September 4 was a big day for us.......our 5 year wedding anniversary! So, we decided to travel to the "gastronomic capital" of France to celebrate over a couple of delicious meals. We were blessed with perfect weather and after spending a weekend there, we would definitely include Lyon on our short list of favorite places in France.
When we arrived, Peter surprised me with a bottle of my favorite Alsatian champagne, Cremant.
Our hotel was awesome.....we splurged for a nicer place than we usually stay, and it was well worth it. Here I am enjoying our view with my cremant.
We made reservations at one of Lyon's oldest and most famous restaurants, and it definitely lived up to its reputation. The food and the atmosphere were perfect.
And yet another picture of me with a dessert....my favorite part of any meal! :) Peter loved this one too......he even went as far as to call it "the best dessert ever." It really was that awesome.
We started our day bright and early so we could fit in all the sights. One of the first things we noticed was all of the Roman influence in the city. Several of the squares and fountains like this one made me feel as if I was in Rome. The similarities are historically understandable, as Lyon was founded in AD 43 and an important Roman transportation hub.
This is "Place des Terreaux" Lyon's town square. Of course, with this being a typical Saturday in France, there was a protest taking place. This one was over the closure of the theatre down the street. One of Peter's favorite things about living here is stopping at these "manifestations" to chat in French with the protesters about their cause.
We spent the rest of our morning in the trendy neighborhood of LaCroix-Rousse.......it is the twin of Montmartre in Paris, just cleaner. We went to their huge Saturday morning market where we picked up some picnic items and enjoyed the beautiful view:
Next, we climbed Fourviere hill to see the beautiful Notre-Dame Basilica and find a picnic spot with a view. The church was stunning inside and out. This is a pic of the church from across the river. (The way to the top of the hill is stairs.....lots and lots of stairs)
Here is the alter of the lower church.
My favorite part of the Basilica were the mosaics that covered the floor, walls, and ceiling. The camera doesn't do it justice, but the mosaics on the wall were incredible. The details were so intricate and beautiful.
The view from outside the basilica was amazing. It was such a clear day that we could see the highest point in the Alps, Mt. Blanc.
This is the view from one of Lyon's two Roman theaters that are actually still used for concerts today.
We decided this would be the perfect spot for our picnic. Our menu: Comte' cheese, a baguette, my new favorite fruits, "mirabelles" (they are like little, yellow, really sweet plums) and a bottle of the regional wine.
One of the best parts of Lyon are all the bridges. The city has two rivers and several bridges that cross each.
Instead of taking a pre-dinner aperitif at a cafe' or bar, we decided to take advantage of the view from the basilica one last time.
Dinner our second night was at a typical Lyon "bouchon". This basically means a small, cramped space with lots of charm and really slow service. The food was worth it though. Especially for Peter who ordered a form of raw beef for both of his courses. This was his first course, carpaccio, which was followed by steak tartar. He was in carnivore heaven.
On our way back to Strasbourg, we decided to split up the 5 hour drive and stopped at a local winery in Burgundy to taste some of the local wine. The detour was totally worth it. The country side and the vineyards are so beautiful.
This is Peter checking out some of the barrels while the owner rings up our purchases. Notice her shirt? It is covered in grape juice because it is "vendange" right now, which means the grape harvest. She came directly out of the fields to let us taste her wines. It was our favorite tasting by far.
Especially because her sweet dog was there the entire time:
All in all, the weekend was a great end to our first five years!
I was looking at the picture of the dog and Bella reminded me to tell you guys that she misses you :)
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