Dinner

Continuing a restaurant related theme, I'm posting a few more restaurant photos, since all things food related are taken seriously in this culinary capital. We ate at a well know brasserie called  Leon de Lyon  last night, pictured below. It's been operating since 1904 and the interior is beautifully decorated in warm golds and reds that set off the many large paintings on the walls. The walls of a hallway connecting dining rooms is loaded with interesting photos of the restaurant through the years and the area downstairs by the bathrooms has one glass wall that shows off the impressive wine cellar. 

Oh, and the food was delicious. An amuse bouche arrived right away which was a tasty black olive tapenade with bread. We then both ordered the menu (entree+ plat principal+ dessert); we each had the soup to start which was a creamy leek and potato soup. I had the haddock with a coriander sauce and vegetables and the Mont Blanc for dessert which was chestnut ice cream, mousse, chocolate sauce and whipped cream. My friend ordered the lamb with a potato pancake and he had a galette des rois for dessert. And to top it off the menu is very reasonably priced at 23€ so you get a lot for your money. 

Rainy January Day

Yesterday afternoon I had to go out to run a few errands. I walked down the Rue des Marronniers, a cobblestoned street filled with bouchons and cafes, during that down time between lunch and dinner and it was totally empty. When the weather is nice those sidewalks are packed with tables and brimming with people having traditional Lyonnaise fare; saucisson, quenelles, boudin, Saint Marcellin cheese, etc. People sit at sidewalk cafes even during the winter here since a lot of places have outdoor heaters. But yesterday was  just too rainy and cold. Away from the main shopping streets where people were busy jostling for good bargains, there was the feeling of post holiday melancholy. Or maybe it's just a sober pause after so much food and so many parties.

Guignol plaques are found up and down this street since he's the hero of Lyon and embodies the Lyonnaise traditions and spirit.

Quick and Sales

The French fast food chain Quick is advertising foie gras on a hamburger with the line "new year's resolutions can wait." I don't think I'll have a hard time passing up this particular 3 euro temptation.  

I did find a few good deals at the sales today....but there's plenty of time left for bargain hunting.

Bonnes Affaires

 It's time for the winter sales which start tomorrow and run for a few weeks. The only other sale period in France is in the summer. These two sales periods are set by the government and they are the only times that shops are allowed to sell things at a loss. For clothes this means that everything, except the new Spring arrivals, goes on sale. 

The Perfect Storm for the Bargain Hunter?
For the first few days the discounts tend to be 20 - 30% and the deals get better as the weeks go by. However, I've read that due to the economic crisis people do not plan to spend as much this year during the sales. Since retailers are anxious to clear out last year's stock to make room for new stock we could expect to see 60% - 70% off during the first days this year. Some shops downtown were closed today to get ready but they'll all be open tomorrow between 8 and 8:30 a.m. 

I did a tiny bit of shopping during the summer sales but didn't pay too much attention as I was still so new to the city that I hadn't even had a chance to figure out how to get around much less how to identify the best shops with the best deals. I'm a little more savvy now and I have a strategy planned out for tomorrow that involves rising at 7, doing some stretching and warming up, eating a protein packed breakfast and wearing layers so that I will not need a dressing room. I even have my bus and metro routes planned out so that I can get from place to place in the fastest way possible. Ha. Take that! You see how complicated life is without Target and TJMaxx? And a car! I wish this one was mine...

 I'll be going here....

 ...and to Alice Delice, a great kitchen goods store and a half dozen other shops.

La Galette des Rois and Babar

Today is Epiphany which celebrates the Three Kings visiting  baby Jesus. And here in France, it's marked by having la galette des rois or King Cake. These flat cakes are filled with frangipane, an almond paste filling, and inside them you find one or more little "fèves". If you find the fève you're king for a day. King Cake in the U.S., at least in the South, somehow became a Mardi Gras tradition. We bought ours (above) from Cellerier but the ones at Paul were much thicker....

  And at Paul you could buy your own box of fèves which included a tiny baker, a baguette, a dozen macarons and a palmier.

So this brings me to Babar who, rather than being king for a day, became king of the elephants. Why he's here and what is he saying is more complex. He's saying "Help us save Baby and Nepal" in this drawing that's one of several at the Parc de la Tête d'Or.  

Baby and Nepal are two elephants at the zoo in Lyon's Parc de la Tête d'Or who are scheduled to be put down because they have tuberculosis. Now this story has become wrapped up in Gerard Depardieu's Russian citizenship because Brigitte Bardot, a huge animal rights activist, says she'll follow his lead if these two elephants are not saved.  Want to read the story that has is all?: French elephants, Depardieu, Russia, Brigitte Bardot, socialism and taxes: READ IT HERE

Today when I went for a walk I discovered a handful of people at the park's main gate protesting the zoo's decision.

Work in Progress and a Tour of the Street

I understand that back in 2009 our street had a makeover that included the addition of more parking spaces and some general street improvements. Now we've started to see some more work start on the construction of two new gardens....

The rendering above shows what this garden will look like from the bottom of the hill that looks up to the system of stone walls called La Balme. Below is a picture of the site from the top of the hill.

And a picture of La Balme from the street level...

And the garden in the drawing below, "The Neighbor's Garden" will be almost right next door to us...

Here's what it looks like today...

This nice park is right behind us and the new walking bridge that's being built from this park across the Rhone should be completed this year.

The walking bridge construction...

A couple of other little squares on our street..

Our street has no really fun retail; it's a mix of services and restaurants, a florist and two bakeries. 

Ah, the Post Office down the street. Open sporadically and no smiling allowed. The main one for Shake & Bake is better.

The restaurant directly across the street from our flat and yet we still haven't tried it!

Every neighborhood needs a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu studio.

This is Petit Casino, a chain of small neighborhood groceries. This one is really, really petit. It was closed when I took this picture -  it closes from 1:30 to 3:30 every day. Not open on Sunday. 

Somebody's cute weather vane:

Happy New Year from the French Alps

Mont Blanc

 Another view of Mont Blanc 

We made a trip to Combloux for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day and also made some side trips to Chamonix and Saint-Gervais

Bell tower of the Saint-Gervais and Protais Church in 

Saint-Gervais

The beautiful former Hotel du Mont-Joly, now the Residence du Mont-Joly in Saint-Gervais

Main Square in downtown Saint-Gervais

We went back to Aux Ducs de Savoie Hotel near Megève for lunch today. I was able to get a picture of the two dogs who can be found lounging in the warm and cozy lobby most of the time. 

Combloux

Hope you like my annual blog makeover.

Have a Great 2013!