Rhône-Alps and Au Revoirs

Apparently, taking a field trip to the World Trade Organization in Switzerland is no big deal when you study abroad in London. Lucky Drew, you might think. But I say, "lucky me!" Geneva is pretty close to Lyon, so Drew was able to hop on the train at the end of his class trip Friday evening to spend the last weekend of March with me.

We had discussed traveling somewhere together that weekend, but I wanted to be in town for a friend's birthday/going away party Saturday night, so we ultimately opted to stay closer to home. We decided to make the most of the weekend by renting a car to explore some of the less accessible spots in the Rhône-Alps region.

We picked up the car Saturday morning and hit the road, stopping first in an adorable medieval village about an hour north of Lyon called Pérouges. We spent a lovely few hours there, meandering through the little streets and enjoying a picnic lunch.

Just imagine how pretty with sunny, blue skies!

We tasted a Pérouges galette, a regional specialty. Surprisingly, it has nothing to do with either the rustic pies called galettes in the States or the buckwheat flour-crepes in Brittany. Instead, these galettes were more like thin tarts with a layer of custard on top. Very simple, but a tasty post-lunch dessert!

From Pérouges, we decided to take a little detour to the Parc des Oiseaux, a bird park that we had read about online. Yup, a bird park! We were pretty excited about it, too. And, judging from the number of cars in the parking lot, we weren't the only ones! It turned out that it was opening day, so plenty of families had decided to take advantage of the free price of entry (usually around 15 euros per person!) during the first few days while the staff finished getting the park ready for the season. The park was much larger than we anticipated – we spent a good couple hours covering the grounds, stopping every few feet to gawk at a different type of bird!

We enjoyed the park so much that by the time we left we were already cutting it a little close to get back to Lyon for Flor’s party. Despite my pitiful navigational skills, Drew masterfully guided our manual car (he was a pro, even after 10 years since he had last driven stick!) back to the rental car lot for the night. Parking is a pain in Lyon, so we decided it would be easier to just pick it up again the next morning to head back out the second day.

Driving stick like a boss

The party Saturday night was a multi-purpose event. We were celebrating Flor's birthday, but we were also saying goodbye to her, Laura, Marko, and Bruna before they left Lyon, having finished their coursework.

I was thrilled that Drew had a chance to meet everyone (he had only previously met Laura and her mom, who was in town to help Laura move back to Germany, on our trip to the Black Forest), but I was also sad to say goodbye to the people who made my time here so special. This was one of those times when “Au Revoir,” or “Until We See Each Other Again” is really the perfect thing to say.

Mes loulous from left to right: Florenzia, Maria Daniella, Leila, and Laura

The next morning, we decided to take advantage of having a car to go for a hike in the Parc Naturel Regional du Pilat. After poring over a few maps online, we settled on a hike called "Les Trois Dents," which translates to "The Three Teeth," named after a series of small mountain peaks that look like, well, teeth. Although it was cloudy and threatening to rain, it felt so nice to be outdoors!

See the teeth? I count four, but apparently there are only three.

Before leaving for the park on Sunday, we had done a mini Lyon markets tour, admiring the displays at the artisans' market and picking up some fresh vegetables to use for dinner that night at the produce market. Arriving back at the apartment after our hike, we put the vegetables to good use. Quiche, salad, and a bottle of Côtes du Rhone wine. Not too shabby!

With that, our short weekend visit had to end. Drew caught a super early flight back to London Monday morning and made it there in time for his 10:30am class, while I had a few days to get ready for my next round of visitors...Drew's mother, Marty, and her friend, Jinny!