Lyon, France - A culinary reverie
Here we go again - through droughts and tempests, through hurricanes and blizzards and global pandemics and other apocalyptic happenings, I will not be stopped! I WILL TRAVEL! And here I was...on the road again.
The plan for this maverick getaway was simple - get in the car, try your luck at Eurotunnel to see if you can benefit from the VERY recently lifted travel ban and cross from England into France. Once there, keep driving south searching for the sun and, what do you know - some hours later it turned out just fine.
Our first stop - the painfully underrated and utterly charming city of Lyon. Although we only visited for a short while, this fairytale of a city had us completely spellbound. With over 2,000 years of history behind it and a harmonious blend of Roman, Renaissance and Baroque glory, Lyon has it all.
We hired a local guide for the afternoon to walk us through the depths of the Lumière brothers' hometown and boy did we rejoice with our discoveries: secret passageways connecting narrow central streets (called Traboules), bistro-style eateries (called Bouchons) which once fed the old silk merchants and of course, the plethora of Michelin starred restaurants and legacy of the father of French gastronomy, Monsieur Paul Bocuse.
We strolled at ease through the enchanting neighbourhoods, admired the Saone and the Rhone rivers, visited a miniature museum, the Unesco listed Roman amphitheatre and the iconic Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière with its world-famed mosaics. And as if its charm, culture and lifestyle are not enough, there is also the fact that Lyon so happens to be nearby the famous Beaujolais and Cotes du Rhone areas - just a happy coincidence for the happy wine-enamoured Lyonnais :)
The next morning we feasted on the real-life cornucopia offered at the impressive Paul Bocuse market and lined our stomachs for the journey to come - next on the agenda: Arles.