The streets were quiet when we set out early on a Sunday morning. We hit both a art market and a farmer's market that lined the banks of the Rhône and Saône rivers.
Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière overlooks the city.
There was a mass going on while we were there (no pictures) but it was completely blinged out in gold on the inside.
Atop the hill, there is also ruins of the Roman theater of Fourvière.
It was built in 15 BC, and is still in use for movies and festivals.
Most importantly, Lyon is know for its Bouchons- casual restaurants that specialize in traditional Lyonnaise cuisine. All that walking up and down the hills really worked up an appetite.
Wine is customary with meals. You don't order by the bottle at a bouchon, but you order it decanted into jug- un pot of either beaujolais or côtes-du-rhône.
The food is rich, fatty, meat-centric and delicious.
fromage de tête, which amazingly contains no cheese at all. Head cheese is an acquired taste. Gelled meats are not my favorite, but I'm a brave eater.
quenelle de brochet- dumplings of pike in some sort of buttery cream sauce.
This was amazing. It was pork tenderloin medallions wrapped in thick slices of bacon. I didn't know you could make bacon more delicious, but using it to gift-wrap pork was an eye-opener (and and artery clogger to boot). Mushroom pate, ratatouille, and ethereal scalloped potatoes were on the plate as well, but the combination of 4 really awesomesauce foods on one plate was completely overwhelming. I was plotting to kidnap the chef after my first bite.
This is what I called "fruit pizza". It was a great way to end a meal- nice and light (sort of?) with a buttery thin tart crust.
It's really easy to fall in love with a place after a lunch like that.
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