December 15-17, 2023
We spent a lovely weekend in Lyon. When I say lovely, I really mean it. We have not had three days in a row without rain in weeks and the weekend weather was great. We enjoyed crisp mid-December temperatures, nice weather in which to walk around. Lyon sits at the point where the Rhône and Saône Rivers meet. The parts of the city we visited were Vieux Lyon, the Presqu’île (almost an island, or the peninsula between the two rivers) and the east bank of the Rhône River.
But first, our hotel, the “new,” since 2019, InterContinental Lyon – Hotel-Dieu, on the Presqu’île. As a UNESCO Heritage Site, its renovation was highly regulated but its beauty and history remain. From 1741 until 2010 this Hôtel Dieu was a public hospital run by the Catholic Church. It is said that today, one in three Lyonnaise was born in this complex. The many patrons who funded the Hotel-Dieu, dating from 1482 (the original hospital) through the 20th century, are honored on the cloisters’ walls, their names and contributions engraved. The layout was designed so air would circulate, improving patients’ health. The landmark Soufflot Dome, named for its architect, held a chapel and was situated in a way for patients to “attend” church from their hospital bed. That dome is now a gorgeous and award-winning cocktail bar, Le Dome — no way we were going to miss that! The Hotel-Dieu also includes shops, restaurants, bars, cafes, experiences and at this moment, a Christmas market. Our room was beautiful with silk curtains, honoring Lyon’s silk manufacturing which boomed from the 15th until the 18th century, a view of the Rhône River and a shower with a real shower door!
The name Lyon comes from Roman times when the area was named Lugdnunum. It was referred to as the second Rome and was the capital of Gaul complete with theaters built during Hadrian’s rule, for crowds of 10,000. Still in use, this hillside Roman theater holds outdoor concerts for 3,000 people. Fouvière Hill, la colline qui prie, is named “the hill that prays” for a good reason. Throughout Lyon’s history the Virgin Mary has saved the Lyonnais from plague, doom and war. Because of this, a “Minor Basilica,” honoring “the Virgin” was vowed to be built when Mary came to the rescue in 1870, again protecting the people of Lyon. The result is the stunning Notre-Dame de Fourvière (1897), built by the people to honor the Virgin Mary.
One of Lyon’s claim to fame is its reputation as the food capital of France. It is known for Bouchon and nouvelle cuisine, two completely different culinary directions. Of course, our first activity upon arriving on a two hour high speed train was a Secret Food Tour of Lyon with Charlotte.
We tasted some of Lyon’s specialties en route, including charcuterie and cheeses as well as the most delicious pink Praluline brioche, a specialty of Patisserie Pralus (also located in Paris 😋). Then we had a traditional Bouchon lunch at Chez M’man. Most of our tour was in Vieux Lyon where we explored the traboules, covered passageways between the cobblestone streets that have been maintained for centuries and are open to the public during the day. Legend has it that as Lyon’s population grew, they were created to add space above and between buildings. The traboules were also helpful hiding places for Resistance fighters during World War II. Lyon’s Gestapo chief, Klaus Barbie, the “Butcher of Lyon,” was tried and convicted in here. Unfortunately for us the Resistance and Deportation History Center was closed during our visit.
The Bouchon, which is a small bistro, is a Lyon tradition. Bouchons were introduced by the Mères Lyonnaises, women associated with the silk industry. These mères knew how to cook, serving every edible animal part possible, along with local house wines. The meats used are called offal (also known as variety meats, pluck or organ meats). Andy ordered the quenelles de Brochet, dumplings made of fish paste of pike and crayfish.
After this hearty lunch, we were introduced to the budding coffee culture in Lyon (thank you Starbucks) where one is no longer scoffed at when requesting milk in one’s coffee after breakfast (I now order a flat white). We enjoyed coffee and a delicious Coussin de Lyon, a cushion of green sugared marzipan with a chocolate ganache center.
Not realizing that we would be Bouchonning it for lunch, we had made a reservation for, that’s right, a Bouchon dinner. We had a fun meal at Daniel and Denise. I ordered the terrine — a venison 😱 pâté with a lovely jam (normally, I would never go near venison but I ordered it because the jam sounded good; alas my plate had only a teaspoon’s worth of jam).
Our subsequent meals were on the nouveau theme of Lyon. On Saturday we enjoyed cocktails at Le Dome, followed by a fabulous dinner at Le Boeuf d’Argent, back in Vieux Lyon. We chose the tasting menu, each course paired with a different wine. Well, that works for most people but not for me. Our generous waiter had a heavy pour and at the end of dinner, none of my wine glasses were finished. That said, my plates were clean and we complemented the chef when he did the rounds at the end of the evening.
Now Andy and I watch very little television back in the US and in France, even less, but somehow we got wind that the Miss France beauty pageant was being televised; what a hoot. It was out of another era and, in any language, brought back memories of watching pageants during my childhood years. I am happy to report that Miss Nord-Pas-de-Calais won (and that Donald Trump has not owned this pageant since 2015 when he was forced to sell after both sponsors and judges left in response to his bad behavior – I know, shocking!).
Our Sunday morning started with gym time, much-needed after the aforementioned meals and beverages. Our next culinary adventure took us to the east bank of the Rhône to Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse. We had a nice quiet walk to this market, named for the father of nouveau cuisine. Once we arrived within the halls, we realized where all the people were: it was mobbed! This giant food court had a bit of Eataly and a bit of Reading Terminal Market in its DNA. There were many food stands with meats, cheeses, fish, oysters, produce and pastries. To quote Andy, “If our friend Jordan was here, we’d be tasting everything.” Unlike back home, France’s markets do not provide tables for enjoying market purchases, but there were all kinds of restaurants. We had no idea that reservations were needed at most restaurants and all that food was making us quite famished. Fortunately we were able to get a table and enjoyed a seafood lunch. It was quite a scene and some great people-watching.
Just some more wonderfully displayed foods at Les Halles de Paul Bocuse:
After our food market morning, we found Lyon’s Parc de la Tête d’Or, a park, zoo and botanical garden with a greenhouse devoted to carnivorous plants; there were many plants but no Venus fly traps.
We also enjoyed the specialty food shops in Vieux Lyon but when staying at a hotel, one cannot buy everything one sees food wise — no kitchen (One of the best parts about our Paris stay has been apartment living; we have tried many specialties of France in our temporary home). We enjoyed visiting a truffle store (everything you can imagine bottled into a truffle delicacy) and bought a spread to enjoy in the future and once again, we Americans struck up a conversation with a Lyonnaise about the emerging French coffee culture. Andy did enjoy the salami he bought at Les Halles Bocuse for the train ride back to Paris!
Of course, we did some shopping along the way and as I had done in Amsterdam (where I found a rain hat — I have already gotten my moneys worth out of that), I found two hats that will help to take me through the winter.
Previously unbeknownst to me, the Lumière brothers of Lyon invented the moving picture around 1895. While we didn’t make it to the Musée Lumière, we did find the Musée Cinéma & Miniature. This museum, in a historic building is the creation of miniature artist Dan Ohlmann. It had a lot of humor and many cinematic memories through the galleries. We thoroughly enjoyed the museum’s five floors along with appropriate music piped in for each of the nine galleries. We also appreciated the special exhibit, Magnifying Pop Culture, Photoshop Posters of Drew Struzan. Of course, we ended our visit through a gift shop. Whose idea was it to always exit through a gift shop anyway?
And here we are, back in Paris for our last week. We have a few more items on our bucket list, a few more museums, a concert and meeting up with some new friends before we move on. I am planning a few more posts which I hope to share before the end of the year.
Until then,
À bientôt❣️
The Innocents Abroad, 21st Century Version 