LOFTY LYON

 

' It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.' 

(The Little Prince)

Please take the advice given by the fox to the Little Prince in the eponymous brilliant book (1943) and imagine seeing with the heart and not with the eye- because the inclement weather decided to make it impossible to take even a single worthwhile picture of the monument dedicated to Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author of The Little Prince who was born in Lyon but sadly, the house he was born in is strictly private. No museum dedicated to him either, just the monument - a 5metre plus column with the aviator author seated on the column and the Little Prince standing behind him with his left hand resting on the author's shoulder. Looking at it, one could only salute Antoine de Saint-Exupery for his heart touching literary legacy.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery however, lives in the market places of old Lyon - there is a shop named after the book, there are tablemats with the book cover and the famous quote, there are infant clothes and much more. In fact, there is something or the other The Little Prince everywhere. 

(Picture Courtesy: Lyon Tourist Office)

LIP LICKING!

San  Boulangerie, Paris

Last Croissant, Coffee and don't- know-what-it-is-called in Paris

It is a little odd that a city dubbed the gastronomic capital of France does not figure high up on the top tourist destinations in the country. Who cares? After all, to rephrase the biblical saying, 'forgive them for they do not know what they miss, especially their palate'. Less than two hours by the high speed TGV train, Lyon at the confluence of the Rhone and Saone rivers is a remarkable blend of the ancient and the contemporary.

Lyon's culinary reputation is unmatched. Instead of haute cuisine, seek out the traditional bouchons lyonnais, mostly family-run cozy restaurants  that serve hearty, meat-heavy dishes like quenelle (puffed fish dumpling), salade lyonnaise, and savory pork sausages. Then there is praluline, the addictive traditional sweet bread. And mission praluline it was first on the agenda even though before leaving Paris one had insisted on the last croissant and coffee at Sain Boulangerie with the addition of - ok I am not sure what exactly it is called  -  but  it was a huge disc like crispy enough to leave crumbs all over and sweet and of course, one gorged it like a glutton. 

Praluline it had to be because the reluctant English teacher - reluctant because home for her was Paris and she was in Lyon on a posting- we met on the train and talked about food specialities in Lyon- insisted that praluline would be the best introduction. Praluline is a Lyon speciality butter brioche bread studded all over with crushed pink praline candy dating back to the 1600s.  As per the English teacher's recommendation the best place to try it was Pralus. Hmm, the pink was really pink, almost like the candy floss type of pink. The brioche was crunchy on the outer and soft inside but it was sweet, sweet and sweeter and honestly, one could take a bite or two at a time.    

To complete the traditional cuisine trail, a bouchon for dinner was de rigueur.  Chez Grande Mere is easy to overlook, it can easily be mistaken for an old eatery in  a very old, rather ancient building. Unless you know what lies beneath and in this case literally underground. Thick stone walls, a flight of narrow stone stairs opens into the most cosy stone walled room with little nooks and stone floored open space with tables draped in red gingham tablecloths. The look is medieval and so is the vibe. In France no wine is bad, period. The white wine was smooth, almost silky; the apricot liquieur a tad sweet.  The Lyonnaise salad with greens, crispy bacon cubes, a poached egg in liger vinaigrette lived up to the promised  fame with the liger (ginger) adding a tantalising zing.  The other dish the half chose was terrine de lapin. Two small deep roundels. Bunnies were involved so no comments!

Then there was quinelle, the much talked about fish dumpling. The menu said quinelle de homardine, pike dumpling in lobster sauce. The expectation was small dumplings. Wrong grammatical number, it was a b-i-g rectangular dumpling with a side helping of steamed rice. Rich but not heavy, just like what grandmothers make.  The dessert was the way any sweet dish should be -light and tasty. The whole experience was comforting, wholesome and happy but tinged with the sad realisation that it would be the first and last of its kind, after all, how many times does one visit Lyon.    

The tongue talks, taste wise too and it was talking about something Asian.  So for lunch we went looking for a Japanese or Chinese eatery and because it was lunch hours, there were queues and queues. So we settled for European fare and one of my favourites, fish and chips while the other dish was roast chicken and salad. The fish was crisp and fresh but one could have done with a big splash of mustard and chili mix sauce! Another time the search for Asian spicy food let us to a warung which are small eateries of shops in Indonesia. We had relished eating at warungs at Bali and when we found one small one we rushed in. Nothing like the Bali warungs, very pedestrian stuff and the pork dish we ordered turned out to be sliced and deep fried sausages.  

What's King Arthur doing in Lyon? Well this one is an English style tavern/pub with predominantly English beers, ales, ciders, alcoholic spirits, food that can be called comforting and live sports on full blast. Crowded to the hilt too. It is truly a taste of England every which way complete with the decor that's old English tavern. There's live music and one learnt dancing and quiz nights too. Just remember no amount of herbal tea from camomile to mint is any solution for over binging! It was another spirited evening in a small bar below street level. France really knows how to do wines. You step out of the bar, look across the hills of Old Lyon and a small house perched right at the top, the house looks really from times much long ago with sloping roof, old fashioned windows and what looks like two chimney from far below. The petiteness notwithstanding there is something aristrocratic about it. Quite envy the residents.   

                               

MARVELOUS MARKET/S

When there is food, there has to be markets or that one market that is a must-do. In Lyon it is the Les halles de Lyon Paul Bucose, the indoor food market with the best of over 50 gourmet stores under one roof. If Lyon is dubbed the culinary and gastronomy capital of France, much of the credit should go to Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse market. Ranked the third best world market by Food and Wine Magazine (USA) for the current year the market dates back to 1859. The original was located at Place des Cordeliers and in 1971 it moved to its present address, very sleek all glass and steel. When it opened up it was called Les Halles de Lyon and was renamed to what it is now called to honour French Chef (late) Paul Bucose. Yes, count me among the ignoramus lot who say Paul Bucose who? In brief, and in admiration: He was  one of the pioneers of nouvelle cuisine in France, earned three Michelin stars for his restaurant Lyon in1965, the youngest chef to earn the accolade and above all, he is said to have inspired the character of Chef Auguste in Ratatouille! 

Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bucose market spells gourmet, the classy kind. Think the best of everything from seafood, meat, chocolate, bakery, wines and spirits, fruits and vegetables, canned and fresh products, flowers, best of savouries and desserts, butchers, bakers, fish stores and of course, cheese, cheese and more cheese. This is also where I saw frog legs being made and served at Baba La Grenouille, the over two decades old restaurant founded by  restaurateur Thomas Vedrine. The dish is called cuisse de grenouilles sauvages (wild frog legs). A tray of frog legs coated in flour and breadcrumbs stood ready to be deep fried in butter. Once done the legs were sprinkled with parsley and served with a slice of lemon. One was told that it was best to eat it with gratin dauphinois or sliced potatoes baked in cream.  Sorry, but no thanks. Instead and despite the heavy breakfast, one opts for a salmon and cheese sandwich. Delicious and delicate. 

From gourmet to goat, I'm kidding not! It was a Saturday and there was an open market at Bellecour Square. It was something like a farmers market, no glitz  but warm with wares that went from the usual  organic products ranging from cheese, vegetables, fruits, bakery, meats, flowers to ceramic, hand made wooden stuff mostly for the kitchen and dining table, young musicians and buskers and then, a little kid (the goat kind) on a cart, comfortable on a bed of straw, gnawing away and timidly watching  the world pass by while his  rather shy human companion tried to sell products made from goat milk.   

THE PAST AND THE PRESENT

The Saone river runs through the centre of Lyon dividing the historic and Renaissance section Vieux Lyon or old Lyon from La Presqui'le the central or peninsula Lyon. Crossing the bridge from Vieux Lyon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site to La Presqui'le with  graceful 19th century building, giant squares, plush shopping places and both traditional and modern eating places, is like a passage through a time capsule.  

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On Vieux Lyon or old Lyon, the terrain rises gradually and standing proud on Fourviere Hill like a towering edifice is the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourviere. We take the funicular up the hill, the funicular is more like a baby tram. The Basilica, built in the second half of the 19th century from below looks like a fortress and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The frontage is stunning architectural. Inside, it is breath-taking coming together of luxuriousness with every visible space on the ceiling and walls displaying mind-boggling creativity from gildings, exquisite stained glass, chandeliers and so much more. In fact, it is quite impossible to draw the eyes away from the ceiling itself.   Right next to the basilica to the rear  is the perfect viewpoint to take in all of Lyon. 

 

If the Basilica is gorgeousness at its best, the  Lugdunum, the Ancient Roman Theatres, on the slopes of Fourviere Hill built in 15 BC  during the rule of Emperor Augustus, leaves one speechless. To think that hundreds of years ago the Roman civilisation was so culturally advanced to construct a huge amphitheatre, odeum and a temple complex.  Why Romans? Because present day Lyon or Lugdunum then was founded on conquered lands round 43 BC by a Roman general as an administrative, economic and religious capital of the Roman Three Gauls. ( Please don't stray off into Asterix Gaul and he and his village's resistance to Roman invasion as one did!)As for the theatres ruins, naturally a UNESCO World Heritage site, they are amazing, most of it remain as it were, the large semi circular theatre and the smaller Odeon.  Equally impressive is the way the complex was built against the slope of the hill thereby resulting in natural acoustics. 

At the foot of the Fourviere Hill, close to Saone River and at the centre of Vieux Lyon or old Lyon is the Lyon Cathedral or the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, a Roman Catholic church. It is again another architectural phenomenon. The construction work of the Cathedral, seat of the Archbishop of Lyon, stretched over three centuries starting in 1180 and completed in 1476 resulting in a splendid mix of Romanesque style and Gothic. At the entrance there are hundreds of carved squared stone medallions depicting scenes from the Bible. Inside it is delicately beautiful altars, tapestries, ivory chest said to be from the Byzantine days, stained glass above all, the unique 14th century astronomical clock that is still functional! It is something that is awe inspiring, nine metre tall it still keeps time chiming hourly from noon to 4pm with angels, crowing rooster and rotating statues coming alive. Believe it or not there's more, the astrolabe also traces the exact positions of the sun, moon, earth and the stars and displays a calendar forecasting dates, holiday and zodiac signs. It calls for endless patience to get anywhere close to the clock because the crowds around it never seem to thin. 

 

Lyon's mechanical heritage is not confined to the Cathedral of John the Baptist only, another more than impressive clock called the Guignols Clock at the arcade of a hotel in Old Lyon. It was built in 1864 by Louis Charvet and the description says: "the clock with jacquemarts operates five automatons every quarter of an hour, Harlequin and Polichinelle characters from the commedia dell'arte ring four gilt bronze bell, while Gnafron and Guignol armed with his tavelle strike the biggest bell. Every hour the trumpet comes alive to announce the grand bell". The description went over my head, but the engineering marvel will remain etched in the mind. 

SUSH! A SECRET

Lyon has another one-of-a-kind feature that spells both practicality and secrecy- the traboules. The term has Latin roots originating from the Latin transambulare translating into ' to pass through' . They are secret corridors dating back to the fourth century to provide the residents easy and quick access to the Saone River water. Later the traboules became convenient for silk weavers to transport the fabrics and then, during World War II they turned into hideaways for the French Resistance members.  There are said to be over 400 hundred of them but only 40 or so are officially open to the public mostly in Vieux Lyon or Old Lyon.  The longest is said to be between 54 Rue Saint-Jean to 27 Rue du Boeuf. So, off to the traboules now....Au revoir