Love Lyon

Lyon is the most underrated city in France, I personally love it! It is a beautiful spring day here and I just went to the market and bought a roasted chicken and some salad. I ate it on the bank of the Soane River one of the two rivers that flow through the city. Two museums for this afternoon after a visit to the Air France office.

Train to Lyon, a Refresher Course

I asked the clerk this morning at the station if he spoke English but did it in French, one of the few phrases I know. He thanked me in perfect English for at least know some rudimentary French. I try to take a refresher course every once and a while by heading on my own. Press trips can make you a bit lazy when you get used to guides, drivers and such. My trip from Chamonix to Lyon was a great example of getting back to finding your own way. While only 2oo kilometers it took two trains, two busses and six hours to do. Long but great, to see the people and places that are sometimes missed when tooling in style, the number of stars of your hotel drops also. That also feels good as I am very comfortable in my new digs at the Mercure in Lyon. So far my refresher course in traveling is going great, recertification seems close at hand.

France at War

Viva la France and long live the Bouche; I am backing the French in this war. It is the war against the proliferation of fast food such as Mc Donald’s and Pizza Hut. One of the biggest Franco warriors in the battle is Chef Philippe Gauvreau from La Rotonde in Lyon. I had the good fortune to visit Lyon twice last year and my food choices have changed forever. Gauvreau in an article by Jenny Barchfield explained his reasons for opening his restaurant once a month for kids aged 5 to 13, to highlight France’s expanding girth and un- healthy eating choices. He gives the kids decked in toques an in depth cooking session that lasts 3 hours and is followed with a degustation or tasting. Besides the attack on corporation eateries is the assault on Turkish fast food joints serving shawarmas. I am tempted to lie about my age on my next visit to Lyon and take the $59 course.

St Lucia, Just the Start

It’s been awhile since I have packed two suitcases for what will breakdown into three trips. In the afternoon I head to the Crowne Plaza near LGA to overnight for an early morning flight to St. Lucia. The itin looks like it is packed with some great outdoor activities; hiking through the sulfer springs and Balenbouche Estate, then sailing by catamaran up the west coast of St Lucia to snorkel. Day two will be a morning of playing jungle man and doing a canopy tour through rainforest ending at a waterfall called Errard by ATV. I will fortunately be living in style at the Coconut Bay Resort for my nights in St Lucia.

From there I catch a late flight back to LGA to overnight before heading to France. There I will switch bags and hang with Lil and go into NYC for lunch and some museum visits. That night on to France and Lyon, a city I personally love. After a few nights exploring the area, I am on my own armed with a train pass and no set destination, but a definite stop in Paris. I will love the days alone to catch up with myself!