distracted by a hedgehog, fred almost misses the plane from Nice to Lyon. And some fashion notes.

un hérisson

I can't resist a hedgehog, I can't resist an owl, and I can't resist Hermès. So you won't be surprised to read that I was dragged on to the plane to Lyon kicking and muttering imprecations because the shop in the Nice airport wouldn't be open for another two hours - I accused himself of having planned this, and he had the nerve to look puzzled!

un hibou

un renard

And of course as we said goodbye to the Riviera, the sun finally deigned to show itself.

The day before was Sunday, and we drove to Cap d'Antibes for a dreamy lunch 

at a fish restaurant with the unlikely name of Bacon.

The Bacon family have been in the restaurant business since the 1500's, and they know how to keep customers happy. My starter was a raw seafood salad

I dove right in, and then I had Bourride, a local fish soup

and Himself had Bouillabaisse -- note Gallic version of lobster bib! --

with its accompaniments of aioli (garlic mayonnaise), garlic cloves and lightly toasted garlic bread.

You rub the garlic on the bread,

spread the aioli on top, and 

float your little creations in the soup til soggy. 

Heaven.

And the following morning, with due fanfare, off to the airport, direction Lyon.

So, Lyon: a few highlights for you, well, for me anyway --

the reflection of the local stock exchange (the Bourse),

 not straight on but reflected in the mirrored façade 

of the Monoprix across the street from it, and

the top story of the Bourse seen from the escalator 

to the second (third) story of the Monoprix.

Setting up for dinner at our favorite bouchon, Le Garet.

A butcher at the lovely market, Les Halles de Lyon, chopping beef by hand for boeuf tartare, it's better that way, the meat doesn't get slippery but stays fresh and delicious although this is something that shouldn't be prepared too far in advance.

chocolate shops, candy shops, pastry shops, fishmongers, poulterers, butchers, fancy greengrocers, and  plenty of places to grab lunch or breakfast, true to tradition Les Halles opens early and closes early.


My lunch at Les Halles began with a few snails, then grilled gambas (giant shrimp, 3 are more than ample). Oxymorons are one of my favorite lunch dishes, light and don't leave you too stuffed to enjoy dinner. About those snails, what most people like about snails is the part where you get to soak up the sizzling garlic butter with the bread. In Lyon, however, the predominant seasoning on the snails is parsley butter, so you actually do get the flavor of the little critters, which is delicate and fresh. Surprised?

Fashion note:

shameless display of travel weight bulges

recognize anything?

that blouse was a find! It also worked well with this jacket, bad lighting but you'll figure it out.

I found that blouse to be such a workhorse that when I got home I ordered another one! Unfortunately it was packed by someone whose last job was stuffing newspaper into wet boots, but I don't think the wrinkles are permanent.

For those of you who follow closely, that tweedy thing was not the jacket I originally planned to take, but this one weighed less, and I was at that stage of packing when every ounce had deep and significant meaning. The jacket is quite warm, being synthetic, and sadly can't be worn unless the shirt underneath has a collar to keep the fuzz off the neck. Nonetheless, it's quite well cut.

Tomorrow: those of you who sent dressing room photos will see them posted.

holiday goodies, London/Paris/Lyon

I thought it might be fun to bring home some holiday goodies from our recent trip - which, by the way, is still not fully posted - but anyway, Happy Easter/Passover to all, and apologies in advance that the photos of the chocolate-covered Plagues didn't come out. As it happened, I decided not to take the risk that a creamy filling or frosting wouldn't get through airport security, so here are some shots of what a braver person might have bought

from London,

from Paris:

from Lyon:

And one from home:

on the road again

and away from reliable wi-fi, but hoping situation will improve soon

merry times in Lyon

Picking up more or less where the travel report left off, we took the TGV from Paris to the Lyon airport, where we picked up a car which almost had room for the two of us and our luggage. The airport stop (rather than downtown) is because the rental places are all together, they all have many more cars because people are coming and going constantly, of course, it's an airport. For example, Avis once gave us a clunker, so right from their parking lot we called Hertz, they had what we wanted, and we took the airport shuttle over to Hertz and were fine. Our time in Lyon was meant to be informal, so on leaving Paris I'd made some suitcase adjustments. The real repacking would take place on leaving Lyon for the Riviera.

This is the "birdcage" elevator in our hotel. It can be a lot of fun, or startling if it's not what you expected. You open both sets of doors (first metal, then wood), enter, close both sets of doors, push a button, and up you go, in an open cage of ornamental metal. After you get out at your floor, you have to make sure both sets of doors are closed, otherwise the elevator can't go back.

the Hôtel de Ville at night

There are lots of charming and comfortable hotels in Lyon, and quite a few interesting areas in addition to Old Lyon. I'd suggest figuring out what you want to do and where those activities will be, and finding a place to stay that's fairly convenient to most of them.  Getting around in Lyon can be confusing, it's a big city that predates the Romans. For example, we stay at the Carleton, which is on a colorful square, and not only can we walk to (and from!) our favorite restaurants and the Opera, the Hotel de Ville and so on, but the Halles are within walking distance or a short bus ride away.

Lyon was getting ready for
Hallowe'en when we
arrived, the stores that supply outfits for Bals Masqués have made the most of this relatively new (to France) marketing and decorating opportunity. Tintin was having a great year, we did not see any Carla masks.

We had had a long discussion before we left, which we revisited on the train: did we want to explore some new (to us) restaurants, or did we want dinner both nights at Le Garet? We both voted for Le Garet, the food's great, it's not expensive, if you're not in the mood for anything that's too close to the local version of soul food you can find plenty of other choices, we love the hosts and the place is always lively. Among other things, one night I had a glorious (and copious) sauté of wild mushrooms, another night Himself enjoyed local blood sausages in wine sauce. My favorite "dessert" when in Lyon is fromage frais à la crème, the local fresh white cheese with crème fraiche poured over. An individual game pie with a bourguinonne sauce also stands out...

Walking back to the hotel through quiet dark streets, we observed the local parking situation. Even the Smarts had to make adjustments!

We had a whole day in which to find something to do besides eat, and we explored the Modern Art Museum. This "truck" was parked just outside the Modern Art Museum, on the pedestrian walkway, a clever comment on parking in France generally. The benches at the reception desk begged to be sat upon.

The building itself is light and airy, and glassed-in walkways lead you from one exhibit to another.  

 One exhibit was a roomful of front pages of newspapers from around the world (but mainly in English), all of which had been hand-lettered and hand-painted by the artist. We tried to put the dates on the front pages together to see what, if anything, they would tell us. Most were from the Great Depression and the years immediately preceding the Second World War, and the lesson seemed to be "Have a packed suitcase ready at all times." OK.

Another exhibit was three rooms of black string, which you weren't supposed to step on. As you proceeded through the rooms, there was more and more string and less and less light. You had to give up and step on the string to get out. This of course has a number of obvious meanings, and probably some deeper ones as well.

Anyone wondering whether we got hungry during our museum visit? Why are you wondering?

Lyon: les bouchons

Most large European cities have

pedestrian zones for browsing and shopping. This one, in Lyon, is dedicated to pleasures of the table, and even though the sign is tongue in cheek (oops, sorry), the little street is one of many areas in Lyon that burst into bloom at mealtime.



The bouchon is found only in Lyon. It's a tiny restaurant, often no bigger than a cork (hence the name), serving mainly Lyonnaise specialties. Some have a fixed menu and dish out the same meal, or the same appetizers, to everyone. Others have a variety of choices as well as daily specials. Most support - to some extent or other - one of the local teams, so you're likely to see rugby or football regalia festooning at least one wall. The food is hearty, the atmosphere convivial. Here are some favorite entrées (appetizers):

Rillettes of goose (served for one person, but enough for everyone to taste);

Saucisson lyonnais, served with butter (never mustard in Lyon) and boiled potatoes - again, this was an appetizer for one. You can also start with a salade lyonnaise, which comes in a washtub with fresh bacon and poached egg.

And some main courses:

roast rib of beef (this was for 2, but I didn't move fast enough)

roast pigeon

enormous local cheese left on table with dangerous-looking knife for everyone to take their own slice

restaurant still going strong when we left...