La Renaissance du Vieux Lyon

Mom and I had an incredible time in Paris, Normandy, and the Loire Valley, but it was awfully nice to be back in Lyon!

Arriving late Friday night after a very long train ride from Tours, we walked the short distance from the train station to an apartment we had booked for the end of our trip. In fact, it was the same one that Marty and Jinny had rented through Airbnb when they visited a few weeks earlier. I liked it so much that I called the owner to see if it was available during my mother's visit, and she ended up giving us a discount for the weekend since she had already met me!

After a much-needed, restorative sleep and a lazy Saturday morning, it was time for Mom's tour of home-sweet-Lyon. We started with a walk down Rue Victor Hugo, a wide, shop-lined street in the second arrondissement in central Lyon. I used to cross that street everyday on my way to class, walking from my apartment on the Rhône side of the Presqu'ile ("the Almost Island") to the university, on the Saône side.
 

Rue Victor Hugo on a gray morning

Rue Victor Hugo opens onto Place Bellecour

Victor Hugo leads straight to Place Bellecour, the expansive—if not especially pretty—square at the heart of Lyon. It would be so much nicer with pretty landscaping, but my guess is that the city has opted instead to keep the sandy, red, ground cover because the plaza is used for so many events throughout the year. For example, when I first arrived, Place Bellecour was hosting a big running race. In December, it held thousands of people in town for la Fête des Lumières. After the Charlie Hebdo shooting, peaceful protesters convened in the square for vigils and shows of solidarity. And in the spring, numerous countries' embassies held an event on the square showcasing their cultures and traditions.

A huge ferris wheel was set up in Place Bellecour for several months over the winter!

It so happened that the weekend Mom was there, Place Bellecour was the kick-off point for Lyon's Renaissance Fair! It was funny, actually. As we strolled across the square, we gradually noticed a crowd gathering in one corner of Bellecour. Starting to pay attention, we realized that they were dressed in traditional, medieval garb. When we saw the "king" mounted on a white horse and wearing a jewel-colored cape and crown, we decided to stick around for a while! We saw the opening parade, complete with drummers, flag twirlers, and ceremonial welcomes. The event was held in celebration of the 500th anniversary of Francis I's royal entry to Lyon in 1515. Fresh off a few days visiting Francis I's castles in the Loire Valley, it was fun to continue the theme back in Lyon!

It's the king!

The Palio signs transported me to Siena. I hope to go back there someday to see their famous Palio!

The ladies made an acrostic poem spelling out Francois. ("N" is for Noblesse, "C" is for Charity, "O" is for Obedience, etc.)

Continuing on with our mini tour, we stopped at the Quai Saint Antoine market, one of the largest Saturday markets in Lyon, to buy some fresh produce for dinner that night, and crossed the Saône into Vieux Lyon, the cute Renaissance Quarter of town. I think this might have been Mom's favorite part of the whole trip! We spent a couple of hours browsing the little shops for souvenirs and exploring the traboules before stopping for a crêpe and hot drinks at an adorable tea salon.

Fresh spring produce at the Quai Saint Antoine market!

Funny, I had never noticed this sign before the Renaissance Fair that day!

The praline tarts and brioche (the pink desserts) are Lyon specialties!

Discovering the traboules!

 

Crêpes and tea break in Vieux Lyon

We spotted a poster for the day's events!

We were going to walk around a bit more back on the other side of the river afterwards, but the threatening sky finally opened up and chased us indoors for the afternoon. Our poor umbrellas didn't stand a chance against Lyon's frequent downpours! It was getting late in the afternoon, so we climbed the stairs up to my apartment for a few hours. Besides giving Mom a chance to see where I'd been living, we were able to prep for dinner in a familiar, well-stocked kitchen! As had become my tradition when I had visitors, we worked together to make a delicious quiche with the vegetables we'd picked up at the market. Instead of eating it at home, though, we decided to carry it back the few short blocks to the apartment that we'd rented. It was so nice there—we wanted to make sure we enjoyed it!

Just when it seemed like Mom's last night in France would be washed out, Mother Nature gave us a reprieve and the rain stopped. Ready for something sweet after our tasty home-cooked meal, we headed back to Vieux Lyon in search of dessert. That's not all we found, though. As we crossed the bridge, we saw a huge, gorgeous rainbow unfold across the sky! And it got better. While looking at one of my photos of the rainbow on my phone, trying to decide if I should snap a few more, I noticed a second colorful ribbon in the frame. I glanced up and saw that a double rainbow was stretching over the entire city of Lyon! How perfect is that for an end to our week together?

Continuing into Vieux Lyon, we spotted Amorino, an artisanal gelato shop with locations all across Europe (except for mainland Italy!) and even a handful in the United States. I had passed it dozens of times without ever going in, but that night it proved irresistible. Helped by the happiest gelato scooper I'd ever met, we selected our flavors and plopped down at a small table to enjoy.

It started drizzling again after the rainbow, but I was prepared with my hot pink rain boots! It rained so much in Lyon that I ended up buying my first-ever pair of rain boots during the winter "soldes", or sales. Only 10 euros, and one of my favorite souvenirs!

Delicious gelato at Amorino!

On our way back to get some sleep before Mom's flight the next morning, Lyon had one last surprise for us. The unsettled weather created some colorful, striking skies. So pretty! We stayed for a while, taking pictures, until the sun finally set. (Photo credits all go to Mom for these shots!)

It's not every day that you get to explore France with your mother, and I'm beyond grateful for our time together there. Mom, thank you so much for coming to visit. It was an incredible trip! I have you and Dad to thank for instilling in me a love of language and a love of travel, and my life is so much richer for it. <3

Val de Loire: So Many Castles, So Little Time!

When we were planning our trip, Mom mentioned to me that she had always wanted to see the famous French châteaux, and I realized how much I really wanted her to visit my adopted hometown so that she could get a sense of my day-to-day life in France. So while we easily could have spent our vacation together in Normandy alone, we decided to add the Loire Valley and Lyon into the mix. It was a whirlwind trip, but I can't imagine what we would have cut out!

After an easy train ride from Caen to Tours, we checked into our room at Hotel Mirabeau and set out to see the city. Crossing the beautiful, wide, tree-lined boulevard outside the front door, we followed signs pointing to the Tours cathedral. I always think that I'm going to be bored by yet another cathedral, but I've really found that each one has something unique that sets it apart from all the others. In Tours, it was the tall stained glass windows lining the perimeter of the building, permeating the space with soft, brilliantly-colored light.

Boulevard Heurteloup in Tours

Approaching the Tours cathedral

A wonderful kid's choir was rehearsing while we walked around for a concert. We almost went to the concert while we were in Tours, but it turned out they were just opening for another, much more expensive group!

Leaving the cathedral, we arrived at the majestic Loire River. We crossed over a bridge to the other side and then followed a trail along the water, enjoying the beautiful weather.

See the cathedral on the other side of the river? I didn't realize until looking at this picture how far we walked!

Mom and I could have stayed by the river all evening, but we were starting to get hungry, so we headed into the center of town. It didn't take us long to find Place Plumereau, Tours' famous main square. Surrounded by adorable half-timbered buildings, the square was full of tables of locals and tourists alike enjoying the spring sunshine. We picked one of the restaurants and settled in for dinner and people-watching. The food wasn't too memorable, but the atmosphere more than made up for it!

After dinner, we walked around the Old Town a bit more before calling it a night. Tours really didn't seem as touristy as some of the other cities I've visited. Although it serves as a convenient base for visiting the Loire Valley castles, it doesn't have all that much to see itself. And we loved that about it! What a lovely, liveable city!

The next morning started out with breakfast at the hotel and another walk around the Old Town. We ended up at a beautiful, large park called the Jardin des Prébendes d'Oé. It looked remarkably similar in style to the Parc de la Tete D'Or in Lyon, which was no surprise because both parks were designed by the same pair of brothers! We both got a big kick out of the mama ducks swimming around with their chicks and the frogs croaking away in the pond. (Take a listen to Mom's recording of the frogs!)

 

Saying goodbye to the park, we split a crêpe in Place Plumereau for lunch before moving on to our main event for the day: visiting our first two châteaux! We met up with our tour group (I use this term loosely; it was more like splitting a minivan taxi for the day than a full-blown tour), and the driver whisked us away to Chambord and Chenonceau castles in the "Valley of a Thousand Châteaux." As a bonus, he even stopped along the way so we could catch views of a few other castles, including Amboise and Blois!

 Chambord

I went to Chambord in November, but I was excited to go back to have more time walking around the grounds. I can't believe I missed this view the first time around!

Chenonceau 

Chenonceau's nickname is "The Ladies Castle"!

 

I don't know. But the statute was cute, so we needed a picture with it!

Hedge maze at Chenonceau on our way out!

After a fabulous afternoon at Chambord and Chenonceau, we were ravenous by the time we got back. Luckily, our hotel manager was happy to give us some recommendations for dinner. She suggested retracing our steps from the night before to the cathedral to get to Rue Colbert, a cute street full of restaurants. Thanks to her, we ended up finding a delicious Lebanese restaurant. It was a perfect end to a great day!

YUM

On our second morning in the Loire Valley, we woke up early to head to Amboise, a small town not far from Tours. We had actually considered making Amboise our home base in the area for easy access to not one but two castles in town, but ultimately we decided that staying in Tours made more sense because it is the transportation hub for the region. This worked out really well. It was simple to get there from Caen, and it was just as easy to get to Amboise. We caught an early train and had several hours to explore Amboise Castle and Clos Lucé!

  Amboise

Croissants and coffee while waiting for Amboise Castle to open!

King Francis I, a major supporter of the arts, was one of da Vinci's major patrons. Da Vinci moved to Amboise and lived out his life at Clos Lucé, just down the street from Amboise Castle. He was buried in a chapel on the grounds of the latter.

View of the Loire River from Amboise Castle!

It might have been mid-April, but it was chilly in the castle. We were thankful they had the fireplaces going!

Clos Lucé

Leonardo da Vinci lived at Clos Lucé for the last few years of his life under the patronage of King Francis I. This explains several things. For instance, why did the Mona Lisa, a product of the Italian Renaissance, end up in France instead of Italy? Because da Vinci brought the painting with him to Amboise when he left Italy, and it never left the country again. How did Chambord end up with its famous double helix staircase? Francis I began the construction of that castle and drew on da Vinci's genius in the design. Interesting, right? (We didn't know it at the time, but our new knowledge about Francis I came in handy when we were in Lyon a few days later!)

"Entering the world of Leonard de Vinci"

Life-size models of Da Vinci's inventions!

We could have spent all day in the park around Clos Lucé looking at da Vinci's incredible inventions, but alas, we had to head back to Tours to catch our train to Lyon. Picking up our bags from the hotel, we found a place for a quick bite (No soup, though. Apparently no one in Tours eats soup for lunch?) and hopped on. It was a long ride—it wasn't a fast train to begin with, and we were delayed about an hour when the police had to board to investigate a report of a theft en route—but we finally arrived late Friday evening!