With the Vacances de la Toussaint over and the grandchildren in school, we headed south to Lyon, the second largest city in France. Lyon has a reputation as being a place for foodies. I am not sure I can claim the credentials, but I am in search of good French food. The challenge is, how do you find it when you can’t speak the language past a few essential phrases and pleasantries. After booking a fast train from Paris to Lyon, and then a ticket continuing on to Marseille a couple of days later; I looked for a place to stay. As an example of how good my understanding of French is, I thought I was booking a hotel near the water and close enough to the train station to walk. After the non-refundable deposit went through, I realized I booked a room on a barge on the Rhône River. It was close enough to walk, so at least I got that right.
Péniche Barnum is a converted grain barge that was originally commissioned in the 1920’s. The accommodations were comfortable and clean. Our hosts were kind, Tatiana responded quickly to my email questions, but there was a language barrier. Even so, one of the phrases she used, “J’espère que vous trouverez votre bonheur” translates as “I hope you find your happiness.” The sentiment was much appreciated and gave me direction. What a nice thing to say.
With the benefit of hindsight, what I should have done was visit the tourist information center as soon as we dropped the luggage off at the boat. We wound up wearing our old legs out trying to walk up the hills and visit everything on the first day, when having a conversation with a paid professional employed to help people like me navigate the area (albeit, the city and its businesses expect to get a better return for having employed the friendly agent) and enjoy more than just the exercise. It was also a bit chilly, which did not help, considering our goal heading south was to find warmer weather. Lyon is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There is plenty to see. I just didn’t plan enough time. Frankly, no one likes to be cold, especially my wife (who three weeks into this adventure is feeling a little homesick) and consequently we spent time shopping for an affordable, warm hat that suited her style. Did we find our happiness or the meal of our dreams…I think not. At least not this time. I do think it was still a successful stop and am hoping that you will agree that the city earns its designation after clicking here to see a few photos. I certainly didn’t expect to see the wildlife I got to see, including one little European Robin that downright tried to make friends. The little guy spoke my language and I thanked him for the visit. We also left the city with two hats.