Author: ginnyinshanghai

 

Although back in the states, our trip was not over since we weren’t home yet.  I let Eric talk me into flying in and out of Miami because (1) a less expensive flight (2) direct to Paris and (3) stretch our vacation with a day in Miami at the end.  He caught me in a weak moment.  We both napped a little on the flight but after landing at the Miami Airport, it was a ghost town. The gate was at the end of a terminal that had no other people and no one manning any desk.  Coming through Customs, the fliers on our plane were the only ones in the Customs line and there was no other luggage besides ours on any carousel.  However, got to say that ‘Global Entry’ was a breeze and well worth the money.  We walked up to one of the kiosks, placed our passport on the scanner, then our fingertips and after a printout we were on our way.

We caught a taxi to Coconut Grove, it hugs the shoreline of Biscayne Bay.  Using my favorite internet source……………I discovered that Coconut Grove is the oldest continuously inhabited neighborhood in Miami, first established in 1825.  Many locals take pride that Coconut Grove is one of the greenest areas of Miami.  However, if you remember what happened several weeks before our vacation……..Hurricane Irma.  We saw a lot of vegetation that had been stripped from trees and trees that had been uprooted.  It continues to be in the cleaning up phase.  It’s a cute, quirky part of Miami.

Eric found a Sonesta hotel that was clean, convenient, newly remodeled and an easy trip from the airport.  Although worn out, we needed some food and asked one of the bellman for nearby, walkable options.  When asked what kind of food we wanted……………..we said spicy!  He recommended a Peruvian restaurant that was only a few blocks away – sold.  We wolfed down the chips and salsa, practically before our drinks arrived.  Eric started with a tuna ceviche which he said was delicious.

My mahi-mahi fish tacos were some of the best that I have had.

Afterwards, I was done.  I needed sleep and was snoozing before Eric left to get a drink at the hotel bar.

We had to go back to the Miami Airport to pick up our rental car, but not before breakfast.  We walked a few blocks and found an outdoor restaurant serving food.

Did we need these big breakfasts…………….no, but they both were tasty.

It would have been so easy to go straight up the turnpike to go home, but also boring.  Instead we chose I-95 for a change of scenery.  That got old pretty quickly since we were also getting caught up in morning work traffic.  😦

Halfway home we started thinking about lunch since we were going to cut over to the central part of the state and there would be NO places to eat.  Pulled up the internet and found a top-rated placed in Vero Beach – Ocean Grill.

Continue reading “The final 251.3 miles” →

We made every minute count for our last 24 hours in France.  Briefly the sites we visited and/or experienced  were (1) Eiffel Tower (2) Seine Dinner Cruise (3) Tuileries Garden (4) Champs-Elysses (5) Arc De Triomphe (6) Mini Palais Restaurant.

In years past, we had stood in line, took the elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower and saw Paris from 906 ft above ground.  In 2015 it was the most visited paid monument in the world with 6.91 million visitors going up.  This time we didn’t go up, but admired it from various angles at ground level.  Yes, just walking around the area for 45 minutes there was a serious drop in the temperatures, hence the extra headwear.

A lot of publications say don’t bother with the Seine River cruises, especially the cruises with food because they are over-priced and under-whelming.  However………..it had been on my bucket list.  Eric did tons of research on the internet, perused lots (hundreds?) of on-line reviews of various dinner cruises and found one that said ‘If you really want to do this on your trip to Paris, this is the boat to be on.’  It got good reviews for the cruise and the food – done.

Instructions were check-in at the boat dock at 7:45pm with a 8:30pm departure, dress code ‘smart-casual’.  We got on the boat, found our table and proceeded to enjoy the evening.

The menu:

But even before departing, we started with Kir Royale and some fromage squares.

Our expectations were already going up.  Next were our starters (prawns & foie gras) then the main courses (duck & beef).  You’ll have to figure out who ordered each one.  🙂

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At the end of the meal we had a choice of fromage (cheese) or dessert.  Eric chose wisely selecting the fromage.

While the food definitely exceeded our expectations, a primary reason for the cruise was the night-time views of Paris.  The cruise did not disappoint on that end either.  First was Notre Dame.

And as we turned around to go back, we saw a small version of Lady Liberty with the Eiffel Tower.

Before catching the Metro back to our respective abodes, we had time for one more group photo at the base of the Eiffel Tower.

Saturday was a day for walking.  Across from the hotel Alice & Bob was staying was the Tuileries Garden.  Created by Catherine de Medici in the mid 1500s, it eventually was opened to the public in the mid 1600s and became a public park after the French Revolution.

Researching on the internet the origins of the Tuileries Garden name I discovered…..’tuillerie’ were workshops in the 13th century which made tiles for the roofs of buildings.

This same research stated that in the 19th and 29th centuries, these gardens were the place that Parisians celebrated, met, strolled and relaxed.  It was no different today.  There were lots of chairs occupied by parents, as they watched their children play in the gardens, relaxing and talking with friends and neighbors.

Okay, there was one strange thing we saw in the garden, this ‘bird frame’.  While none of us wanted to get close, I will tell you that the black ‘covering’ you see looked exactly like dead birds.  I’ve got nothing else to add – strange.

We continued our walk, going up the Avenue des Champs-Elysees ( 1.2 miles long) ending at the Arc de Triomphe.  We passed fountains and tree groves…………

……..and the Luxor Obelisk. It was gifted to France by the Ruler of Egypt in the early 1800s.

Throughout history The Avenue des Champs-Elysees has been the site of military parades and every year on Bastille day on 14 July, the largest military parade in Europe passes down the avenue.  It has been the last stage of the Tour de France and also popular for huge public gatherings such as Advent, Christmastide and New Years Eve.

The Arc de Triomphe monument was commissioned by Napoleon after his victory at the Battle of Austerlitz.  Althought it was not finished by the time Napoloen fell out of favor, it was eventually completed.

We headed to our final destination for that night’s dinner ‘Minipalais’.  Getting there we passed several ornate buildings, museums and monuments, one of which our restaurant was located inside.

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Minipalais had creatively crafted dishes which also were quite tasty.  I didn’t notice until much later that  (1) I forgot to get a photo of the menu (2) their lighting was giving everything a blue-purple color and (3) makes the dishes harder to identify.

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As this was to be our last evening together, there had to be one last photo (selfie of course) to commemorate the evening and our time in Paris.

 

I’m closing this with a few final glimpses of the Eiffel Tower.  While not the tallest building in Paris, it continued to show up in photos during the week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In an earlier post, I mentioned that Notre Dame was a big draw for me whenever we visit Paris.  One of the things on my ‘bucket list’ was to climb to the top of Notre Dame.  On earlier Paris visits we had gotten to the top of the Eiffel Tower and also to the top of the Arc de Triomphe.  BTW – reaching the top of the Arch requires going up 284 steps.  Getting to the top of Notre Dame is …………..433 steps.  Eric found a tour that included the top and the draw was ‘skip the line’.  Score!  Past research discovered that you had to wait in the line, usually 2+ hours if you wanted this experience.

However, before going up, we go in, inside of Notre Dame.  Just wanted to include a few photos of things I found interesting.  Naturally on previous visits, I had noticed the rosette windows in the center of the church, particularly the one to the left of the altar.  It was the one rosette that was the most intact from WWII.

However, what I had not picked up on was that the rosette (bottom photo) to the right of the altar, catching the (new) morning sun was the New Testament stories. Thus making the one in the top photo the Old Testament since it catches the sun at the end of the day.

The two statues at the bottom are Mother Theresa on the left and Joan of Arc on the right.

There is so much detail and symbolism everywhere inside and outside of the church.  Reading skills in Medieval times was minimal for the poor so stories were shown through these sculpted reliefs.  In the photo below, it shows ‘Judgment’.  Underneath Christ there are two groups of people, those to the right are chained and heading to purgatory.  You can guess the other side.

There is also the story of St Denis.  He was a 3rd century Christian martyr who was a bishop of Paris.  He became so popular that the Romans had him imprisoned and eventually beheaded.  Legend has it that after being severed, Denis picked up his head, walked several miles from that location.  Once he reached a spot that had Christian followers-apparently preaching a sermon along the way- he died.  I know, the tale is a stretch, but it makes a good story.

So, we began the journey of 433 steps up…………..

………….and then saw the gargoyles.

Another short flight of stairs and we were at the third level which had the bell tower.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But there was one more flight, to the fourth level for our walking/climbing tour and this gave us great panoramic views of Paris.

You might notice on the spire there are statues of saints and Apostles, looking out over the city, except one.  The person in charge of the renovation (Viollet–le-Duc) had one of the statues made in his image, and is standing facing the church to admire his work.

>hint at the bottom if needed<

But alas, we headed for the stairs to go down and leave the church.

We can now mark this off my bucket list – check.

There were a few other sites included with this tour.  The place we started had more of the ‘love’ locks – which the city considers vandalism by the way.  The tradition is believed to have started by an Italian film in 2006.  With Paris being the ‘city of love’ couples would attach a padlock to a bridge and throw the key into the Seine river.  At one time, there were 45 tons of padlocks on the Pont Des Arts bridge and it was causing structural damage.  This photo below was near a park on the island, not that bridge.

This building was on the island and during the French Revolution was the dungeon for Marie Antoinette.  Our guide said Marie was held here until paraded through the streets of Paris before facing the guillotine.

All those steps built up an appetite.  During our first Paris visit years ago, we found a restaurant recommended in one of Rick Steve’s travel books and it has become a tradition to have a meal at the Polidor.

Going to spell it out now – I always get the chicken surpreme, hands down the best chicken in Paris (of course my opinion).

I know, I know, not a ‘stunning’ photo, kind of boring with the white mashed potatoes,  chicken covered in a the tan/brown wine sauce (throwing in the green parsley for color ha!), but only one word needed………delicious.

Eric usually gets the country style foi gras, followed by the veal sweetbreads and wine tops off the meal.

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So I’m including the Polidor napkin for a reason – it opened in 1845 and

there’s at least one thing that has not changed since that time, the toilette.  It is a ‘squatty potty’ just like in China.  While I have a photo, I just couldn’t add it into the blog.  Nothing wrong with it, very clean, everything is appropriately functional, has rails for the ladies……….but still after the food photos, I just couldn’t do it.  Use your imagination or google it.

>hint – figure is on the right, his head is closest to the top of the photo<

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’re ending our 3 week vacation being joined by Eric’s sister and her husband, Alice & Bob.  We met them at the airport, dropped off their luggage and the tour began!  They got a lovely hotel, right across from the Louvre.  We all had a quick drink to celebrate their arrival.

Alice had found a pretty neat place for a late lunch, but we introduced them to the Metro and saw Notre Dame before heading to the restaurant, Le Train Bleu.  Coming out of the metro, one of the first places seen is ‘Hotel deVille’ or City Hall.  It’s an impressive building.

However our first group photo was in front of Notre Dame.  Even though we are not Catholic, this is my favorite spot to visit in Paris.  There’s something that pulls me there time and time again.  We did a quick walk-through since the line was so short, but then got back on the Metro to find our lunch spot.

The restaurant was in the Lyon train station so when Eric and I arrived earlier in the week, we saw exactly where we would be eating.  It’s another impressive place.

It is truly lovely inside and has a lot of what I would call  ‘old world’ atmosphere.

The food was also an enjoyable part of the experience.  I ordered the Arts’Menu………

…………selecting the haddock & sea bream tartar, followed by the steamed lythe with risotto.  While both were good, the seafood tartar was absolutely amazing.  I could have made a meal with just that.  The slivers of grapefruit totally made the dish.  I would have enjoyed three times as much grapefruit as what was on the plate.  🙂

Eric started with the smoked salmon and it was followed by leg of lamb for his main course.

Alice ordered steak flambe and we had the ‘flambing’ occurring right at the table.  Her plate looked amazing, made me rethink my order.

The dessert I selected for my meal was the Rum baba – only because that was the only thing the waiter could describe to me.  Luckily Eric ordered something different because part of the preparation was pouring the rum on the cake at the table, and it was WAAAAY too much rum.  After two bites, Eric traded.

Alice and Bob were crashing from the jet lag (trust me, its brutal!) so we helped them get back to their hotel to catch up on their sleep.

Before heading back, we located the metro stop for the Fabric Market, it’s near Sacre-cour.  We stopped there on our last France visit and I wanted to go back to pick up more fabric.

Eric was a real trooper.  We had a general idea of what we wanted, but it still required a lot of walking around.  The place we visited had five levels with each floor carrying something different.  There was a multitude of store fronts that carry bolt after bolt after bolt of material, but this particular market was known for its wide variety.  After making our selection (Eric gave input) he looked for the ‘cutter’ that wrote our slip and cut the material.  It definitely helped that Eric could speak French!  Otherwise, we would still be there waiting.  FYI – we made an additional trip later in the week and let’s just say that packing all of our fabric purchases was a bear.

We booked a guided tour the following day (Paris Gourmet Food Tour of the Marais) and really enjoyed the experience.  The tour started at the statue near Notre Dame.

Our tour guide gave us some historical information about Paris before we set out.  She talked about the design of Paris, going away from the half-timbered buildings, which were prone to fires and kept the inner city a dark, dank place.

Napoleon III commissioned Baron Haussman to bring air and light to the center of Paris.  It basically was a vast public works program in the mid 1800s which included demolition of medieval neighborhoods that were overcrowded and unhealthy.  Paris had narrow streets, foul sewers and more than one cholera epidemic during this time.  While eventually Haussman got out of favor with Parisians (due to the money spent and continual construction), he made huge contributions to Paris as a whole with open public spaces, reduction of disease epidemics and improved traffic circulation.

She also introduced us to the ‘Wallace Fountains’.

There are at least 80 of these fountains still in existence and working, primarily March 15 to November 15, stopping due to the potential of freezing.  They are an integral part of Parisian landscape, most are green, as all urban development of that era were in order to blend in with the parks and tree-lined streets.  Sir Richard Wallace used his wealth for a variety of things, but he is most remembered by the fountains which bear his name.  It is a free source of water for all Parisians.

The region that this tour is focused on is called ‘Le Marais’.  In the 17th century it was the French nobility’s favorite place to build their mansions.  By the late 18th century, it was no longer the most fashionable district, but kept its reputation.  AFter the French Revolution, the district fell into despair and would stay that way.  In the 19th and 20th century is became a popular and active spot, hosting Paris’ main Jewish communities.  This area was targeted by the Nazis who were occupying France.  There is a monument that recognizes the families that helped many Jewish families escape.

While there’s no photo, right across from this monument is a school and 500+ children were taken during the Nazi reign.  There was a small sign recognizing their loss.

What takes a tour from ‘good’ to ‘great’?????  Food!  During the afternoon we had a chance to eat three very different type of pastries.  Each of these bakeries focus on generally one thing and they are considered some of the very best in Paris.  Our first stop was Aux Merveilleux and these pastries were extremely light.

They were like little puffs of goodness.  Eric selected the top one which had a cherry flavor, while mine was a coffee flavor.  They only made eight different flavors and truly, it was hard to choose.

Our second pastry was a macaron.  This place makes 18 flavors each day.  They have a standard 10 flavors (chocolate, vanilla, pistachio, etc) and the other 8 change from day to day.  I included the 8 flavors for today’s extra macarons.

They made some very interesting (and tasty) flavor combinations.

I”ve got to let you in on my secret…………………….I have never liked macarons, until now.  Every one that I had ever tasted was like eating flavorless meringue, crumbling to pieces and just generally were not worth the calories.  OMG – I selected the chocolate and passion fruit macaron, and now I see what the big deal is about.  I will probably never eat another one, unless I go back to this place.  Eric got the pistachio & raspberry and he pretty much had the same comments as I did.

Our last pastry was a Kouign amann.  The official definition is “round crusty cake, originally made with bread dough, containing layers of butter and sugar folded in, generally from Brittany, France”.  This place had a lot of decadent things they made (oh, the caramel) but these were the star.  I had the apple caramel one and Eric got the almond flavor.  We found out they had two other locations in Paris and we were lucky enough to find one on our last day and made some kouign-amann purchases!

Our last stop was a wine bar.  The owner was very willing to share his knowledge (and wines of course) plus a cheese plate and a meat plate.  He personally visits the vineyards, which are typically small, family owned places and brings back wines that he enjoys.

He had this really cool agriculture map that he used when sharing his knowledge with our group.

So, basically he had to kick us out of his store.  He had extended his hours for our tour group but our pack of seven (plus the tour guide) really bonded and didn’t want the night to end.  While the tour guide couldn’t join us, she guided us toward an excellent restaurant and the seven of us went together.  Alas, they couldn’t seat us at one table, so the group had to split up.

I started with a goat cheese salad while Eric ordered the ratatouille starter.

My meal was crawfish with avocado while Eric got the duck.

But, I’ve got to tell you. The best part of the meal was the company.  The seventh person (sitting with Alice & Bob) was in Paris for a wedding and originally from Sri Lanka.  After this he was working in Africa for a month, before going back to his home office in Japan.  The last couple (Sverrir & Diana) were from Iceland and this was their first trip away (together) since the birth of their fourth child.

Eric and I have been talking about Iceland for a while, well okay, maybe just me.  Eric has discovered that Icelandair flies from the US to Europe and staying over in Iceland is no extra charge.  Maybe I will finally get there.  🙂  Diana sent me a link already with things to do in Iceland.  I had done some research last year, but this link had some things I had never seen.

Not really sure if Eric and I are the best tour guides, but we do enjoy spending time in France and showing others our favorite places.  Eric has really picked up the French language using the Rosetta Stone learning program and it makes a difference.  You can almost see the difference in their faces when Eric makes a request or asks a question in French.  I’m just not very good at it.  Maybe by the time we are back for our next trip, I can manage more than a few words.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We returned to Paris early Monday and booked an all-day tour to the Loire Valley.  While there is always more to do in Paris, we wanted to venture out of the city and see things on our bucket list.  Eric found this tour on Trip Advisor which picks you up at your hotel ( or apartment 🙂 ), stops at three different castles, included a lunch and restricts their group size to eight or less.  Ultimately, our group was a total of four, plus the tour guide.  The other couple was from CA and had been visiting their daughter who was completing an internship at The Hague.

Chateau Amboise

Occupied since Neolithic times, Amboise became the main settlement of the Tourones, a Celtic people.  In the 4th century AD, the first trenches of the château were dug to defend the buildings and its occupants.  During the Renaissance, this chateau was a place to live and stay for the royalty.  It was the stage for numerous political events in the kingdom: births, christenings, aristocratic marriages, conspiracies and peace treaties. This formidable fortress ensured the royal family’s safety.

The first thing we ran into was the St. Hubert Chapel, the patron saint of hunters. You can just barely see some antlers in my photo – but they are there.

It was constructed in 1493 and designed for the sovereigns’ private use.

This chapel is famous as the resting place of Leonardo da Vinci, who died in Amboise on May 2, 1519.  He arrived in Amboise in 1516, aged 64 and King Francois granted him the privilege of being buried here.  He was already famous by this time and became the King’s “first painter, engineer and architect” and gave him an annual pension of 700 crowns.

And here you have the main building.

One of the first rooms you enter is the Royal Lodge Entrance, the Guard’s room.  The King’s bodyguard were made up of Scottish and Swiss companies and later French Musketeers.

This was used as the King’s throne when in residence at Amboise.

We pretty much had the castle and grounds to ourselves since we arrived when they opened at 9am.

We found these empty frames placed around the grounds and they made an excellent photo.

 

Chateau de Chenonceau

The estate of Chenonceau was first mentioned in the 11th century with the current château being built in 1514 on the foundations of an old mill and was later extended to span the river.  This photo shows the only part of the building left from Medieval times, the tower or keep, which is separate from the main chateau.

Other than Versailles, it is the most visited château in France.  It is also called the Ladies’ Chateau as through the ages, a series of at least 5 ladies had the most impact on its construction and upkeep, the first being King Henry II’s mistress, Diane de Poiters.

When the Queen became a widow, she forced the mistress out and made the Chateau her permanent residence.  When she became Regent, she governed France from this Chateau.  The 16th century tapestry behind Eric is exceptional for its (original) green color – which has now turned mostly blue – and inspired by the discovery of the Americas.  Things depicted in the tapestry are plants and animals unknown in Europe until 1492: silver pheasants, pineapples orchids and pomegranates.

So while the mistress had a bridge built over the River Cher, the second lady in residence, Catherine de Medici had a gallery built in honor of her son, King Henry III.

In the 1900s it was no longer owned by royalty, the current owner paid for the château to become a hospital during WWI.  During WWII, the River Cher corresponded to the line of demarcation so the entrance was in the occupied zone.  The door at the far end of the photo gave access to the left bank and made it possible for the French Resistance to pass large numbers of people into the free zone.

Can’t visit a castle without walking through the kitchens, which were below the main building.

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While in every room there are portraits of notable aristocrats, this one was exceptional, since only four pieces of wood were used for the frame and it had very intricate carvings.  By the way, the figure in the portrait was Louis XIV.

This bedroom was given the name of ‘The Five Queens” since Catherine de Medici’s two daughters and three daughters-in-law had been here at one time or another.

So there was way more to the château and we had to run through part of it since we had limited time on the tour to explore and the gardens were a major draw for us.  Prior to arriving at each chateau, the tour guide gave us some history of its occupants and building, got our tickets and let us explore on our own.  Of course he always gave us a deadline to meet back at the minivan.

Everyone has to take photos of the span across the river and we were no exception.

The garden most easily seen was created by the first lady in residence (Diane the mistress) and the current layout of this flowerbed has remained unchanged since its creation, including the water feature.

 

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On the other side of the castle was the garden created by Queen Catherine and is considered more ‘intimate’.

I had to take another photo of the river flowing through the château, from the ‘back’ side.

As we were leaving to meet our tour guide, I got a few last photos.  There is a ‘forest’ with walking paths for some to breathe in more of the outdoors.  Obviously, some guests have used this green space for other things.

There was a 16th century farm  and that is where two florists work all year around.  There are absolutely awesome floral arrangements in every room inside the château.

This runs into the vegetable garden.  We didn’t really have any time to explore this area, but got one photo before meeting the group.

We went into the town and ate at a small local restaurant as part of the tour.

The first plate was the ‘vegetable’ plate and the cream-colored veggie was celeric root with a tangy mayo-based dressing – delicious!  Eric got the seafood option while I ordered the guinea hen plate.

Dessert was apple tart with vanilla ice cream and chocolate cake w/ a cream based sauce.

Chateau of Chambord

Ever since its creation (early 1500s) by King Francois 1 at the dawn of the French Renaissance, Chambord has been a source of never-ending surprises for visitors.  The distinctive architecture of the moment and the unity of the domain since the 17th century has always been respected by successive political regimes.  It was Louis XIV who completed Chambord while respecting the spirit the original architecture and nothing has been added since.

The first floor of the château presents numerous furnished apartments.  The blue was the Queen’s bedroom.

While this room was considered one of the Guest quarters.  These rooms were furnished as could be seen in the 16th to 18th century.

We eventually made it to the terraces which offered a panoramic view of the park and the surrounding gardens.  This also immerses a person in the abounding display of chimney stacks, dormer windows and stairway turrets showcasing the elevated rooftops of the chteau.

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In the center of it all, the lantern tower rises majestically skyward, topped with the royal fleur-de-lis.

The gardens were impressive and expansive.

 

 

Everyone decided that while this château was probably the most impressive, you just couldn’t wrap your arms around it.  We only had 1 1/2 hours to explore and you could spend most of the day if you wanted to see and absorb everything.

My favorite for the day was Chateau de Chenonceu.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

River Boat-Cogwheel Railway-Gondolas-Cable Car-Bus

 

Yes, that’s how we’re going to get up and back down one of the Swiss mountain tops and it started with the river boat on Lake Luzern.

Since the height of the summer season is over, the first boat didn’t leave until 9:38 am, which gave the temps a chance to warm up and some of the morning clouds to evaporate.  We passed this yacht club while traversing the lake before reaching the far end and the place we caught the next leg of the journey.

This part of the lake journey was about 45 minutes and finally at the end, we saw a break in the clouds and some blue sky.

The second leg was on the Pilatus Bahn, or cogwheel railroad.  It is the world’s steepest, with a maximum gradient of 48% during the ride.

The ride up went through meadows where the fog continued to thicken, and then we went into the clouds……..

…………before finally breaking through them once we reached the top.  We passed numerous hikers (crazy people) and they can been seen just as we reached the top.

We talked to a pair of girls later in the afternoon and they had just finished the hike to the top, taking them 4 hours total.

I had way too many photos and tried to pick only the best ones.  After awhile, they all looked alike.

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After our meal, we started the journey downhill, going towards the aerial cable car station.

Next transport was a 4-person gondola that we shared with a young couple from Suzhou China: a place we traveled to when Eric visited me last year.

I have a few more photos of our ride going down where you can see Fall is trying to break through.

And then we got low enough to see Lake Luzern in the distance.

No pictures of our bus ride – pretty typical of a bus anywhere in the world.  This excursion was planned for our last day in Luzern and it did not disappoint.  Sometime in the future, we hope to come back to Switzerland and explore more of this part of Europe.

Our last view of Luzern before boarding the train ultimately taking us to Paris by way of Basel, Switzerland.

 

 

We had some amazing meals during our three days in Luzern.  Since we got in late our first day, we made plans to eat at our hotel’s restaurant.  I wasn’t really expecting much, but since it sits along the river walk, it is popular with visitors.

While the lemon-pepper shrimp tagliloni that I ordered was very good, Eric’s dish was much better.  He ordered Swiss rosti with cheese & bacon.  As you can see in the photo below, it also had a fried egg on top.  The runny egg yolk gave an extra gooey-ness to the dish.  I kept sneaking forkfuls of his meal.

 

Breakfast each morning was at the hotel since it was included with the stay.  While it was nothing to write home about (or take a photo),  it hit the spot and didn’t encourage us to over-eat.

Which allowed us some excellent lunch-time meals.  With all the French eating we had done in Lyon, Luzern called for something different.  Since the German influence is so great, I had a craving for brats and sauerkraut.  Just down the river walk from our hotel, we found the Rathouse Brewery and a nice German-style meal.  Eric’s plate is on top and included a German potato salad with cucumber slices. His sausage included beer from the brewery.  My sausages were made locally in Luzern by an artesian butcher.  It satisfied my craving perfectly.

Saturday night’s dinner was at Wirtshouse Galliker.  Eric had tried to make dinner reservations before arriving but had no luck.  We talked to the front desk and we had a 7pm time – which was extremely lucky.  All kinds of people walked into the restaurant while we were there and unless you had a reservation you were kindly showed back out the door.

The interior hadn’t been touched since the 1930s and it had a very warm, homey feel, with primarily communal dining tables.  That was great for us!  The menu features all the goodness Luzern has to offer with recipes from your Swiss grandmother’s grandmother recipe file. Eric began with a ‘starter’ of bone marrow.  He said it was delicious.  No surprise, I didn’t taste it.  He spread the marrow on brown bread that accompanied the meal.

We sat next to four ladies that were old friends and having dinner before going to a play at the nearby historical museum, which turned out to be a very good thing for Eric.  His dining neighbor had deer stew and it was not found on the English-version menu.  When our order was taken, he said ‘I want what she ordered’, pointing to our new friends.  Along with the meat, there was braised chestnuts, braised cabbage, baked apple with a dollop of current jelly and the potato ‘rosti’.  Eric said it was ‘as good of any venison he had ever eaten’.

I also had a delicious meal with a pork sausage, surrounded with  brown onion gravy and the potato swiss ‘rosti’.

The potatoes might just look like fried hash browns, but these are much, much tastier.  The potatoes are fried in clarified butter on both sides before being served.  Let me tell you that while it was very good on  its own, add in some of the brown gravy and it was more than fabulous!

Lunch on Sunday was in the Swiss alps!  There is a hotel on top of Pilatus and we planned our day to be at the top around lunch-time. There were several places to eat, some more like grab-n-go places, but we wanted more.

Eric started with swiss barley soup.  It was good, hot & hearty.  Definitely a great choice when in the alps.

Eric ordered fish & chips for his meal and the home-made tartar sauce was amazing – it raised the level of the meal.

I got a pork cordon bleu and the meat was fabulous.  When you have pork, stuffed with more pork (ham) and melted cheese – how can you not love it.  🙂  The veggies were added to make it more ‘complete’ but suffice to say, most were left on my plate.

For a change of pace, we had two different Swiss ciders with our meal.

Sunday night’s meal was traditional Swiss.  There was a nearby place called Zunfthausrestaurant Pfistern.    Centuries ago (1400s) this was the meeting point for the guild of bakers, millers and sailors.  Today this cooperative is where Swiss people come to eat Swiss food.  Every current guild member has their own family crest which decorates the wooden walls of the restaurant.  While there are no communal tables, they crammed as many seating places in the restaurant as possible.  They were mere inches separating the groups that were dining.

Eric ordered a traditional Swiss fondue that came with bread and potatoes.

I ordered a Swiss rosti of which this recipe called for potato slices, topped with bacon and a fried egg with lots of cheese.

It was great having ‘german’ food without going to Germany.  Almost every day we had ‘rosti’ and as can be seen, each restuarant uses the same ingredients, yet the end result looks a bit different.  It doesn’t matter – they were all good!

 

When planning this trip last year, we discussed several locations to visit after leaving Lyon.  Luzern ended up top of the list and ultimately plans were made for our visit.  Luzern is a city in central Switzerland in the German-speaking portion of the country.  The population is over 81,000 as of 2016 and owing to its location on the shores of Lake Lucerne and the nearby Swiss Alps, it has long been a destination for tourists.

We left Lyon shortly after 12 noon, going through Geneva before ultimately ending up at Luzern early evening.  I couldn’t resist the photo while waiting for our next train.

 

Love the mass transit options in Europe and just wish we had those same alternatives in the states (besides only a few choice cities).

 

 

 

 

 

Walking out of the Luzern train station, we thought we would get a taxi to our hotel – until Eric saw the hotel’s name on the other side of the river.  We knew the place he chose was close – just not that close.  🙂  We could easily schlep our luggage to the  “Hotel des Alpes”.

 

 

 

Saturday morning dawned bright and clear.  The sunrise was photo-worthy.

You might notice the ferris wheel at the bottom right of the above photo.  Getting off the train we ran into a local festival/carnival that was occurring that weekend.  We were wondering if royalties were paid for the characters on this ride?!?

So as mentioned before – we love open-air markets.  Saturday morning in Luzern is one of their biggest market days.  I tried not to duplicate other market photos from Lyon, but included some of my favorites.  So besides the flower photos, I found pots of green moss, poke weed with purple berries (?), crab apple branches and then Fall gourd displays.  One of the photos has the gourds & pumpkins secured to bark with thin wire – interesting!

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Eric had one thing on his bucket list when visiting Luzern – obtaining a specific locally made Swiss cheese.  We did better than that.  The person he was looking for was at the Saturday market and Eric had a chance to talk with him:  Rolf Beeler.  After their conversation, Rolf gave Eric one of his books (and autographed the inside).

He’s done a lot for the Swiss cheese market, improving the quality and production of cheese.  Personally, after trying to pack the book in our luggage, I think he didn’t want to pack it up and take it home, thus Eric became the lucky recipient.

In addition to the market, there was also some sculling races for local clubs.  It added more excitement for a Saturday morning in Luzern.

When planning this visit, we had read about the Lion Monument.  It was created in 1820 to commemorates the Swiss Mercenary guards who were massacred during the French Revolution while protecting the French king.

The location is walking distance from downtown Luzern, surrounded by trees and foliage, in a sheltered, reposeful woodland nook, away from the noise of the city.  The two shields shown represent the fleur-de-lis of the French monarch and the Switzerland coat of arms.

Another notable Luzern landmark is the Chapel Bridge or Kapellbrucke.  The bridge is unique because it contains a number of interior paintings dating back to the 17th century.  It is the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe as well as the world’s oldest surviving truss bridge.

There was another thing I read about Luzern before arriving………fountain water.  The city of Luzern has provided fresh drinking water for over 600 years through more than 200 free water fountains of the highest quality.  They have available environmentally friendly stainless steel bottles for sale throughout the city.  The drinking water is clean and rich in important minerals from the springs above the city, requiring hardly any electricity needed to refine and distribute the water.  While maps are available, it seemed like there was a fountain around every corner.

Luzern has been a nice change from our time in France and we hope to return to Switzerland in the not-so-distance future.

I’m wrapping up our last few days in Lyon.  It involved a walking tour, Roman ruins, a church, a museum and art.  But first, the tour.  It was focused on Croix Rousse, a neighborhood that has become trendy and ‘the place to see and be seen’.

Our tour started with wine (of course) and eating, and oh yes, it started at 9 am in the morning.  The first restaurant was one that Eric and I ate during the evening.  We had a slice of duck & veal pate de terrine, seafood quenelle and both red & white wine with our tasting.

A few blocks away we stopped at a chocolate factory and they gave us a short tour.  We saw the machines for tempering the chocolate, cutting the squares, enrobing (covering) the chocolate pieces and then most importantly, tasting the chocolate.

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They shared during the tour that one of their top-selling items started out as a mistake.  The chocolate covered macarons came about because when the cookies were made, they did not come out of their molds smoothly.  However the chef didn’t want to throw them away, soooooo they got covered in chocolate – success!

Also on display was a chocolate ‘dress’ and a library of chocolate.

This same company owns two additional shops a short distance away and we stopped to peek in their doors, before continuing our walk.  I just couldn’t resist a photo of their colorful macarons.

As we continued our walk, we came upon some Roman ruins,which was a former amphitheater.  By the time it was discovered almost two-thirds of the site had been destroyed.

Can’t forget the lion fountains……..ok, so you only see one, but there were two lions  at the bottom of the stairs.

Our last stop was to enjoy some local cheese and dessert.  I enjoyed the cheese, not so much the dessert – it was not sweet at all.

During this walk we went through a ‘traboule’ with our guide pointing out that they are designated as such by having two numbers around the doorway.  Basically, it’s a short cut going through/between buildings instead of walking around the block.

When the tour was done, we did a few more sites on our own, visiting the Church of Notre Dame , which overlooks all of the city on a hilltop.  Going up there were several choices, walking many (many) steps or a ‘fourviere’ – we chose the fourviere.  🙂  We met a nice gentleman on top who I think wanted to practice his English as he immediately approached me when I was taking photos.  It gave Eric another opportunity to practice his French.

The French Resistance movement was important in Lyon and there was a museum dedicated to their efforts.  Visiting the museum leaves you with a better understanding of what was happening in France during the war.  It was sobering but also informative.

While art is usually situated in galleries, Lyon has several examples that are right under your feet – literally.  We were told by one of our earlier guides, that an artist creates these ‘mosiacs’ wherever the pavement needs patching.  This was part of a sidewalk where the concrete cracked & crumbled and instead of it being ‘patched with more concrete, voila you have art.

This same guide also pointed out the ‘record’ art on numerous buildings.  We were told that upon the death of his parents, this artist found a huge collection of their vinyl records.  He felt bad just throwing them away, so another medium for art was found.  Once we heard about this, we found numerous examples in the neighborhood around our flat – we had been walking past them all week.

We really, really, really enjoyed our time in Lyon – we’ll be back, just not sure when.  At the beginning of my Lyon posts, I recorded that Lyon was a gastronomic capital (behind Paris) and it is a reputation well-deserved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lyon is home to many fabulous places to eat but these last two were beyond our expectations:  Daniel & Denise and ‘Aromatic’.

Daniel & Denise – described as a fancier bouchon that serves the kind of food of Lyonnaise cuisine that made the city famous.  It is one of Lyon’s most dependable and traditional eateries.  Come here for elaborate variations on traditional Lyonnaise themes.

I pulled the above info from a variety of sources on the internet.  Let me be honest – I didn’t really want to go.  I thought it appeared over-priced and riding the coattails from its former reviews.  I was wrong.  I went in just tolerating the place and came out a big fan.

During some of our meals, Eric and I joke about who ‘won’ based upon our food selections.  I was the clear winner with the soup course.  I had cream of wild mushroom soup and it was hands down the best thing I had eaten in Lyon.  I’m not the biggest fan of all types of mushrooms, but the taste of this soup was behind any other comparison.  Eric ordered egg meurette (egg poached in wine sauce with bacon). My soup is at the bottom of the photo.

Our entrees came next.  Eric was able to order an item he had been wanting all week:   Tete de Veau or head of veal.  Most females  hearing this are going ‘ewwww’ and the others are going ‘hmmmm’.  Eric said it was everything he wanted and exceeded his expectations.

I got the poulet (chicken) supreme and it was very good.  Nothing after my soup was going to top that item.

All meals come with the two side dishes shown below.  The mac and cheese was good, but the sliced potatoes – something else!  They don’t look like much, but OMG, they were tasty and we both kept going back for more – especially when dipped into the sauce from my dish.

Dessert was good, it read better on the menu than the real thing.  It was black currant sorbet (cassis) but the flavors were too strong.  It was a cassis sorbet, with a cassis drizzle and topped with a jigger of alcohol.  Even eating the sorbet without the alcohol, the taste was very strong.

Overall the restaurant was another one in the ‘win’ column of Lyon restaurants.

 

Aromatic – described as “an up and comer”, creatively delicious, uses a seasonal menu with fresh and well-prepared items.  All reviews mention the warm, helpful and cheerful staff – and I would agree with all of the above.

This is a small restaurant run by two enthusiastic chefs in Lyon.  They are still making their way and a name for themselves and if they stay true to their values they will make it.  It is rated as the #1 Lyon restaurant on Trip Advisor.  Are there better places in Lyon, sure, but not for the price and the atmosphere this place provided.

Below is a preview of this month’s menu.

At the very bottom right corner is Menu degustation.  That was Eric’s preference and we both had to get the same thing.  I knew it would be too much food for me, but………..

This option gave us 2 starters (seafood & meat), 2 main courses (seafood & meat) and dessert.  But first the amuse bouche: jambon persille (ham with a parsley layer) – tiny but very tasty.  It was a square hunk of meat, but really good.  And when in France, wine is a must for all  of your meals as seen in our photos.

Our starters were fresh trout with herbs & olive oil, then the veal with seasonings, capers and sauces.  Both were artfully prepared and tasted superb.

Quite frankly, I could have stopped at this point and been happy.  However, that was not to be.  We still had two more main courses and dessert.  All of the remainder of the food was well prepared and served, but I was just too full to truly enjoy them to their fullest.  We had haddock with saffron rice and then the guinea hen supreme with steamed veggies.

We finished with dessert: warm chocolate cake with whipped cream drizzled with caramel sauce and topped with nuts and chocolate shavings.

Believe it or not, Eric ate most of his dessert and he says ‘I’m not a dessert kind of guy”.  Again, I was just too full to enjoy the last several courses.  I left at least half of the dessert on the plate.  Our time at Aromatic was another ‘win’ in the culinary column.

We knew going to Lyon, food was going to be a major part of our vacation and the food we ate was truly a superb, French culinary experience.