Weekend in Lyon

So...I'm about a month behind now on posts. Sorry. Things have been busy at work and then I tend to just put up my feet in the evenings after getting the family fed and Sam off to bed. I know putting up your feet is a no-no while pregnant but since we are headed straight to the c-section this time I don't have to worry about back labour...I hope.

Anyway, a couple of weekends ago we braved the rioting french crowds and headed to Lyon with friends Julie and Darren, and their kids Nadia (5) and Cedric (3). We headed off early on a Sat morning and only stayed one night, but managed to pack in a whack of kid friendly activities...and not a single protester (if you don't count hungry, bored and tired kids at various points throughout the weekend).

Julie, Cedric, Sam and Sarah headed for the Subway.

Kids happy to be out of the car

We found our hotel easily (thanks to Darren and Julie's GPS...really a useful think in poorly marked European cities) and quickly set off, via subway, to our first stop - the roman ruins.

Sam riding the rails

The Roman Ruins are on the Fourviere hill (a take a funicular up), and were founded in 43 BC by some Roman dude under Caesar. At the time they called it Lugodunon. It is quite a pretty and strategic spot, with views over the whole city and the converging Rhone and Saone rivers. At the time, it was the 'capital' of Gaul (makes me want to read Obelix and Asterix...sort of). We packed a picnic lunch and the kids were let loose to run amok (key for keeping young ones pleased) although they did get in trouble for actually climbing on the ancient roman marble ruins.

Sam on the marble ruins - 2051 years older than he is

Our visit was topped off by an impromptu performance by some sort of youth choir - the acoustics were great and everyone on site grabbed a seat to watch, with shouts of 'Bravo' when they were finished. It was neat. Video too long to post here, sorry.

We then walked over to a church on a neighbouring hill - Fourviere (sorry, haven't yet figured out accents on this thing). Not such an old church but imposing, towering above the city, and great views. A funicular back down to town left us in the Vieux Lyon (medieval, if you are wondering what 'old' means) where we had a crepe, checked out the shops, wandered the streets and the neat traboules. Derived from the Latin trans-mabulare (wiki cut-and-paste here), meaning to pass through, traboules are corridors through buildings and their courtyards, connecting one street directly with another. They were originally built so that they could move the silk about in inclement weather without damaging it. Lyon had the silk monopoly in France for quite some time.

Traboule: courtyards and balconies

Thankfully, Sam fell asleep for a little siesta so that he wasn't completely out of sorts for the puppet show we had reservations for a 4:30.

The puppet show. Guignol is 'the' Lyon puppet, created in the late 1700's. I don't think he's had many modifications since then. Billed as a show for 2-4 year olds, I had a hard time following the french. The French 3 yr olds had no problems, though. The ticket-taker asked the kids names when we came in, and they included the audience in the show - the wolf asking Sam, Cedric and Nadia if he could 'croque leurs oreilles". most of the time I didn't know what they were asking Sam so I'd just say 'OUI!'. The puppets also asked the kids if they liked to pick mushrooms, and what kids of mushrooms they'd pick. What kind of kids know different types of mushrooms??!! French kids, that who. 45 minutes later we were back on the street with slightly cranky kids. We decided to call it a night and do take-out at the hotel, since it was too early for the supper shift at the restaurants, too late to push the kids much longer, and we had reservations at a Paul Bocuse Brasserie the next day anyway. Hit the hotel pool, had some shawarma, and hit the hay.

The next day we had Parc de la Tete d'Or, Paul Bocuse Brasserie de l'Est, and possibly the Lyon aquarium (we never made it) on the agenda. The Parc de la Tete d'Or is the largest urban park in France at 117 hectares. It features a large lake for boating, a small zoo (elephants, panthers, screaming monkeys, deers etc.) and a number of play structures. Upon arriving, we had to wait to cross the traffic of joggers, rollerbladers etc. who were out on the rainy, slightly cold morning. We skipped the play structures (we slides? no thanks) but took in the zoo. It really is a beautiful park and I highly recommend it to anyone going to Lyon - especially runners and families with kids.

The gang: kids close to meltdown

We wandered around until it was time for our reservation at Brasserie de l'Est. Did I mention how excited I was for this? Delicious food, early reservation so no sweat with the kids. Located in an old train station with a miniature train making the rounds around the room.

The ambiance did not disappoint. Waiters, busboys etc. performing their duties with military precision, elderly ladies in their pearls, Hermes scarves and Balmain trench coats and elderly men in their cashmere vests, ties and wool pants. Equipped with new toys, smarties and stickers for the kids, we settled in for a fine dining experience. The place was PACKED. However, neither Aaron nor I was blown away by the food. I ordered steak frites. Bottom line - hard to match/beat Canadian beef no matter how good the chef is. And Aaron's chicken, was, well rubbery. But the company was fabulous, my fries were amazing and the creme brule very good. I'd go back.

And on that note, we'll be back with some pics from Uncle Ad's visit!