May 2, 2024
Today we packed up our bags and said a bittersweet goodbye to Toulouse, our home for the past three months. The weather had been rainy and cool, which made it a little easier to leave. But, we had some tears about leaving from both kids; they really loved it there (and so did Jay and I)!
Our final day included one last trip to our favorite local boulangerie for chocaltines, almond croissants, and a chocolate tresse (Maggie's favorite). Then, we walked the town - mailed home one more box of clothing and grabbed sandwiches from the kids favorite sandwich shop.
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| 8 Rue Henri De Bornier - our place |
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| Final walk down our street |
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| One last pic in front of Saint Aubin |
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| Final trip to "Dragon Park" |
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| Last jump off the pole |
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| Favorite sandwich with lox |
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| Goodbye dance studio |
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| Au Revoir to our regular bar |
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| A biento Toulouse Burger |
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| Last time on the Canal Midi |
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| Le Tilleuls - Local Bar / Cafe |
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| "Monkey building" on our street |
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| Monkey in top hat |
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| Goodbye couch and living room |
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| Kids' bedroom - packed up and ready to go |
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| Our bounty of wine corks |
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| Last two square game at local park |
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| Finally departing on the train for Lyon |
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| You must always aim for the moon, because even in the case of failure we end up in the stars |
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| Off we go - next stop Lyon |
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| French countryside from the train |
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| Grapes starting to pop on the vines |
LYON
I think we were all pleasantly surprised by how nice Lyon was. It is a city that is on two rivers the Saone and the Rhone, with an old town area and great green space/biking paths along the river banks.
Day 1 - Running on the Saone, walking in the Vieux Lyon, visiting the basilica, Roman ruins and museum. Ending the day with dinner at a Bouchon (a restaurant where you share tables, sit elbow to elbow, drink a "pot" of wine, and eat local Lyonesse fair) and then back home for a game of spades.
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| View from our airbnb - we were right on the Saone! |
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| Four floors of spiral stairs to the Airbnb - not for the faint of heart! |
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| The Saone |
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| Running past ruins of some kind |
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| Bridges on every block or so to cross the Saone |
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| Running back on the other side of Saone - opposite our Airbnb |
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| I was surprised by the hills in Lyon - so pretty |
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| Looking up behind our Airbnb - The basillica and a "mini Eiffel Tower" that is really a TV antenna |
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| Another view of hill behind Vieux Lyon |
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| Found this fun plaza and fountain... |
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| ...A perfect place to eat these amazing sandwiches |
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| School's not over yet! |
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| View looking down on red roofs of Lyon from top of hill near the basilica |
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| More views the hill top |
Pictures from the Gallo-Roman Museum. It was interesting learning about the Roman empire in this area of France and to see all of the artifacts inside that had been discovered in the area. Some of the artifcats were dug up just 10 years ago when they were building a new car park in town! It's funny to think about!
Dinner at Cafe de Federations - The FULL Bouchon experience! I'm not sure it was the best food I've had; it was all pretty heavy and several courses long, however the atmosphere and experience was certainly fun! The first course was a poached egg in red wine sauce, sausage in brioche bread, lentil salad and lyonesse salad, then the main course (sausage and potatoes, quenelle, pork cheek in red wine sauce) a cheese course (between dinner and dessert), then finally dessert (il flottante)!
The big activity for today was renting bikes and taking the path along the Rhone to Parc de la Tete d'or. Dinner was a tapas restaurant in Vieux Lyon.
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| Nice bonus - Piano at the Airbnb |
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| The Rhone! |
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| Bikeable city - lots of bike lanes |
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| Walking around the park |
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| Confluence museum building - where Rhone and Saone meet |
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| "Light" lunch - poke bowls and salads after our Bouchon meal the night before |
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| The bike path |
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| Along the Rhone |
Next stop...ITALIA!
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