Day 17 - Lyon to Paris💕

Paris! Probably my favorite city in the world💕 We took a very uneventful train ride 2 hours from Lyon, and this time had reserved seats - yeah! We even scored putting our carryons on the luggage rack as we are smarter now about getting on the train as fast as possible. When we were getting off the train there was still a huge pile of luggage at the door but a young man getting off just moved some of it out of the train so hopefully those passengers found it outside.

We took the Metro to our hotel easily. Have I mentioned that the public transportation in Paris (and actually Lyon too) is excellent and easy to use? I have a previous blog post on my top tips for Paris so consider referring to the archive to find it. I have tips on what works best for me and maybe you too!

In an example of what a small fun world it actually is Julie had friends from Chicago in Paris for the day, so we headed out to meet them for a late lunch. They are actually vacationing in London, but took the Chunnel from London to Paris for the day. We met them at a legendary brasserie in the 6th arrondissement called Brasserie Lipp.

Julie and Molly in front of the restaurant looking like two French girls in their cute hats. A selection of cheeses to share for starters, Niçoise salad for me, and a dessert to all share that was amazing.

Julie and her fun friends! Libby, Linda and daughter Molly who is studying abroad in London. Our devilish waiter who admitted to be smirking since he was trying to grab an ankle😊

We said goodbye as the ladies were heading off to see a museum before heading back to London, and Julie and I went a little exploring in the 6th which is a beautiful arrondissement.

One of my favorite things in Paris are the incredible doors you see everywhere. I love the blue ones best!

One of the main historic buildings in the 6th is St. Sulpice Church. It is right on St. Sulpice Square and is the second largest church in Paris after Norte Dame.

Beautiful fountain on St. Sulpice Square.

The church is massive. And because it is right on the square there is no way to get a picture of the entire church so here are a few from the beautiful inside. With the fire at Norte Dame much of the activity is being done at St. Sulpice instead.

St. Sulpice modeled after St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.

Next up a visit to the spectacular Luxembourg Garden. Jardin du Luxembourg is a lovely 60 acre garden that makes you feel like you are in a Monet painting. The Luxembourg Palace is on one end and it’s filled with lots of pretty light green chairs where the French enjoy the beauty on a regular basis. You see lots of people visiting or reading and it’s perfect for just sitting and people watching. And that exactly what we did!

My Friday night view💕

We took our time walking back to the Marais which is the 3rd arrondissement where we are staying, and just enjoyed the buildings, fountains and statues that are everywhere you look.

St Michael statue and fountain.

We crossed the Seine right by Norte Dame, so here are current pictures of the renovation that has begun post fire. Still so heartbreaking but it will return.

Norte Dame

Norte Dame from the side. So much different since I was here in May shortly after the fire. Now the intricate scaffolding is everywhere and the entire area is full of construction buildings. I’m amazed that they even knew where to begin!

We had a big late lunch so just stopped at a cafe for a glass of wine and light bite before heading to bed. The snack was pea croquettes which sounded super weird but actually weren’t bad. Julie reprimanded me strongly for forgetting to take a photo to post, but they actually looked just like a croquette. Who knew you could make them from peas?

Lots more to see and do here in Paris so check back again. Mais je suit a Paris pour le moment et je vis!

Day 16 - Lyon

We had a great day in Lyon! I didn’t really know what to expect coming here, but it has really exceeded my expectations. The weather has been beautiful, chilly but sunny and blue skies all day. We are here two nights and basically a day and a half for site seeing - which turns out to be perfect. We covered all the main areas and with another day would probably do a museum or two, but not on the must see list. Lyon is very hilly! I wasn’t expecting that but consequently it’s even prettier then anticipated because in many spots you have a beautiful panoramic view of the town and two rivers that divide it making one section really an island.

One of our views today walking up a huge hill. That’s one of the rivers - the Saone.

First stop after walking up a huge hill to the Fourvière Hill area was the Roman Theater. Built in 43 AD it’s amazing that it’s in such great shape, and is actually still used for concerts and dance performances.

Top right - that’s me way at the top! Julie in a more relaxed pose bottom right.

Next stop the Notre Dame Basilica which was almost right next door. Construction was began in 1870 as a tribute to the Virgin Mary, and I think it might be the most beautiful church I have ever seen. Just my opinion of course, but spectacular mosaics everywhere.

Notre Dame Basilica. The smaller building on the right has a beautiful statue of the Blessed Mother on top and it is a chapel that is 500 years older.

Inside the Basilica. Floors, walls and ceilings are all mosaics. Love the alter with the beautiful statue of Mary and Jesus.

We headed down the hill and across the river to the posh Presqu’île area where there are lots of upscale restaurants and shops. First stop….lunch!

Cafe des Jacobins - in business since 1906! Since we’re having a big fancy meal tonight we just wanted salads. This one had goat cheese on toast to top it and was delicious. Our waiters didn’t speak much English but when we told them we were from the US they asked us to marry them and take them home with us! So cute😊

We spent the rest of the afternoons walking the streets and window shopping.

Passage de l’Argue. An Old World covered shopping passage from the 1800’s.

The most famous dessert in Lyon - La Tarte a la Praline. An almond and cream dessert that is everywhere. Rumor has it it’s very sweet so I haven’t tried it…..yet!

We walked up to another area called La Croix-Rousse. Very hilly and bohemian.

So hilly and it just went forever! But very cool buildings, shops, restaurants and street art.

Love these two businesses! One a restaurant and one a great store with amazing clothes. And a super sweet sales lady that told us the history of the area. Thank you Caroline!

So many quirky things in Lyon. Random statues on buildings and how can you not laugh at this one?!!

Back to our neighborhood to change for our amazing dinner.

One of the things Lyon is best known for is amazing food, so we made sure to plan for a great dinner. We found a restaurant very close to our Airbnb and it was a Michelin Star restaurant winner for the past 3 years so we made a reservation for dinner and decided to splurge. I’m not an expert on food but we both loved our meal at Daniel & Denise. Julie had shrimp and she said it was the best she ever had in her life, and would dream about it. I had amazing roasted chicken with mushrooms and it was excellent. We shared pan roasted potatoes and penne pasta in a bechamel sauce - incredible! We shared the special dessert which was pot au chocolate. When it came it was actually two pots and two madeleines. When we asked why one dessert comes with two pots our waiter told us because one is never enough! Almost true but plenty for us because we were so full. Totally worth the splurge😊

So happy!

A last walk to the river to say goodbye to Lyon.

I’m so glad we got to make this stop and spend a few days in Lyon. So easy to get to on the train and a beautiful fun city. Next up off to the city of lights - Paris! I can never be there too often💕

Day 15 - Avignon to Lyon

We are tired! But we made it to Lyon! Everything went smoothly as far as making our trains and getting to our Airbnb on the metro, but the train ride itself was like a Saturday Night Live skit. We didn’t have seat assignments because when we bought the tickets it wasn’t an option. It was just get on the train and find a seat. So we thought that would be the case for everyone. Not so. We roamed through a number of cars quite full with people that had reserved seats, so every time we found a vacant seat and started getting settled in someone would come up and say it was their seat. Well at least that’s what we thought they were saying because hardly anyone spoke English. I get it. We’re in France. We can’t expect them to speak English. Luckily the train ride wasn’t super long as we ended up standing for part of the ride. We weren’t the only ones. And then don’t get me started on people with suitcases as big as their bodies! When we were getting close to our destination we started making our way to the doors, as the train doesn’t stop long and you have to get off fast so the people getting on can get on. When we got to the area between the cars where the doors are people had piled up their humongous suitcases and totally blocked the exits. So that the people needing to get off had no where to go. They literally just dumped their suitcases there and took their seats. At that point my patience was a little thin so I was tempted when the doors opened at the station to just push all the suitcases out the door. So that’s why my number one rule for travel is to travel light. Nothing bigger than a carryon!

I took this picture of the huge suitcases piled up at the doors. It was ridiculous! But somehow we managed to get off. Welcome to Lyon!

Lyon seems cool, but today we took it easy and got a little settled and headed out to get our bearings. It really feels like fall here. We went from shorts to wearing our jackets today, but we planned for it so no worries. Lyon is considered to be France’s most historic and culturally important city after Paris. It’s also really known for amazing food! We can’t wait to try it! We ate a very late lunch. At 4 o’clock is it considered an early dinner?

Amazing quiche and salad. Lyon is known for local red wine made with Beaujolais grapes so we tried it. Good!

St Jean Cathedral. Beautiful stained glass dating back to the 13th and 14th century. And an amazing medieval astronomical clock from 1383.

Bonaparte Bridge. Most famous bridge in Lyon but not that old. All the bridges in Lyon were destroyed in WW2 but this one actually at least looks old. A great place to view the whole city from.

A Traboule. Passageways in Lyon that link the old town’s three main north-south streets and provided shelter from the elements when unfinished silk goods were being moved from one place to the next. Lyon has a long history of silk production since the 1800’s. There are a number of them still in existence and we managed to find the longest one which connects 4 buildings.

Notre Dame Basilica - looks amazing! Saving that for tomorrow.

My favorite picture of the day! Pretty Lyon! I can’t wait to see more tomorrow.

I’m feeling kind of delirious so heading to bed early. We have a full day planned tomorrow in Lyon - and that includes food! Thanks for coming along😊

Day 14 - Arles

I’m a big fan of the French Impressionists, so I couldn’t be this close to where Vincent Van Gogh painted so many of his beautiful pieces and not go see it for myself. Julie decided to stay in Avignon for the day so I took the train there myself. Super easy. Just one stop from Avignon and about a 20 minute ride. The weather so far on the entire trip has been fantastic. We had one partial day of rain in Portugal and other then that all blue sky. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen a prettier blue sky then here in Provence. It’s a cornflower blue that just is spectacular.

As many of you know I’m a big fan of Rick Steves, so I just ripped his Arles section out of my Paris book to take along. He has a great walking tour of Arles that hits all the major sites, so why attempt it on my own? While there are almost no original paintings left in town from Van Gogh, there are steel and concrete easels at a number of the places he painted in town of his famous works so you can stand where he stood and see what he saw and painted. Cool! Arles also has some of the best preserved Roman ruins dating back over 2000 years, and I wanted to see that as well. I had read that you can buy what is called the Liberty Passport at the Tourist Office or any of the major sites and it covers 4 monuments and 2 museums for 12 euros, so even if you’re only seeing two sites it is a good value.

Arles is quite a bit smaller then Avignon, so was easy to cover in a day. So here you go! Come along on my day!

The Yellow House. The actual house Van Gogh lived in was in front of this building but was bombed accidentally in 1944. But this building is also in the painting and still stands.

Roman Arena over 2,000 years old. Still in use today. A mini version of the Colosseum in Rome.

Jardin d’Ete. Looks exactly like the painting!

Cafe at Night - Cafe la Nuit today.

Top left - a street I loved, Top right - a flowery courtyard of a hospital Van Gogh was treated in that he loved to paint, Bottom left - Roman Classical Theater, Bottom right - St Trophime Cloisters.

A delicious lunch at Au Brin de Thym. I am loving their vegetarian plates in France. Black rice, roasted and fresh veggies and fruit. A taste sensation in every bite. And a delicious dessert made of meringue, whipped cream and berries. Decided if I put on a few pounds here it’s worth it!

Time to head back to Avignon. I’m so glad I got to see Arles. Now when I see a painting done by Van Gogh I will always be reminded of this day💕

The last dinner in Avignon. I love the chicken in France but this was the first time I saw it on the menu so had to get it. It’s always so moist and this was no exception. Served over garlic mashed potatoes and stuffed with mushrooms. Julie ordered it also. Magnifique!! At Le Vintage Restaurant.

Travel and especially Avignon make me so happy! That’s the Avignon Bridge in the background.

I’m trying not to be sad about having to leave Avignon, and just be grateful I got to be here. Plus we have more to explore in France! Next stop Lyon. Check back again. Au revoir🙋🏼‍♀️

Day 12 & 13 - Avignon

As of today Avignon is the most charming town I have ever been in - at least so far. It felt warm and welcoming from the minute we got off the train from Nice. The old town has buildings that date back to the 13th century and many of the tiny streets aren’t wide enough for anything larger than a bicycle - of which we see many. All the streets are cobblestone and every time you turn a corner it seems there is a cute little square to have a cup of coffee or glass of wine. We really lucked out with our Airbnb. It’s in a 17th century building in just about the perfect location. Convenient to everything but quiet once we shut the door to our sweet little balcony overlooking an adorable square and patisserie. I’m already on a first name basis with the owner of the shop as she makes my coffee and croissant every morning and I wave to her from the balcony as I enjoy it. If I don’t return to the United States this will be where to find me.

A great spot to wave bonjour to everyone as I drink my coffee.

I’m heading out for a day trip soon so this will be some of my favorite pics of Avignon so far.

View overlooking the city. I love the old tile roofs.

Famous Avignon Bridge but the actual name is St. Benezet Bridge. Supposedly there is a nursery rhyme about it but even when I looked it up it was unfamiliar to me. Dates back to 1171 and 1185 but damaged due to floods in 1668 and never rebuilt.

The most famous building and important site to see in Avignon is the Palace of the Popes. Built in the 1300’s when the Catholic Church was relocated from Rome to Avignon. It stayed in Avignon till the early 1400’s. The Palace is basically empty now, but we did the tour and each person gets an iPad and as you tour the Palace through the iPad you see what it looked like then. It’s very cool and you learn a lot about the early history of the church.

Palace of the Popes. I couldn’t begin to get the entire building in one shot.

Interior shots from the Palace. Bottom right is from the kitchen. A very tall shaft to let the heat escape from the fires to cook the food.

One of my most favorite streets. Reminded me of the Kansas sunflowers.

Roman ruins in one of the parks.

A convent from the 13th century.

The food has all been amazing here, and very reasonable. I’ve tried to increase my salad intake and decrease my bread and cheese. Only partially succeeding but since we’re doing lots of walking I don’t feel too guilty.

I love the goat cheese and apple salad available in most places. And a little quiche! Lots of beautiful pastries too!

Our incredible dinner! L’epicerie right around the corner from our square recommended by Rick Steves and the owner of our Airbnb. Magnifique! We shared the penne pasta with salmon sauce and the most incredible array of salads and spreads. Also shared an amazing chocolate, caramel and fruit dessert. We had a beautiful sweet wonderful waitress by the name of Prescilia that was so helpful and kind. A perfect evening.

There is a special high tech illumination show taking place every night in Avignon inside the courtyard of the Palace of the Popes called Vibration, and we heard it was great so bought tickets and attended. It was incredible. The latest technology projected on the walls of a 13th century building. Kind of mind blowing. I took pictures but you really have to experience it.

Just a small sample of what was being projected all around us. Amazing!

Well that’s it for now. I’m off to Arles to walk in Van Gogh’s footsteps. Check back soon. Au revoir!