Merci Marie

On September 8th, 1852 the city of Lyon, France was awaiting the inauguration of the Virgin Mary Statue that sits atop of its Notre-Dame Basilica, but it had to be cancelled due to storms that day.  The inauguration was postponed to December 8th, which ended up being another rainy and stormy day.  This time the inauguration went ahead, and although most scheduled celebrations were cancelled, many inhabitants decided to light a small candle in their windows to welcome the statue.  It became a yearly habit that today has developed into the “Fêtes des Lumières” attracting hundreds of thousands visitors over the course of 4 days.  We decided to take advantage of the quick one hour trip on the fast train (TGV) and add our family of four to the many visitors.

As we emerged from the Place Bellecour metro station we all got a great first impression of Lyon.  Grace let out a yelp as she spotted the huge ferris wheel set up in the square, which considerably stole the limelight from the bronzed Louis the XlV on horseback in the centre .  The weather was so warm, and the view looking up to the basilica on Fourvière Hill, with the blue sky and sunshine, was beautiful.  Grace and I were fast and furious Lyon fans. We settled down for coffees and “Oranginas” in the sunshine at one of the cafés lining the squares to plan out our day.

We had heard it said that Lyon is the gastronomic capital of France, so the first line of business was to make a decision about lunch.  Lyon is known for their “bouchons”, small and cozy restaurants that ensure an authentic lyonnaise dining experience without costing an arm and a leg.  We had had one, the ”Aux Trois Petits Cochons” recommended to us by a “Française” who had lived in Lyon for several years.  And, when we found out it was only a short walk across the square, it definitely seemed like the place to go.  

On arriving, we were originally told it would be impossible for us to get a table, but the owner quickly came up and said that if we were willing to eat right away he could get us a table, but added he would have to kick us out at precisely 1:15.....and after a pause, added, “doucement” (gently) as they were expecting 100 guests at this time.  For a Canadian family with 2 small children this gave us over an hour and a quarter - plenty of time, so we took the table offered.  Grace remarked that the place looked  "real Frenchy”, as did the lunch options!  Our menu translation skills remain poor and so making meal selections often involves a little panic and some serious guesswork.   We glanced through the lunch selections:  tête de veau (calf’s head: I instantly picture wobbling pieces of brain) “non”, pied de veau (hoof on a plate?) “non merci”, tripes (cow intestines: I won’t even mention what comes to my mind) “pas pour moi”.  So, while ruling out what we didn’t want to order was relatively easy and fast, making a choice among the remaining unknowns was a bit trickier, especially since it was all very rush-rush.  We ordered “des saucissons et frites” (sausage and fries) for the girls, Barry asked for the “gras-double poêle à la lyonnaise”  and I thought I would try “la marmite de moules à la provençale”.

The girls’ meals were the first to arrive and Barry asked the owner if there was any ketchup for Lily’s frites to which he answered, “Impossible, c’est interdit ici”, but promised to bring her some sauce that was much tastier.  When I translated  for Lily that ketchup was forbidden here, she grew very quiet and serious and asked why.   It was a though she were trying to make sense of a world in which owners of restaurants outlawed ketchup!   Luckily the owner quickly returned with a heaping bowl of his special white sauce, and all of us agreed it was better than that red stuff.  Barry was served a steaming bowl of french onion soup for starters and I started with a salade aux copeaux de saumon fumé  (salad with smoked salmon). Both were delicious.

Next to be brought out was a big, hot, black, covered pot  that was placed in front of me.  This was the part of the meal that we knew held some unknowns, and I had no idea what I would find lifting up the lid.  Tentatively, I had a peak and....relief!  Mussels!  I’ve never considered myself a huge mussel fan and have never ordered shellfish at a restaurant, but the sauce provençale  they were cooked in smelled and tasted delicious.  Grace quickly pushed aside her fries in favour of sharing my much more interesting meal.  

I was so distracted by my lunch, that it took me a few minutes to check in with Barry.   When I glanced over, I knew immediately that something wasn’t right.  First, Barry eats fast, so when I noticed his plate was still heaping full I knew it wasn’t a good sign.  Second, he was quiet and, I swear, slightly pale.  Third and the clincher, he said he was no longer hungry.  We tried to determine what body part may have been fried à la lyonnaise  for Barry’s lunch, but it remained a mystery.  It took until nearly midnight that night when Barry’s google search revealed it to have been strips from the first 3 stomachs of a cow.  Needless to say, gras-double has been added to our no-go french menu items.  Barry’s appetite did recover very quickly when the chocolate cake and crème brûlée were served to finish off our meals.

After lunch, the girls and Barry rode the big ferris wheel, while I checked out some Lyon shopping.  We then strolled over the Bonaparte Bridge to Old Lyon and took a tram trip up to the Basilica and enjoyed the view of Lyon and the Saône River below us.  We took our time wandering down the garden paths on Fourvière hill to the narrow pedestrian streets of old Lyon.  We settled into a warm and quaint tea house for a light dinner of savoury crêpes, and then headed out to a swing ride along the river where the girls settled in for 4 rides in a row; a big hit!

We were crossing back across the river at 6:00 just as the light shows were starting. The basilica and the bridges were beautifully lit up and as we entered back into the downtown, the crowds had gotten thick, but we managed to get to see several of the light shows and displays among the almost 80 that were happening across the city.  As we arrived back at Place Bellecours where we had started our day, we found a place to sit, to rest and to watch some more of the excitement before we headed back down into the metro for our ride back to the train station.

Some of you may know that the 8th of December is a very meaningful day, not only for the city of Lyon, but also for our family; it’s the day we adopted Grace 7 years ago, and we usually celebrate the day with a cake, a card and perhaps a meal out.  As we were sitting among the crowds and the lights, Grace told us that is had been the absolute best adoption day of her life.

Merci Lyon!