Lyon, France -- Day 2

Fuel to start the day

This artisan restored gilt frames.  
He has working materials in his mouth.
Read more below.

The carriage entrance of the Textile Museum and Museum of Decorative Arts,
housed in two grand 18th century hôtel particuliers

Lauren standing inside the carriage entrance with Musée de Tissus in the background

Tien thinking, "I hope Lauren doesn't take all day in there."

Facing the carriage house from inside the courtyard

Musée de Tissus on the left; carriage house wing on the right
The steps between buildings leads to a small garden and to Musée des Arts décoratif

Lovely staircase inside the Musée des Tissus

A costume for the opera Lady Sarashina

The even-more-interesting-backside of a costume for the opera Lady Sarashina

Lyon Opera costumes

Mock-up of costume designers' workspace

Crossing the Ponte Bonaparte bridge leading to the older part of Lyon

Best soda, ever, and not available in the U.S.

Traboule

Touristy old part of Lyon
Beautiful sculpture on the corner of the building

Drool-worthy menu at Le Laurencin

Tien's deep fried tripe with boiled potatoes

Pike quenelle with lobster sauce -- unforgettable! (No, this is not a California burrito)

Inside the quenelle:  Rich, ground pike fish

I'll admit that part of the charm was the restaurant's name is similar to my own

Crossing the Saône River again 

Carriage entry of a building we passed

The path we took to La Croix-Rousse
by following red squares with green medallions along the way,
an example partially visible above this map

The workshop of a cobbler (see yellow shoes on work table)

Tien walks faster than Lauren, so she saw a lot of his backpack

Wall art

View from La Croix-Rousse, the old silk district

Public art, and a red square/green medallion marker to lead the way

A gallery and studio

Peering into the workshop of another gilt frame restorer

The Amphitheater of the Three Gauls
Built in 12 BC and enlarged around 120 AD under the Emperor Hadrien

Mural

Glass-vaulted arcade

The tools of an upholsterer -- see the curved needles?

* * * * * * * *

We were up by 8a, and breakfasted on pastries and espresso nearby.  The morning was beautiful and, though we live in Cardiff by the Sea (aka paradise), somehow being in France was just a little bit nicer.

We stopped in a shop where a man was repairing gilt picture frames.  He allowed us to watch and explained how he makes a mold from existing pieces to repair lost pieces.  We both swore we saw a blob of white composition on his tongue, which he periodically drew from as he worked.  I later learned the compo must be kept moist and at body temperature.

Outside Musée des Tissus (Textile Museum) and the adjoining Musée des Arts décoratifs was a line of about 20 people.  Both museums are inside former mansions, with a street entry through large wooden doors of a carriage house, past a decorative iron gate and into a cobblestone courtyard.  Beautiful!  We bought tickets inside the gift shop.  The current exhibit is of Lyon's opera garments.  From their regular collection, my favorite pieces were 18th century men’s embroidered coats.  There were a blue Chinese jacket and a woman's red jacket.  Arts décoratif was inside a larger mansion, three floors, and more rooms than Tissus, just lovely.  Musicians practicing in an exhibit room added ambiance.  The staircase was breathtaking and I imagined living there, wearing gowns, with servants to keep the house running properly, and rarely bathing (LOL). 

We tried to get a dinner reservation at Institut de Paul Bocuse, the school for chefs, but only lunch was available so we kept walking.  The Place Bellecour tourist office provided a map of traboules (passageways).  On our way towards Old Town, we stopped for a blood orange-flavored Orangina near the bridge -- WOW, I have never had a better soda.

On the other side of the bridge we explored the old traboules.  People still reside here!  They were old and beautiful, clearly built hundreds of years ago.  Some were medieval-looking.  This area was touristy and we saw children on school outings.

We stopped for lunch at a bouchon (traditional Lyonnais cuisine) at Le Laurencin, 24 rue St. Jean, Lyon (a certified member of Les Bouchons Lyonnais).  This meal was unforgettable and one of the best ever.  I had terrine pate, pike quenelle with lobster sauce and tarte tatin.  The pike quenelle must have been finished under a broiler because the rich lobster sauce had a thin, crispness to it.  Ahh, I can still imagine the tastes!  I’d never had a quenelle before and it was on my List of Foods to Try.  The flavors were beyond all expectations.  Tien had a perfectly fried tripe, delicious and textured, with a beautiful crust.  Their baked bread too was outstanding.

In the afternoon I found the inside of a JE Decaux automated public toilet far cleaner than I expected (and free).  This is important for future reference!  We walked a long ways after lunch, uphill towards the old silk industry center.  This planned walk was easy to follow by signs placed on buildings:  An arrow and a green medallion on a red background.  It became a game for us to find them.  We made it all the way up to the busy La Croix-Rousse, then came back down passing fenced-off Roman/Gaul ruins.  Going back to our hotel, we walked through an old glass-covered arcade with small shops.

Dinner that evening was at Le Chandi.  My meal was Noix des St Jacques of scallops and steak tartare.  Tien had wine, escargot, two enormous roasted prawns, and cheese.  We walked a bit after dinner, then back to our room to prepare for a morning departure, heading to Decize to meet our friend.