Food, glorious food.... Lyon and Dijon

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We left the comparatively warmer weather in the south of France and headed north to Lyon. On our arrival we negotiated the metro and a funicular and eventually found our hostel at the top of Vieux Lyon and the place has a great view over the city. Lyon is known as the gastronomic capital of France so we wandered around the streets before stopping at a nice restaurant. We tried to translate our way through the menu and it all went well except the delicious bowl of lentils Mick got for a main meal.

The next day we did a tour of the city visiting another Notre Dame Basilica and then weaving our way through some of the city's traboules. These traboules are hidden passages between and around buildings behind ordinary doors, but leading to another street. They were used by silk weavers to transport their silk around the city and later by the French resistance in WWII. In the centre of the city is a large square dominated by a fountain designed by the guy who worked on the Statue of Liberty. We then walked up the many steps to the older suburb of Croix Rousse which is a boho area and previously home to the silk trade. We sampled some more delicious food for lunch in Croix Rousse before checking out the other end of town including the home of the Gestapo during the German occupation and the Confluence which is a new development at the spot where the two rivers join but still a work in progress. Lyon is a beautiful city and the food is living up to the hype.

The next day we caught the train to Dijon, the mustard capital of the world. We had planned to visit some of the museums but our plans had to change as they are all shut on Tuesdays. Instead we did the mustard thing and went to the Maille mustard market where they sell it on tap. We also enjoyed wandering around the city which has some beautiful buildings. On the way back to Lyon we jumped off the train in the gorgeous little town of Beaune in the heart of the Côte d'Or region of Burgundy. We went to a great wine tasting place where we had a self-service tour which basically involved making your way through the cellar trying different wines. As it was quiet and not many staff were around we made sure we got a good sample of the 15 wines we tasted.

Tomorrow we say goodbye to France for a while and head to Switzerland.

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Photos

Fountain in Place des Terreaux
Created by A. Bartholdi of Statue of Liberty fame with four horses representing rivers galloping to the sea...

One of the many traboules
Can you see Mick hiding in there?

Amazing 3-D mural in Croix Rousse
Look closely and see if you can see something stand out...

Polar bear statue in Dijon
No idea why a polar bear but Mick had fun riding it.