were good but not transporting. Service was friendly but not as accurate as you'd expect for the price. Chef was very friendly, mentioned Michel Richard his friend in DC. Bill was ridiculous!

Menu below, if you can read it. 

Ty

After that blowout, it was hard to make our 9 am call for touring, and it was gray and raining solidly. But our intrepid group trekked over the Soane to see St. Jean cathedral ad take the funicular to Notre Dame (a relative newcomer, built in 1870) and the Gallo-Roman museum of artifacts frm Roman times in Lyon. A Celtic tribe lived here when the Romans arrived, and the smart ones collaborated and got Roman names. Lyon became a huge center for trade in Roman Gaul with the usual arenas, theaters, etc. 

After the museum, and a solid 2 hour nap, we woke up to the sounds of our group having a happy hour which we joined. They're all such nice people, mostly retired teachers who worked with Art and Olga in Illinois. They have interesting families and stories, proving one shouldn't make generalizations about Midwesterners. 

Even with happy hour snacks we needed food, and we knew we wanted Asian, especially since we knew that Asians would be working Sunday night even if French don't. And sure enough, one block away was L'Pekin, with a young couple and their baby son running the place. I ordered in Chinese, found out the dad was from Nanjing and mom from Guangzhou, and we had a wonderful meal. The food was more subtle and delicate, and more authentic, than what we get at home. So we thanked them  for a "feichang hau chr" meal and left happy in the drizzle. 

Tomorrow is more touring and museums, and then finally shopping time! Will upload pics next. It's great to have reliable wifi at last. 

Orange, Romans, and Vienne

Highlights today included a nougat candy factory, the Musee de Chasseaurs (shoe museum) in Romans, a small vineyard tasting, and settling into Viene for an overnight.  The candy factory was surprisingly fun, and I never cared much for nougat but after watching them make it in antique copper kettles I was a fan.n they make one variety to look like olives - an almond coated first in black and white chocolate, hen sealed in a green tinted coating.  Looks just like the native fruit! After that we hit a Carrefour supermarket to buy makings for a roadside picnic lunch.  You can buy sliced sandwich-style goat cheese here, and amazingly tasty alpine strawberries.

Cheese aisle at Carrefour 

Copper nougat making kettle

Hi-tech marshmallow cutter!

Can only be the shoe museum in Romans!

Laura - check these Chinese boots for a 3" bound foot 

The family winery

Lining up the tasting glasses

I bought a red here for "cellaring"; remind me in 2015. 

Rhone River in Viene

Dinner group at L'Etable du Boucher in Viene. The man with mustache, no glasses is our driver Sylvain.   Art's sister Olga and her husband Art are by the window.  We drank a rose wine produced by "Jolie-Pitt" and the winemaker they hired away from Chateauneuf du Pape - quite nice but still not my perfect rose. We lucked out eating with the French speakers. 

Sur le Rhone in Vienne

This blogging is technically challenging in a mostly wifi-less environment. So just the highlights. Yesterday we visited the ancient Roman theatre in Orange, the Roman aqueduct bridge Pont du Gard, and the best vineyard on our tour, Chateauneuf du Pape.  All these peaceful burgs and fields drowsing in the sun hide their secret - they've  experienced horrific invasions, disasters, and persecutions for millennia - and the tourists have come anyway. The wine was good, didn't buy any because we can get it at home. Will follow up with some picture posts after dinner. 

Me and the Med in Nice

Street in Orange

View go Roman theater from our restaurant in Orange

Amazing fish custard in Orange

Inside the amphitheater,Orange 

Pont du Gard

Peaceful river, Pont du Gard

Pont du Gard moved water 30 miles.  Of course the Chinese wall is 100x longer, but did it look this good and carry water?

Tasting glass at our vineyard

Overcoming technical difficulties in Orange

I couldn't get an internet connection until we got to the hotel in Orange with free wifi.  I'll try later to add photos of me in the Med at Nice where we had a beachfront lunch of seafood in various forms. The saffron seafood risotto was so good!  

Orange was an ancient Roman military retirement community, like our VIrginia Beach. It gets its name because the House of Nassau-Orange, the same royal family of Holland, used to rule this area. It only became French in the 1600s. The very little I've seen so far reminds me of San Juan and Santa Barbara, two tropical colonial towns. We've had gorgeous California weather and landscapes so far. 

Another try at the map

Getting started

Map of 9/24-10/8 Wine-tasting Trip to Nice, Lyon, and Alsace-Lorraine