In the Lyon's Den

Lion statue in front of the Lyon Cathedral

Last week I planned a day trip to Gruyères for the upcoming Saturday. Gruyères, home of Gruyere cheese, is a medieval town in Switzerland known for it's picturesque views and it's cheese and chocolate museums/factories. It is such a beautiful destination that the train ride to get there is known as the Golden Pass. However, as much as I love to plan every detail, there is always at least one thing you can't plan--in this case, it was the weather. Saturday ended up being a miserable day where it was in the 40s/50s all day and raining (and it wasn't even the impressive powerful thunderstorms, but simply wimpy drizzling). As such, I/we decided that it wasn't worth the money/time in taking the trip if the entire day was going to be miserable and we wouldn't even be able to enjoy the quaint town. But don't worry, my weekend was not ruined just yet. 

Luckily for me, a friend from Yale had contacted me just the day before asking if I would be interested in going to Lyon for the weekend. At the time, I had said I would be busy, but Saturday morning, when I realized my plans had dissolved, I jumped on the opportunity. We left for Lyon Saturday early afternoon and arrived 2 hours later. There ended up being 7 of us in total; we were a complete mix of friends/co-workers/apartment mates and the six others were all working with the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva in some capacity or another.  It was one of the best groups of people with whom I have traveled--everyone was extremely considerate, fun and easy to get along with. 

View of the Rhône river from a side street.

The train ride itself was impressive, with never ending fields of flowers and a cliff right next to the tracks at one point. We got there and worked our way out of the train station, towards the center of the town, and ultimately towards the apartment that we rented. Before we went to our apartment though, we decided dinner was a decent idea. The food here has been incredible and loaded with delicious cheese, bread, and pastries. But, after the first week or two, that diet starts getting pretty heavy. Needless to say, all seven of us were craving vegetables and fresh food. We found our way to an incredible hole in the wall restaurant that had innovative fresh dishes and emphasized creative ways to use vegetables. We also had the cutest waitress ever (when she was trying to explain a dish, she didn't know how to say the word for carrot in English, so she acted out as if she were a rabbit. adorable.) Most restaurants in Lyon have priced fixed menus--which are fantastic--where you can get an appetizer, entree and dessert for a fixed price. This restaurant, Le Jardin Interieur, had a special sampler menu with a vegetable sampler and a dessert sampler. It was without doubt the best meal I had eaten in a long time. See picture and description of food below!

Carmen, Jen, Sheila, Emmanuel, Mona, Jimmy, me and Rachel at Le Jardin Interieur

my dinner: a ham tart, pea and mint soup, breads with tapenade, goat cheese spread, and yellow pea hummus, quinoa with herbs and nuts, salad, and carrots in an herbed goat cheese crumble

my dessert sampler: a rich chocolate torte, cherry torte, mango panna cotta, and fig pudding

After dinner we made our way to the apartment, stopping along the way to see the beautiful views of Lyon. Some quick background: Lyon was known for it's silk-workers back in the day. It is a city built on two hills and as such, one hill (Croix-Rousse, where the silk factories used to be) is known as "the hill that works," while the other hill (Fourvièr, the location of the main cathedral) is know as "the hill that prays." When we finally arrived at our apartment, we entered a slightly questionable entrance and walked up to the 3rd floor. However, once we entered the actual apartment, we were stunned by its interior. It was a 2.5 room beautifully furnished apartment with a paper chandelier, colorful fridges, a marble fireplace, etc. I was thoroughly impressed. 

Rachel, Sheila, Jen, me, Carmen, Mona, Jimmy and Emmanuel on Croix-Rousse hill (the hill that works).

The boy who lived in the apt kept his books in an old fridge. so cool.

living room

kitchen--note the glass on the top of the stove....

 We explored Lyon a bit that night, walking around and seeing the incredible architecture and sculptures that surrounded us everywhere. We woke up early the next morning to plan out our day and make the most of our visit to Lyon. A few of us found out that there was a huge, notable market a few blocks up the street from us that was a notable trademark of Lyon. For those who are unaware, Lyon is the culinary capital of France/the world. As such, many of its activities revolve around food. But not just any food, fresh, delicious, well made food. Clearly, the local market was a must and a perfect way to experience Lyonnaise culture. 

Before we could make it to the market though, a few of us were interested in making some tea. Remember how I said there were some things in life you couldn't plan? Well, the weather is not the sole contributor. One of the girls I was with put water on the stove to boil. Unfortunately, this kitchen had an almost "modern-esque" design with a glass cover over the stove that blended in and appeared to be part of the stove. However, it was not actually part of the stove, but instead a deceptive cover, meant to be lifted when in use. As such, when the water was just about ready to boil, so was the glass. There was this huge explosion and the glass had expanded and exploded. It ended up not being a huge deal--we cleaned everything up and the cover is apparently very easy/cheap to replace, it was just a scary experience. 

Crepes at the market!

Picnicing atop Croix-Rousse following the visit to the market

View of Lyon from Croix-Rousse hill

View of the Lyon Cathedral and Lyon's version of the Eiffel tower. 

The market was incredible and easily 5 blocks long. I was happy. After our market escapades, it was time to meander to old Lyon and check out the structures that Lyon is famous for: the Lyon cathedral, the Roman ruins, its Renaissance architecture, and its bouchons (French restaurants specific to Lyon.) On our way to Fourvière (the hill that prays), we passed by Rue de St Jean, a popular street that is loaded with restaurants, patisseries, and shops. We then reached the St. Jean Cathedral, where we saw the church from the outside. All of the church's monks were standing in front of it--it was a Sunday, so it is possible that there was a service going on around that time. Either way, the cathedral was stunning from the outside.

St. Jean's Cathedral. Note the monks dressed in white at the cathedral doors.

Statue in front of St. Jean's cathedral: note John the Baptist's head on the ground

After the St Jean cathedral, we made it towards Lyon's main cathedral, Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière. In one of the pictures above, you can see a view of the basilica next to a mini Eiffel tower. If you notice in the picture, the Eiffel tower is taller than the church. This is because the Eiffel tower was actually built during a secular movement in Lyon, where the people did not want the church to have the tallest property, which they though would be symbolic of having absolute power. Hence, the Lyonnaise built a mini-Eiffel tower.
In order to get to the basilica, we had to climb the Fourvière hill. We opted to take the cable-cart up the mountain for the experience of taking a train all the way up. The train took us directly to the church, which absolutely blew me away. I visited some incredible cathedrals last summer in Italy with my parents, but this basilica was definitely one of my favorites. It may be because it was so unexpected, but either way, the architecture, art-work, and overall vastness of the cathedral awed me. Every detail was perfect, from the marble pillars, to the alter, to the mosaic walls. You had to look closely, because there was intricate detail on every part of the walls, ceiling, and columns. Breathtaking.

Rachel, Jen, Sheira and Carmen in the cable car, ready to go up the mountain!

The church: 

Lion statue greeting you as you walked into the basilica

mosaic walls

main altar

view of the pillars and back of the church

sculptures topping each pillar

basement of the basilica

After the basilica, we went to the Roman ruins: an amphitheater carved out of stone during the Roman empire. The amphitheater is now actually used for modern concerts and shows as well, still using the original stone seats as the auditorium: the perfect combination of old meets new. The ruins are also located on the
Fourvière hill, and from them you can see below to all of Lyon and have a view of the basilica if you look to your left.

Me and the Roman Ruins!!

view of the Roman ruins and the church

view of Lyon from atop the Fourvière hill (the hill that prays)

Being the culinary capital of the world, a traditional Lyonnaise meal was a must. We ended off our Lyon trip with dinner at a bouchon. The waiter recommended the quennelle, a traditional Lyonnaise dish consisting of a pike souffle in a lobster sauce. It was incredibly rich, but even more delicious. For dessert I tried a praline pie--it was a pink praline filling, which was very tasty, but a bit sweet for me. In any case, it was a delicious meal and I do understand the city's gastronomic label.

Jimmy, Sheira, Jen, me, Carmen, Rachel and Mona at the bouchon.

my dinner at the bouchon: quenelle--a pike souffle served in a lobster sauce

Jen enjoying some "window eating"

Napoleon's statue

 After our meal, we headed back home to our apartment, where we packed up and headed back to the train station for Geneva. For a last minute 1.5 day trip, I would say this was a HUGE success. I had been vaguely interested in visiting Lyon before, but didn't realize quite how much the city had to offer. I had no idea the enormity and grandeur of the city (it is actually the 3rd largest in France!) and had originally thought that it was just a small town...I was largely mistaken. 

It was also very exciting because my brother, Matt, just started a new job as a statistician at a biotechnology company, bioMérieux, which is stationed in Lyon. It was really awesome to be able to visit the city where his company is based (even if he's not there) and feel a bit more connected to him (even if just a bit). I am so proud of my brother and so excited to get to experience this little bit and tell him all about the city. Congrats again, Matty. <3


Lyon in the moonlight:

The famous central statue in the center square of Lyon

A pretty awesome fountain

A view from a bridge of the Saône River, one of the rivers that slices through Lyon