It is a difficult thing to talk about French places without talking about bread, cheese and wine. These above all else seem integral to the way French people live their lives. We came to Lyon because it is said to be the gastronomic centre of France but we really did not know what to expect.

Much of our research suggested that offal (those squidgey secondary cuts of meat that both Jo and I are a little squirly about) was the main plat du jour but, thankfully, that has not been our experience.

It is a rare treat to stroll through a morning produce market on the banks of the Rhone, noticing the staggering number of types of cheeses, breads, sausison (a sort of French salami) and cuts of meat. Confronting to walk past a tripier, a butcher that specialises in offal, and comforting to sort through mounds of fresh asparagus (white asparagus is prized here, not sure why as I think the green tastes nicer but my palette is not French, so go figure) in the peak of season, surrounded by an abundance of spring veg all locally grown. Read more »

After a late evening flight from Santorini to Athens, and a strategically brilliant night sleep in the airport Sofitel, we emerged bright eyed and bushy tailed (ie. shagged and fragged) for our flight to Lyon. The flight was uneventful (even though people had said Aegean Air was sub-par we found it a very smooth ride and oddly plenty of legroom).

On arriving in Lyon airport, we took a train/tram thing that took us into the heart of the new city. After leaving our luggage in a lockup, we set off in search of lunch and provisions for the evening. Jo had researched a foodie spot associated with Paul Bocuse, so headed for Les Halle de Lyon – a large ground floor food court selling high end food both fresh, cooked and served depending on what you wanted to do. We sat and had ‘plat de jour’ which turned out to be the most delicious chicken breast cooked in butter and then served with fresh egg pasta and a glorious mushroom sauce – totally delicious with a glass of house wine. We then searched for ingredients for dinner- a couple of confit duck legs and a baguette …… ahhh, baguettes, I will wax lyrical about food in another post.

We walked back, much fortified and collected our luggage, then caught a metro, changed lines and ended up at Vieux Lyon station, adjacent to Cathedral St Jean, near our new digs for the stay in Lyon. Read more »

Relaxed about the ferry ride – these sorts of ships go through the waves rather than over them, and consoled by the fact that there was little wind and the ocean was calm and flat, we had a good trip, albeit 8ish hours (when a plane from Athens takes 1/2 hour). 

The ship is a small suburb on the water, with multiple vehicle layers (to my amazement I saw a huge articulated semi trailer drive in front first and come out the right way round???) and passenger decks above, with cafes and seating of all types. We opted for ‘airplane type’ seats which were allocated and comfortable but you could take pot luck and commandeer one of the many bench seats as seasoned sleepers did.

We chose to travel this way because we wanted to gain a view of Santorini from the ocean, the island is the remnants of an exploded volcano, with most of the townships on Santorini clinging perilously to terrifying cliffs on the inside of the caldera, and one of the few ways to gain an appreciation for its shape and scale is by sea.

The 8 hours seem to pass pretty quickly to our surprise, there were a couple of island stop overs along the way which were interesting. You never get used to the colour of the ocean here – such an intense aqua blue, and so clear you can see at the shore line the islands plunge down to the depths really rapidly. Read more »