Daily Commute

Patisserie

I have a habit of stopping into the same patisserie every evening on my way home from work.  They are very friendly and put up with my poor french, sometimes speaking english to me when I am stuck looking for a word. They recognize me and reach for the french traditional baguette I always ask for.  I love the taste of the crispy outer crust with the soft sweet insides.  I usually slice off a half dozen pieces to eat with some cheese (tonight it is a gouda with cumin seeds) and water.  I have not bought any wines to drink at home, yet.  The grocery stores here have full range of wines and champagnes at all prices.  There are 100 euro ($130) bottles on the shelves and some of the labels are wineries I have heard of.  No, I have not seen any of the american labels here.  I will visit a wine shop here and see if they import wines from other regions like the United States.

Yes, I really am in France

It is cold even when it is warm.  I am so use to the desert southwest that I feel cold here even when it is 50 F degrees.  The humidity is high and it rains most days, but the sun was out this morning.  So, I hopped on the metro and visited Place Bellecour to show that indeed I am in Lyon.  You can see the  statue of King Louis XIV on a horse made in 1825.  On the hill behind me is the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière completed in 1884 and was built on the site of a Roman forum.  There are still Roman ruins of an amphitheater on the side of the hill that I did not get a chance to visit last time.  I will take pictures and report back in a future installment.


My commute every day is only three blocks, but I bundle up even for that short walk.  I am grateful to my friends who supplied me with these warm accessories.  Roylene knitted the wonderful scarf that keeps me warm and makes me look like a local.  I also received a warm chapeau from Rick.  Only the old men with gray hair still wear these.  So I fit right in.

The sun has only been coming out for short periods of time in the past 10 days.  I was disappointed when I got to the square because the sun was playing behind the clouds again and I needed to take my picture.  Maybe next time I will remember to smile.