A quiet day in Lyon....and a bouchon at last

Tuesday 16th May

On her way to Barcelona last week Liz managed to catch some sort of flu bug which she happily shared with me, so neither of us were feeling fabulous. But you cant let a few germs get in the way of sightseeing so we were determined to keep going.

We fortified ourselves with the very  healthy breakfast  - muesli - followed by the not-so healthy- crisp fresh warm croissants and 'pain au raisin' from the local Boulangerie.

Tony opted to stay home as he had work to do unfortunately and felt he had overachieved the day before in the exercise stakes

Having experienced the joys of bike riding on the very FLAT and WIDE cycling paths along the river I agreed to cycle with Ewan in the opposite direction to reach the Musee des Confluences. Liz set off clutching her map to use the tram to meet us there.

As we cycled along we saw a number of barges moored on the river which were clearly not going anywhere: some were bars and restaurants, including a ghastly one called Ayers Rock Cafe with huge Australian flags everywhere  We rode on without stopping! Some of the river cruisers often advertised on Australian TV were moored as well. The very top of them were landscaped with grass and sun lounges and pools and every room seemed to have a tiny patio with chairs to lounge in and watch the world go by. Probably a great alternative when you're old and grey ( Hang on a minute - isn't that us now?).  

The point where the two rivers meet

The Musee perched above the rivers

Liz admiring the Musee from the tram bridge

Me resting on the concrete lounges on the bridge

 As the name suggests this is where two very large wide rivers - the Rhone and Saone - merge together as they flow towards the sea. The point where they merge has been reclaimed from industrial use and is now the home of the Musee, which is housed in a beautifully designed silver building bearing some resemblance to a boat.

Liz and I were feeling less well so we decided not to visit the Musee ( I had been there about 18 months ago anyway). We decided to walk to the actual point where the rivers meet and wander around in  a park on the other side of the river. It was a warm day and sunny which was lovely after the cool weather we'd been having.

Then we headed for Place Bellacour via tram and metro  to meet Ewan . He had opted to go off on a bike ride on his own. I do pedal slower than he does because I like to admire the view ( it has nothing to do wiht my fitness level!) so occasionally he needs to pedal at his usual speed.

Liz and I only got lost once on the way there and had to get off the tram and wait for a tram to go in the opposite direction. We settled ourselves into a cafe overlooking the Square which was not all interesting and revived ourselves with a cold drink. The Square was vast and had one huge statue in the middle and the rest of it was covered in crushed stones: no vegetation, no fountains ....nothing! very odd.

Apparently Ewan had gone home and was enjoying a beer with Tony in the apartment so Liz and I, both fading fast, decided to head for home too. It's hard to believe but when we came across some of the shops we would usually spend some time in - Habitat and Printemps etc - we couldn't muster up the energy to shop at all! We obviously were ill!

When we got home we both collapsed coughing and spluttering  for a much-needed rest. It's always a challenge when you are travelling and don't feel well. Balancing the need for rest against all of the things you want to see within a limited time is very tricky.

We had to revive as we had booked dinner at one of the very traditional 'Bouchons', Lyonnaise restaurants which are accredited to demonstrate their authenticity.

Le Garet is very unprepossessing from the outside and the decor inside was a combination of wood, rugby posters and knick knacks, many of them featuring pigs, which wouldn't will any decor prizes. It did have the accreditation plaque on the outside of a puppet Guignol, who is a Lyon version of Punch apparently.

We had a fabulous night because of a combination of delicious food, helpful neighbours and a great waiter who was very funny and helpful. We ordered kir royals (champagne and cassis) to start to celebrate our last night in Lyon.

A small plate of something crunchy arrived: it was fried crackling pieces - very salty, crunchy and delicious. Despite Tony's excellent French we found the menu mystifying and had to get some clarification. We were a little worried that we'd end up with some sort of weird offal as many bouchons feature offal. We wanted to know exactly what we were getting! The meals were fabulous: fish quennelles in fish soup for Liz and I, veal for Ewan and steak for Tony. The meat was cooked to perfection and Tony said it was the best steak he'd ever eaten: that's a big call!

The veal, steak and the fish quennelles wiht vegies. Delicious!

Liz and I had to continue research so we ordered the creme caramel, and they were huge and home-cooked with a skin on the custard: very rustic.

But all hell broke loose when Tony asked for a Grand Marnier. Our waitress obviously told the main waiter, a huge guy, who came bustling over and with great disdain told us that we couldn't drink Grand Marnier - it was only good for Crepes Suzette! Then he produced three liqueurs he made himself in old magnum bottles. A sweet one which he called Verveine ( which the lady at the next table told us was verbena) and it was pale green and VERY alcoholic. It took me three sips before I could drink it without coughing! Ewan had a prune one and Tony's was called Marc de Bourgogne so we aren't clear what was in it at all.
At this point the lady next door was singing happy birthday to her husband so we joined in. Then she suggested we taste the white cream in a large bowl that they were eating. She gave us all a piece of crusty bread and invited us to scoop some up. It was a cross between a dip and salty yogurt which is a staple in these restaurants apparently.
The male waiter was very chatty and keen to know what we thought of the Liqueurs and then Ewan made some comments about rugby, and the guy was a fanatic. A delightful character!

We staggered home, with Tony having a preventative  Berocca before bed.

your not very well correspondent

Dianne