Sep 09

Ouch

Friends, this looks worse than it actually is. Yesterday we went to a medieval village called Les Baux. The views of the valley were stunning, and the site had numerous artifacts, such as battering rams and trebuchets. Just as we were about to exit, I slipped and fell. The only thing damaged was my left pinky finger. Naturally, I’m left-handed.

I think the wrap is très sportif, n'est-ce pas?

I think the wrap is très sportif, n’est-ce pas?

After a quick lunch, we went back to our hotel to ask about the nearest emergency room. The receptionist said the nearest one was in Avignon, about 15 miles away. So off we went in the Purple People-Eater.

After some time, the verdict was in: Just a dislocation. Because we were at the hospital until quite late, the bill will be sent to our home. We had heard horror stories about foreign hospitals demanding payment in full up front. We’ll see if the bill beats us home.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/09/09/ouch/

Sep 08

The Purple People-Eater

Meet our rental car. This was the only model at the agency with a trunk big enough to accommodate our luggage. We purposely used the smaller suitcases, but still had trouble. This is a Citroën Cactus. I prefer the moniker Purple People-Eater, after the classic Sheb Wooley song.

The Purple People-Eater

The Purple People-Eater

As with many recent-model cars, the rear visibility stinks. It’s not particularly maneuverable. The old song, “Give Me 40 Acres and I’ll Turn This Rig Around” comes to mind. Note the side panels. I guess Citroën knew that it would be a door-dinger, so it put the plastic over the metal. It’s also a manual transmission. Julian has to get used to driving a stick again after buying his current VW. When I was helping him back out of the garage, I noticed that one of the backup lights wasn’t working. The clerk at the agency assured us that only one light needs to work to be street legal. This sounded bogus to us, but we should be okay as long as we don’t back into a police car.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/09/08/the-purple-people-eater/

Sep 07

Bienvenue à St. Rémy de Provence

Our next stop on the tour is St. Rémy de Provence, a cute little town. Julian observed that if Disney wanted to clone a French town for a theme park, this would be the one.

The town has several plazas and is encircled by a ring road. It deals heavily in the tourist and expat trade. Why else would you find stores selling tchotchkes with snarky slogans in English? It also has a preponderance of real estate agencies, along with one specializing in vineyards.

Last night we ate at a typical Provençal restaurant. Julian had the aïoli with seafood, while I had the mussels. This prompted another in our long series of shrimp-head puppet shows.

Me and my mussels. Julian's aïoli is in the foreground.

Me and my mussels. Julian’s aïoli is in the foreground.

A boy and his shrimp head puppet.

A boy and his shrimp head puppet.

As we were walking around after dinner, we saw a pizza truck. Shades of the old Hot Truck from Cornell! I didn’t dare ask if they could do a Triple Sui.

A hot pizza truck in St. Rémy de Provence.

A hot pizza truck in St. Rémy de Provence.

Wednesday is market day in St. Rémy. In other words, it’s tourist day. I think I heard more English than French spoken. As crowded as it was, everything was closed and the vendors were gone by 3 pm. This is a well-oiled machine. While we were roaming around, we saw this offering. Yes, that’s exactly what it looks like. It’s a pig stuffed with pork loin and other goodies.

Sorry, vegetarians. I had to get a picture of this.

Sorry, vegetarians. I had to get a picture of this.

As for our lunch, we bought some cheese, bread, sausage, spreadables, and raspberries.

Tomorrow we may take a road trip to a nearby medieval town.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/09/07/bienvenue-a-st-remy-de-provence/

Sep 07

More Paris vs. Lyon Smackdown

Here are a few more comparisons we noted between the two cities:

Security: We encountered much fewer grifters and panhandlers in Lyon. It could be because of the lower numbers of suckers… I mean tourists. I’m sure that more must appear during big events, such as the Fête des Lumières in December and the current film festival. We felt safe walking around, even after dark.

Transit: Lyon’s trams, subways, and buses put Paris (and Seattle) to utter shame. They are clean and reasonably new. Both Paris and Lyon use the same carnet system if you don’t have a refillable card. We had an easy time negotiating the system.

Dogs: We saw fewer dogs getting walked, at least in the neighborhood of our hotel.

Cats: We only saw one loose on the streets. We saw two in carriers. Maybe the swans got the other strays.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/09/07/more-paris-vs-lyon-smackdown/

Sep 05

Let there be Lumiere

(Lumière is the French word for light.)

Yesterday’s outing included a trip to the Lumière Museum in Lyon. The Lumière family, particularly brothers Auguste and Louis, were instrumental in the early days of cinema. While Edison’s kinetoscope showed movies to individuals (similar to a peep show), les frères Lumière pioneered cameras and projection equipment so the masses could see films. They sent cinematographers around the world to film scenes of everyday life. Not only were the Lumières key to cinema, their company produced still photography supplies and cameras well into the 20th century. The factories were centered in Lyon near the family home. In addition, the brothers were issued patents for medicine-embedded bandages and the precursor to membrane hi-fi speakers.

Every year the Lumière Institute holds a festival and awards one artist for lifetime achievement in film. Last year’s awardee was Martin Scorcese; this year’s is Catherine Deneuve. Alas, the festival starts on Wednesday, the day after we leave Lyon.  We highly recommend visiting the museum. It’s away from downtown, but worth the subway ride.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/09/05/let-there-be-lumiere/

Sep 05

Foodie Day in Lyon

Since most of the museums were closed today, this was our day to do foodie stuff. The first stop was the Galeries Lafayette at the Part Dieu shopping center. Unfortunately, the Galeries Lafayette here does not have the killer food hall that the one in Paris has. We found another store called the Cook Me Shop that had a variety of herbs, spices, and teas. I bought a couple of selections that I hope make it through Customs. We also found an electronics store called Danty that had a wide selection of kitchen appliances and gadgets. Julian said, “I think we found the French equivalent of Fry’s.” My response:”No, I can hear myself.”

All the spices you can eat at the Cook Me Shop in Lyon.

All the spices you can eat at the Cook Me Shop in Lyon.

We timed our visit to Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse to be around lunchtime. This building is supposed to be foodie paradise. Alas, the vast majority of the stores and restaurants in it were closed. What was open was outrageously expensive. I wonder if the high vacancy rate is due to the European economy and the fact that this building is off the tourist beaten path.

As we were walking out of Les Halles, I noticed a pho restaurant across the street. The price was right: Lunch for 10 € or less. So I got my fish sauce fix, even if I had to go to the other end of town for it.

 

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/09/05/foodie-day-in-lyon/

Sep 04

The Local Soundtrack

I’ve noticed some very unusual music choices in restaurants and in our hotel dining room. It must be a local radio station that plays predominantly American popular music. We’ve heard everything from disco to Cab Calloway. In one restaurant we heard Louis Armstrong’s version of La Vie en Rose. Quelle sacrilège! No Edith Piaf? No Johnny Halliday? The Chinese restaurant we ate at tonight was playing The Eagles’ Greatest Hits album. I was surprised not to hear any British music (i.e., Beatles or Rolling Stones). Maybe this is their way of protesting the Brexit vote.

Yesterday as we were wandering around Vieux Lyon, I heard a brass band playing Jungle Boogie. We investigated further and found this motley crew playing in a park near the Cathedral of St. Jean.

From disco to klezmer, this band was hot.

From disco to klezmer, this band was hot.

After Jungle Boogie, they broke into a long klezmer tune staged as a gang rumble. The trombonist on the far right “killed” the clarinetist lying on the ground. (She lived to play another day.) This was by far the most fun street music I’d seen in quite a while. They earned our contribution to their open chest.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/09/04/the-local-soundtrack/

Sep 04

Peking Duck in Lyon

La Cuisine Lyonnaise is pretty heavy on the cream and pork fat. After several days we were in need of a soy sauce fix. We found a Chinese restaurant on the east side of the Rhône called Engimono. It’s a small place with more tables on the outside than inside. We ordered the menu for two.

The menu started off with the house cocktail, plum wine with a lychee on the bottom. The first course was a spinach and cellophane noodle salad with a sesame dressing. Then came two types of steamed dumplings. The main courses were a steamed bass with lots of ginger and Peking duck. The duck arrived sliced and deboned, with the pancakes, hoisin sauce, and shredded leeks and cucumber. Everything was well prepared, and came out at the appropriate temperatures. The buns were right off the boiling water in their bamboo steamers.

The restaurant was quite busy, as most establishments close on Sundays. Perhaps later this week we’ll satisfy my fish sauce fix. It’s hard on the waistline (and liver) to eat Lyonnaise food alone. This week we head into Provence, where I hope to eat lots of veggies and fruit as an antidote of sorts to our conspicuous overconsumption.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/09/04/peking-duck-in-lyon/

Sep 04

Swan One, Dog Zero

Swans are known to be quite territorial. My pre-grad school boss used to be terrorized by the swans on the lake abutting his property while he was mowing the lawn. Last night as we were walking on the quay back from dinner, we saw a Jack Russell Terrier (resembling the late Uggy of The Artist) attempting to go after a swan. Said bird, which was about twice the size of the pup, was having no part of this insolence. Finally the dog’s owner had to intervene before violence ensued.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/09/04/swan-one-dog-zero/

Sep 04

Equal Time

Cute shoes for men. Don't ask how much they cost.

Cute shoes for men. Don’t ask how much they cost. 

It occurred to me that there may be male readers of this blog who count themselves in the Cult of Cute Shoes. Granted, none of you has fessed up, but I’m posting this just for you. This is the display of a shoe store around the corner from our hotel in Lyon.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/09/04/equal-time/

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