Part two of Mom’s report on our time in France!
Lyon, May 18-20, 2024
Jay and I picked Lyon to visit because of a restaurant in New Orleans. Earlier in the year, we got a call from our friend, Holly Yarbrough. Did we want to meet up in New Orleans for a long weekend in April? And she had a friend who owned a French restaurant with their husband, the chef. And she could get reservations even though they were booked way in advance. Sounds like fun! So we did. The restaurant, MaMou, is based on Lyonnaise-style French cooking, an old school style that is considered country French. While Tom cooked our delicious meal, Antonio told us about the restaurant and French food in Lyon. Tom came out and told us about a book about Lyon we should read and then go visit. The book was only available on audiobook so we listened while driving. The book was called Dirt by Bill Buford. It was this book that inspired us in our visit to Lyon. Camille also read the book in preparation for our visit, on our recommendation.
And the food in Lyon was delicious. A must visit in Lyon is Les Halles Paul Bocuse. Paul Bocuse was a chef who inspired and trained many other successful chefs. He was so influential to the food scene in Lyon that they named the market after him — a big honor! There we had lunch and bought goodies to take home.
“Without butter, without eggs, there is no reason to come to France.”
-Paul Bocuse
For dinner we were able to get a reservation at Daniel et Denise, a small restaurant that has two seating a night (this is customary in most restaurants. Some only have one seating.) You are expected to take your time and enjoy your meal for 2 ½ hours. The restaurant doesn’t even open until 7 pm. We were able to get reservations for the 9:30 seating. The staff was ready and waiting as everyone entered at once. The menu is limited and everyone works well together. One thing they are known for is their side dishes that come for the table, sautéed potatoes and macaroni and cheese! This is a quintessential Lyonnaise restaurant so the dishes are served with sauces. Between us we ordered the quenelle, a fish dish, the beef bourguignon and the pate en croute plus desserts.
We love our hikes and food but we all love to visit museums! Lyon has several but we visited the Contemporary Art Museum (Musee d’Art Contemporain de Lyon). The collections were so different from anything else I have ever seen. The largest exhibit was a single painting, River of No Return, done as a sort of storyboard that twisted and meandered throughout a huge room. The artist, Sylvie Selig, created an amazing masterpiece 140 meters long. The painting was accompanied by her “Weird Family”, sculptures made of dressmaker's dummies and papier mache. The detail of the painting and sculptures kept us all entranced for hours.
Al here. The River of No Return may have been the most impactful single artwork I’ve witnessed in all of gap year. The zig zagging tapestry has inscribed an epic as powerful as The Odyssey, maybe with more quirky, self-referential commentary. I was most struck by the ending — or lack there of. You don’t know the final fate of the protagonists, and if you did, they most likely met painful, bitter ends. One of the great lessons of life I’ve learned this gap year is to embrace uncertainty. This artwork underscored this new theme in my life with ample profundity.
We arrived to the museum by bus but when we left there were bikes that could be rented for so little and a bike path that went along the river back towards town so away we went. Well, after downloading the correct app and pushing the right buttons in the correct order and snatching the bike out of the rack before it relocked again. Then we rode away. Planes, trains, automobiles, buses and bikes. We’ll try it all and it was a lot of fun.
We rode the bikes along the river until we got to the bridge that would take us to a restaurant we were so excited to visit - Brasserie Georges!! Brasserie Georges is an institution, an experience, something that will always be remembered. It is loud and fun and delicious. Brasserie Georges was established in 1836 and is still known for their beer. We learned about it in the book that took us to Lyon, mentioned above. Our waiter, James, was the quintessential Frenchman; stoic, opinionated yet nice, perfect posture, extremely professional and just mean enough to still be charming. He was a delight. A specialty we were delighted to see, bone marrow, was ordered as an appetizer for the table to share. We ordered the steak tartar which is made right at your table; a show and delicious. I ordered another house specialty, choucroute, a sauerkraut and meat dish similar to the one I ordered at MaMou in New Orleans. Imperiale came with ALL the meats; smoked belly and loin of pork, smoked and frankfurter sausages and a whole knuckle of pork. James nodded approvingly at my choice. It was a huge amount of food that would feed us again the next day. Most of the food we have eaten in France is not cheap but inexpensive. Case in point; our meal tonight wasn’t cheap; 186 euros ($200) But that included 3 appetizers (including snails), 4 main courses including duck and steak, 3 desserts, wine and beer AND tax and gratuity included. And we had enough leftovers for another meal for the four of us.
Camille found a museum she was interested in, The Lumière Museum, and it was showing a film. The Lumière brothers were inventors who created the first mass market camera for showing films. First we watched a film we had never seen before, The Little Dictator, by Charlie Chaplin. It is an incredible film that has humorous parts but it is as thought provoking and still as relevant today as it was in 1939 maybe even more so. I was a little stunned at how it spoke to me now. I wish more people could see it. After, we visited the museum itself and had it almost to ourselves. It was fascinating and fun to see how the making of moving pictures developed.
It was Monday and a holiday so very little was open on our last day in Lyon. Les Halles Paul Bocuse was open but most of the stalls were closed. I did manage to find the Long Balinese Peppercorns that Antonio and Tom of MaMou said were so special. It was a bit of a bummer but we had a great time in Lyon. On to the next adventure: a barn stay in the countryside.
Braugnac, May 21-22, 2024
Lonely Planet and Camille came through big time for lunch on our drive from Lyon to the country house. We stopped at a place called L’Attendent Louise, or “Waiting for Louise”. It was delicious country French food. We had THE truffade (au gratin potatoes) served in the pan it was cooked in and a sumptuous, savory pork stew. Happy, satisfied tastebuds! Drinks were served by the mohawk hairdo’d maitre’d.
Based on the reviews of our next stay, we knew we needed to stop for groceries on the way. Not unlike the US, it seems many small towns have few businesses or markets left. They do have some restaurants but where we were going the nearest restaurant was about 20 minutes away so this was a good time to cook. We found a lovely little butcher shop where we bought meat for our meals.
The converted barn we stayed in, Gites du Manoir de Braugnac, was very comfortable. It had a pool and bikes to use but it was way too wet and rainy to use either.
One day, we drove to a nearby town, parked and opted to hike a trail to a cave we wanted to visit. We made it a little way along the trail when it started to rain and we could tell it was going to rain harder. So back to the car. Good choice! By the time we drove to the cave, just a couple of miles down the road, it was raining cats and dogs. Even with our raincoats and umbrellas we would have been soggy had we walked.
France is famous for its limestone caves with prehistoric paintings. We went to little Villars Cave to see the limestone formations but it also had several cave paintings right by the walkway! (We did not touch them, of course, nor take photos as not allowed.) The earth science teacher in me was thrilled with this visit as it was very intimate and up close. You could see the tiny details of the formations.
Back to those groceries we bought. Camille is a great cook. She seems to have an innate ability to combine whatever she has on hand into something delicious. One night was a delicious veal stew and the other night she cooked ratatouille for us while watching “Ratatouille”!
Bordeaux, May 23-24, 2024
The drive to Bordeaux wasn’t long so we had time for a stop. We opted for a stop at a fortress in Blaye, on the Giron River. This was a key military and trade route hence a huge fortified complex going back centuries. At the mouth of the Giron River are the salt farms of France. It was from this region that my French ancestors, the Dragoos, immigrated in the late 1600’s. They were salt farmers at the time.
Our stay in Bordeaux was a lovely little apartment walking distance to everything. Remember me saying planning with other people takes you places you wouldn’t have gone on your own. Bordeaux was not on my go to list but I loved it here. More old and historic than I thought it would be. Again we parked the car and walked, tram and ride shared about town.
Our first full day in Bordeaux was sunny and glorious, a good time go walking and sightseeing. Our stay was only a 10 minute walk to the waterfront where there were wide sidewalks and gardens. There is a large area covered in water called Miroir d’Eau or Water Mirror. We found the old town with its clock tower and cobblestone streets. Walking is such a great easy to explore. For lunch, we ate at Pizzas Chut, a little local pizza restaurant. Later for dinner, chef Camille made us all niçoise salads. Deliceux.
Bordeaux, May 25, 2024
Today was a big walking day. We attempted to visit the big flea market in town which evidently is no more. COVID may have been the culprit. After having a cup of coffee in the square, I used my limited French to inquire about when and where the market might be. It turned out there was a flea market that day but it had moved a block away to the waterfront. It was nowhere as big as Les Puces in Paris but fun and hectic and multicultural. And I managed to find a ring. I don’t buy much on trips but I have been buying rings. My criteria is small and not expensive. The ring I found was sterling silver with two small amber pieces.
We walked back and had lunch at the room (white asparagus salad) and took a break before heading out for the night’s festivities.
Camille and Al booked us a table at Chez Alriq, a venue on the other side of the river with live music. Tables were first come first serve but we got one close to the stage! Music was tropical jazz! High energy fun. For dinner we got the “moules frites”, a big pot of mussels with french fries, washed down with rosé. Scrumptious. This was clearly a popular event for locals. What a fun way to end our day in Bordeaux! After having already walked 10 miles this day we opted for a ride share back.
Bordeaux, May 26, 2024
The farmer’s market by the river was a well known one for its variety of excellent goods. We bought goodies to eat there and take home. Jay was thrilled to get oysters and wine. I found the French salt of my ancestors, some for me and some for my genealogy whiz of a sister who sent me the info on the salt making Dragoos/Druguads. Camille bought a very French looking striped shirt (oh so cute) and some other gifts.
It was a rainy day which makes for good cathedral and museum touring. We visited St. Andre’ cathedral, built starting over 1000 years ago!
Additionally we stopped in to see art in Le Musée des Beaux Arts, the Museum of Fine Arts. And it was! We all opted for the English audio tour to immerse ourselves in the different pieces. I especially liked the large pieces done by the female artist, Rosa Bonheur. She was a member of a large family of artists and very respected for her work. And then it was closing time and we were gently herded out.
Transit, May 27, 2024
Driving from Bordeaux to Barcelona meant driving through the Pyrenees. On the way Camille found our last chance French meal at Donostia in Montgiscard, France. It was a little, but highly rated restaurant along our route back to Barcelona. We ordered the fish ravioli after Camille was assured there was no shellfish in the sauce. We all took bites. Al immediately stopped Camille from eating more because he was sure there was shrimp in the sauce. Al is like Camille’s canary in the cage when it comes to shellfish detection. He seems more sensitive to the taste than Camille but without that pesky allergic reaction. He was right. The waitress came flying out of the kitchen to warn Camille. Camille was fine (she did take some preemptive Benadryl, just in case) but she had to order something else. Oh darn. Burger du canard or duck burger with pommes frites and salad of baby greens. It was a winner! We followed with delectable desserts including, of course, crème brûlée.
Goodbye France.
For our last night together, we rented a beautiful old house in Vilafranca del Penedes, about an hour outside of Barcelona.
Thank you, Mom and Dad, for coming to travel with us again! We had an amazing time exploring France with you. I loved how collaborative we all were about deciding what to do, and that we all read Dirt before arriving in Lyon. I’ve found that reading books that are set in or about the place I’m in really enhances the experience, a habit I picked up from both of you!
Special thank you to Mom for doing all this writing. I know it’s a lot of work, but I so enjoy getting to read your perspective on everything (especially when it’s about what a good cook I am!)
Love you both!