La Lumière à Lyon

Oh, Lyon, how sweet it is to see you again! We arrived Sunday night and will spend a (too short) week visiting our adopted home. We had ambitious ideas about squeezing in some day trips, but ultimately, we just want to BE here, enjoying our favorite things about our favorite city.

Monday, we walked down to Parc de la Tête d’Or, had a nice lunch near Brotteaux, made our way to Place de Bellecour, then returned to Croix Rousse via la montée de la Grande Côte. We walked nearly 10 miles and ended our day with a trip to Monoprix and a pint at Paddy’s with a friend. Life is good.

This may sound strange, but high on my list of “favorite things about Lyon” is the light. Paris may be France’s official “City of Light,” but the quality of la lumière in Lyon is pretty spectacular too. Here are some photos of our day:

Road Trip, France: Loire Valley

The final stop of our epic road trip was the lovely Loire Valley. I’d never been to this part of France, and was looking forward to sipping wine and visiting some chateaux. We arrived at Domaine des Thômeaux in the village of Mosnes Saturday evening, Bastille Day. The hotel is housed in a medieval mansion near the Loire river and just 15 minutes down the road from Amboise.

We were pleased to learn that we didn’t have to go anywhere to see the fireworks; they’d be visible from the yard outside the hotel’s bar. So, after a quick visit to the pool/spa and dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, we walked a few steps to our lounge chairs and enjoyed a short but sweet fireworks display.

Sunday, we visited two chateaux in Amboise, touring the home in which Leonardo DaVinci spent his final years and visiting his grave. The kids enjoyed seeing models of his inventions and wandering the grounds. We picked up some supplies for a picnic dinner at the hotel and headed back to the bar to watch France win the final game in the World Cup! After dinner, Luca and I took a (buggy) sunset walk to the banks of the Loire, passing through tiny Mosnes on our way. A perfect end to our tour de France!

Bonne Fête des Mères!

Actually, the French will celebrate Mother’s Day on May 27^th, but we thought we’d avoid the brunch crowds and celebrate today instead. “Brunch” was not really a thing in France until recently, but it’s definitely having a moment, especially with the hipster crowd around here. Despite breakfast being my favorite meal of the day, we’ve avoided the weekend brunch scene for a couple of reasons: One, it’s a little pricey- $20-30 for a set menu in Lyon, which I’d rather spend on a nice lunch. Two, I can’t eat that much food in one sitting (and I can eat!).

This morning, we decided to give it a try and headed to Le Desjeuneur, a trendy spot on the pentes that serves breakfast all day. We ordered brunch menus, and it was delicious, but entirely too much food! Yogurt with granola, pancakes, eggs, bread and jams, café au lait, and pear juice.

It’s been raining most of the day and I’ve spent a lazy day indoors, but we’ve also enjoyed some beautiful weather lately. The kids and I have been taking frequent trips to Parc de la Tête d’Or to see the blossoming peony garden, the “jardin du moment,” and to visit the adorable ducklings. The park must provide a pretty cushy habitat for them because they are thriving!

We are thriving too. Feeling a little fatigué as we enter the home stretch in our adventure abroad, but so grateful for the experience, for our health, and for this time together. This Mother’s Day, and every day, I am also grateful for my amazing children, my loving mother, and all of the incredible moms in my life. XOXO

Reminiscing on Rome

Joyeuse Fête du Travail and Happy May Day! Today is International Worker’s Day, a bank holiday in France, and everyone has the day off. May 1st is also called the Fête de Muguet, lily of the valley, and little bouquets are sold on the street to give to friends and family for good luck. The nosegays are sweet smelling signs of spring that certainly brightened this cool, cloudy day.

It’s been just over a week since we returned from our two-week vacances de printemps, and we are slowly getting back to our routines. The weather has been all over the place the last few days, bouncing from sandals and sun to jackets and umbrellas, and today’s chill leaves me longing for Rome. So, I “fais d’une pierre deux coups,” kill two birds with one stone and ease back into my blogging routine with some reminiscing on Rome.

We only had four nights in the Eternal City, but we made the most of each one! Here are some highlights from our visit…

Day 1: Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain

Day 2: Vatican City, St. Peter’s Basilica, Castel Sant’Angelo

Mother and Child

Saint Peter’s Square

Saint Peter’s Basilica

View from the dome

Snacks:)

Castel Sant’Angelo

The dome from the Castel

Day 3: Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill

Day 4: Day trip to Naples and Pompeii

Napoli

Sfogliatella- Yum!

poppies and ruins

Fountain House

perfect lighting

beautiful walls

Day 5: Departure, bonus night, and seafood dinner

leaving our Airbnb

Seafood dinner at Uniti Nel Gusto

Desserts:)

We had a great time in Rome, eating delicious food and soaking in the sights/sites! It was a quick trip, but I’m sure we’ll be back… xoxo

 

Bienvenue au printemps!

It’s starting to look like spring, with bulbs blooming, trees blossoming, and people gathering outdoors whenever the sun makes an appearance. There’s still some rain in the forecast, but we are enjoying the milder temperatures and continuing to explore our surroundings. Here are some pictures from our first week of springtime in Lyon:

La Culture

Tuesday, I had the pleasure and good fortune to take a field trip to Musée Beaux Arts with the Atelier Sociolinguistique I attend through the Centre Social Croix-Rousse, Grand Côte. The museum is closed to the public on Tuesdays, but open to community groups like the social centers, with the goal of making art accessible to all. Access to the arts is something I appreciate about France; museums and performances are less expensive here than at home. What’s more, museum entrance is almost always free for children under the age of 18, and free or discounted for “young people” ages 18-25 (EU residents), disabled visitors and their caregivers, and EU citizens seeking employment.

Egyptian sarcophogus

kohl pots

Ange et Vierge de l’Annonciation, Middle Ages

Le Bien et le Mal, Victor Orsel

Rough Sea at Etretat, Claude Monet

Out and About in Lyon

Beautiful blue skies and some cool street art…

Grand Rue de la Croix-Rousse

Life-sized Crow Man

Allo!

Église Saint Nizier

Place des Jacobins

Pérouges

This morning, we took a short train ride to Pérouges, a small medieval town on a hill. It was empty, but peaceful and interesting. I particularly enjoyed its gothic fortified church, Église Sainte-Marie-Madeleine de Pérouges, which was built in the 15th century and dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene. I’d love to go back again soon to take one of the hiking paths in the countryside surrounding the city. Luca loved it so much, he plans to live there when he grows up and commute to Lyon for work!

Walking from the station to the town

A peaceful walk to town

Entering the city

I love doors…

So much cobblestone!

Cristian and the kids

Another entrance to the city

Entrance to the Église

Inside the church

Marie

Galette dough

Door knocker

Despite my whining about the cold, I’ve decided that I kind of like having four distinct seasons. It’s exciting how the city feels brand new as we welcome spring and I’m looking forward to the weeks ahead!

xoxo

A Picture-Perfect Weekend in Lyon

Saint Nizier

Lyon loves the Virgin Mary

She adorns many buildings

Here she is again

My favorite view

Passage Thiaffait

Paroisse Saint Polycarpe

Inside

Huh?

Invader sighting

Another Montée

Playground by the Gros Caillou

Walking down on Sunday

Église de la Rédemption

Les Halles Paul Bocuse

Light and Shadow

Hotel de Ville

Seasons!: Fall in Lyon

It seems that while we were in Spain last week, Lyon changed seasons for real. Remember when I was talking about fall in September? It turns out that was just a preview for the real deal. Having spent most of my life in California (and the rest in Hawaii), I have never really experienced all four seasons. In the past week, temperatures have dropped dramatically, the leaves have turned, and the sky has grown moodier. The people have grown moodier as well, with our whole household feeling extra tired and the pharmacies advertising vitamin D supplements in the windows.

To combat our change-of-season-fatigue, we have made a point of getting outdoors to enjoy nature’s brilliant show (and, yes, I bought some D-Stress vitamin supplements too;)

Here are some shots of our weekend wanderings…

Walking down the pente à la Grand-Côte

Cold beer on a cold terrace

Finding a new route down the hill

Love the Rhone!

Walking along the Rhone

They were catching leaves as they fell from the trees

Luca’s moss collection for his yogurt jar terrariums:)

Allons-y au Marché!

When I first told Cristian the name of my blog, he was skeptical, saying, “It kind of makes it sound like it’s going to be mostly about food…” Yep. While I have plenty of things I want to share with you all during our year abroad adventure, I am most excited about the food in France. The French are all about making food special, and my little neighborhood is packed with specialty shops. We have separate shops for cheese, bread, chocolate, meat, wine, even honey and spices, and it is so much fun exploring them all! My favorite shopping experience, however, is the Marché, or Farmer’s Market.

There’s at least one boulangerie on every block in our neighborhood!

Butcher shop

Local specialty- Praline Brioche

A quiet moment in the market

Before I got so busy balancing (or not!) work, home and family, I enjoyed shopping several times a week, stopping at specialty shops and farmer’s markets and crafting beautiful meals with whatever caught my eye. At some point, though, we got too busy, and I had to succumb to meal planning, less frequent trips to the store, and even less frequent trips to the Farmer’s Market. This year, we’re taking a little timeout from our usual hustle and bustle, and I have the luxury of time to browse the markets and actually enjoy cooking again. In doing so, I also get to contemplate my obsession with food and all that it represents for me.

The Marché Alimentaire de la Croix Rousse is a spectacular outdoor market, and such a feast for the senses! It spans several city blocks and the official website of Lyon says there are around 95 vendors selling their goods which include fresh produce, local and exotic, cheese, meat, fish, flowers, wine, spices, olives and more. The market is open every day except Mondays, 6:00 am-1:00 pm and it can get crowded and a little overwhelming. The kids and I swing by the market almost every day, usually to quickly pick up our fruits and veggies for lunch or dinner, but sometimes just to stroll through the stalls and enjoy the beauty of all that fresh food. The best part is that it’s actually cheaper to buy your produce at the market than it is at the grocery store, and the quality doesn’t even compare!

Dahlias!

Walking through the market

We buy a huge, beautiful head of lettuce every couple of days for about ,70

Temperatures have changed pretty drastically since we arrived almost seven weeks ago and I love watching the produce at the market changing with the seasons. When we arrived in August, we were gorging ourselves on cheap and delicious peaches, figs, and melons. The stalls were fragrant with piles of ripe fruit and I was making quick jams and tarts with whatever we didn’t finish by the end of the day because nothing would last in the heat and humidity. In September, the figs and peaches are nearly gone and I’m trying to get as many melons in as possible before they disappear too. The market is somehow even more beautiful now, full of apples, pears, amazing mushrooms, and gorgeous pumpkins and chestnuts.

Melons!

Figues

“Plateaus” of Fruit

Artichauts

This weekend, our neighborhood market was even grander with a kind of “shop local” festival taking over the streets with clothing, art, crafts, and artisanal food offerings like nougat, cheese, and salamis. We bought a “potimarron,” or chestnut pumpkin, and stuffed it with all sorts of rich and savory ingredients before popping it in the oven. The kids were so delighted with the process and outcome, which Luca declared “glorious!” We also came home with a crazy assortment of salami and some incredible comté (which we added to our stuffed pumpkin.) I also bought some of the gorgeous chestnuts, which I’ll roast and add to a risotto with the chanterelles I picked up today.

Marrons

Chestnuts and Chanterelles

Potimarron

Potimarron

La Braderie de la Croix Rousse

Fromage!

As we prepared for this trip, friends and family asked me what I was going to do with myself during this year. I wasn’t totally sure (and I’m still not), but I’m not too worried about how I’m going to fill my days. I might take some French classes, or I might just keep practicing with the vendors at the market. I got myself a sketchbook and a yoga mat and I’m taking time to do the things I don’t normally have time for. It is such a luxury and a privilege to have this time to take care of my family, and myself and just enjoy the simple things…like food. 🙂

 

 

 

 

La Rentrée

School has started, everyone’s back to work, and the whole mood has shifted rather suddenly here in Lyon. The neighborhood got busier with the homecoming of the vacationing Croix Roussiennes, but it’s still pretty quiet up on our hill, and the whole city feels a little less festive with summer behind us. Last week, the diffused light and markedly drier, crisper air heralded the arrival of fall and the locals have already started trading their sandals for boots and sporting the iconic French fashion accessory, the scarf.

Luca started school last Monday at École Élémentaire Aveyron. It’s a cute school in a cool old building and it’s only about a five-minute walk from our place! He is in CE2 this year, which is the equivalent of our 3^rd grade, and his teachers and classmates have been very welcoming and supportive. While the playground scenes and sounds are familiar and not so different from home, there are a few differences in how they do school here that I thought were interesting.

Primary school begins at age six in France, the equivalent of our 1^st grade. This doesn’t, however, mean that kids start school later here. École Maternelle, or preschool, starts at age two, and nearly all French children ages three to five attend. And guess what? It’s FREE! Yes, free preschool starting at age two. If we had timed this differently, we could have saved a whole lot of money…

Luca’s teacher speaks perfect English, so his transition has been pretty smooth so far. He comes home tired from his long days immersed in French, but he’s making friends and keeping up easily in the math. The biggest challenge for him has been the handwriting. It turns out that French kids don’t start off with printing and learn cursive later; they start right away with cursive only, and it has to be perfect. At home, we don’t even introduce it until 3^rd grade, and it doesn’t get that much of our time or attention, so the learning curve has been a little steep for Luca. I kind of knew that handwriting was important to the French, so I had bought him a cursive workbook early in the summer to get a head start. I didn’t know, however, that the French use a different cursive alphabet than we do and that their lined writing paper is completely different from ours!

The lined paper is not the only difference in school supplies. At the end of the first day of school, Luca came home with a pretty serious supply list that included everything he might need for the year and asked for extra supplies in a labeled Ziploc in case he lost/forgot/ran out of the other ones. So, we promptly headed to Monoprix to pick up supplies, and it was mayhem in there as everyone else was also scouring the aisles with lists in hand! And, oh yeah, EVERYTHING had to be labeled… like every single pencil, glue stick, marker, etc., has a little white label with his name written on it.

Last, but not least, the school schedule is very different here. Luca attends school 8:30-4:30 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and 8:30-11:30 Wednesday and Friday. This means I get to pick him up for lunch twice a week and spend the whole afternoon hanging out. On the days he’s at school until 4:30, he has a two-hour lunch break and two additional recesses. His cafeteria reviews are mixed so far, but better than the school lunches at home. I’ll be picking him up for lunch this Tuesday, as the cafeteria will be closed due to a Nationwide Strike (our first since we’ve arrived, but I hear it’s a fairly common occurrence). The school calendar itself is also quite different. The kids will have two weeks off at the end of October/early November for Toussaints, then again at Christmas, and two weeks off in February and again in April. Summer break starts in mid-July. I think it works out to about the same number of days in the school year, just spread out a little more.

Alessandra is still hanging out with me as we await her school assignment. She took a placement test last week (1:1 exam with a teacher) and we will be contacted this Friday with her school assignment once they have scored all of the tests and placed the non-French speakers in one of four schools with special classes for foreigners. We’re hoping she gets placed at the one in our neighborhood, but there are no guarantees. In the meantime, she’s getting a little bit of home schooling from me, and a whole lot of downtime!

À bientôt!

French Writing Paper

Luca’s School

First Day of School

Afternoon Excursion

 

 

Toujours Fêtes, “Unexpected Sundays,” and Honest Advertising

So, I have decided that there’s always a celebration in France. That, or we’re just extra lucky to discover some special event everywhere we go! Here are this week’s adventures, surprises and revelations.

Medieval Festival in Vienne

Saturday morning, we hopped on a train to visit the nearby town of Vienne. This beautiful commune, located about 20 miles south of Lyon on the Rhône, was once a major urban center of the Roman Empire. We came to see the Roman ruins scattered throughout the town and were surprised to find a medieval festival filling the streets of the ancient quarter. There were costumes and armor, horses and livestock, reenactments and, of course, beer, all set up in and around Roman roads and temples built almost 2,000 years ago! It was a pretty special day for us, but the French seem to have a “fête” for every occasion. I’m looking forward to the chestnut festival in October and the grand Fêtes des Lumières (Festival of Lights) in December!

Lunch in the park

Beautiful clouds

Walking through the Medieval market

Cathedral built in the year 500

Puppeteer

Old and New

 

La Part Dieu

As I was entering the metro the other day, I was handed a book of coupons for La Part Dieu, a big mall across the street from the train station. A page inside was advertising “Unexpected Dimanches,” for Sunday, September 3^rd (they love throwing English words in randomly.) “Unexpected Sundays” are periodic Sundays in which the mall is open. Given that almost everything is closed or closes extra early on Sundays, this is a big deal. I decided to take the kids to get some new shoes (since they have both managed to outgrow their shoes since our arrival in France!) and catch a movie at the cinema. I was hoping to find them something more affordable than our neighborhood shoe stores (Do people really spend $100 on kids’ shoes?!), but we didn’t have much luck. The busiest store in the mall was a sneaker shop selling the same stuff the kids are wearing at home, namely Jordans and Adidas, but also New Balance sneakers, which I didn’t even know were trendy. Alessandra tried on a pair of Converse high tops, but they were 70 euros and pretty uncomfortable, so we’re still on the hunt for a stylish sneaker.

Advertising Ahas

We were the only people in the theater for our movie, Née en Chine (Disney Nature’s Born in China), and I had a funny revelation while we watched the previews. EVERY TIME there’s an advertisement for fast food or treats there’s a printed message on the bottom of the screen reminding the viewer to “avoid eating too much sugar, too much fat, and too much salt.” It’s a funny message to see at the bottom of a McDonald’s or Coca Cola commercial, but I realized that it’s part of a bigger trend of honest advertising in France. Taxes are included in the prices listed on price tags at the department store, service fees are included in the listed price on menus at restaurants, and even hotels post their rates on a placard on the outside of the building. Smoking is alive and well here, but cigarette packages are required to have labels with very graphic visual warnings of the health effects of smoking. Just thought that was interesting.

Luca starts school tomorrow and Alessandra should be starting a week later (I’ll share that exhausting story once we’ve made it through this enrollment rigmarole.) We’ve all been staying up way too late, so tomorrow morning will be rough. I’ll let you all know how it goes.

Gros bisous xoxo