Really do need to work out how to do French accents on an Qwerty keyboard.
This weekend was the heritage open days in Lyon and I'm guessing France and the rest of Europe as well, and I got the chance to peep inside a couple of buildings that I've always wanted to go in.
The first one was the Hotel de Ville in the centre of town. I often walk past this rather grand building and catch a glimpse through the windows of big state rooms and chandeliers. It did not disappoint, there were chandeliers aplenty, frescos, silk lined rooms and parquet flooring. All very grand. The only other Town Hall I have really seen was Wandsworth Town Hall were I used to go to a lot for meetings and stuff when I worked for the borough. It was a 1930's building and quite classic in it's style and did also have some chandeliers and an awful pink marble staircase. The council chambers were staid and boring, so to see the frescos and chandeliers in the ones at Hotel de Ville was amazing. In many ways it seemed more like a home for the aristocracy than the the Town Hall, except for the fact you passed several huge photocopiers, a couple of coat racks and occasional recycling bins in the corridors.
The strangest room was the office of the Mayor - it had patterned silk lined walls (Lyon silk of course!!)and a huge traditional carved fireplace. Fine. But then the mayor's personal choice came into play with some 1960's modern art pictures on the walls (at best, lost against the pattern, at worst, clashing) and some quite modern funky furniture and it just didn't work, which was a shame.
The other building I visited was the Fort St Jean perched on the side of the Croix Rousse hill, overlooking the Soanne. Lyon used to be a walled city (with 3 large gaps were the rivers flow through) and there are the remains of several forts in a rough circle around the town. This fort was one of the first buildings I ever noticed in Lyon, as we drove past it in the lorry when we moved down here. It has amazing ramparts that seem to be shoring up the side of the hill and stopping it falling into the river. Later I used to walk past this building on my way to work in Vaise and always tried to peep inside the gates.
Now it is a school for the Tresour Public and stagieres are sent on week long training courses on how to balance (or maybe even cook) the books. I learnt today that it was restored at a cost of €13 million. It was worth it. There has been extensive use of concrete and glass to turn the old buildings into a useful working environment and this looks stunning against the traditional stone of the buildings and walls. Add to this the panoramic 180 degree views of the easterly part of town and you are left thinking - this wouldn't be a bad place to be a finance student!
I'm already planning which buildings I want to visit next year.
Sunday 19 September 2010
Sunday 12 September 2010
The Braderie
When wandering uphill yesterday to meet a friend, the Place de la Croix Rousse came into view as well as not just one but two churros vans. My heart sank to my feet. 'But the fair's not due for another month!!' I protested to myself.
Fortunately closer examination showed that it was not the fair but the annual Braderie. This is a mixture of fun and frustration. The second weekend in September the main streets of Croix Rousse are closed off (and the carparks) and stalls are set up selling wares and goods of all descriptions. Also certain areas are turn into giant junk sales aka the Vide-Brocante (The garage sale concept wouldn't work in Lyon as all the garages are underground, and as for a carboot sale - there isn't the space.) People come from all over Lyon as well as the locals who - let's be honest, can't really avoid it. It is quite a party atmosphere.
A walk along the Grande Rue and you pass stalls selling clothes, costume jewelry, cheese & saussison, make up, soaps and lotions, Asian tie dye, baby clothes, handbags, posters, wonder mops (as seen on TV) as well as numerous devices designed to make food preparation easier and prettier - each one with a young man chatting into a microphone while slicing and dicing cucumbers, tomatoes etc, all the while knowing that the product they are selling will be used a couple of times before ending up in the back of the cupboard.
The Braderie is great fun if you have the time to drift along slowly and poke your nose into the stalls as you go past and chatter with your mates, collect leaflets from touts etc. Even better if you can install yourself a table at the pavement cafe and watch it all drift by you while you sip at an apero. It is a nightmare if you just want to 'pop' into somewhere to get something, as the crowds are huge and slow moving. It is also a nightmare to park, as the friend I was meeting found out.
However we did manage to find a table, consume a drink or two as well as chat with various friends and neighbours who walked past. The sun was shining, there was a slight breeze - it was perfect weather and a lovely way to spend the late afternoon. That was until I remembered I had to pop into Carrefour for the missing ingredients for the evening meal!
Fortunately closer examination showed that it was not the fair but the annual Braderie. This is a mixture of fun and frustration. The second weekend in September the main streets of Croix Rousse are closed off (and the carparks) and stalls are set up selling wares and goods of all descriptions. Also certain areas are turn into giant junk sales aka the Vide-Brocante (The garage sale concept wouldn't work in Lyon as all the garages are underground, and as for a carboot sale - there isn't the space.) People come from all over Lyon as well as the locals who - let's be honest, can't really avoid it. It is quite a party atmosphere.
A walk along the Grande Rue and you pass stalls selling clothes, costume jewelry, cheese & saussison, make up, soaps and lotions, Asian tie dye, baby clothes, handbags, posters, wonder mops (as seen on TV) as well as numerous devices designed to make food preparation easier and prettier - each one with a young man chatting into a microphone while slicing and dicing cucumbers, tomatoes etc, all the while knowing that the product they are selling will be used a couple of times before ending up in the back of the cupboard.
The Braderie is great fun if you have the time to drift along slowly and poke your nose into the stalls as you go past and chatter with your mates, collect leaflets from touts etc. Even better if you can install yourself a table at the pavement cafe and watch it all drift by you while you sip at an apero. It is a nightmare if you just want to 'pop' into somewhere to get something, as the crowds are huge and slow moving. It is also a nightmare to park, as the friend I was meeting found out.
However we did manage to find a table, consume a drink or two as well as chat with various friends and neighbours who walked past. The sun was shining, there was a slight breeze - it was perfect weather and a lovely way to spend the late afternoon. That was until I remembered I had to pop into Carrefour for the missing ingredients for the evening meal!
Sunday 5 September 2010
Food, glorious food...
Lyon is known as the gastronomical capital of France and famed far and wide for it's restaurants etc. Though this fact seems to have bypassed the cook at work and the pasta and rice are regularly overcooked.
What I have also noticed is how much my eating habits have changed over the last couple of years. Little changes taken one step at a time, that you don't really notice happening.
I saw some photos of my friend's holiday in the USA and the food portions were enormous!! Even in the UK they are bigger than in France. I now find myself eating smaller amounts of good quality food.
Also the food is far more seasonal here. OK, my regular supermarket is the street market where local farmers sell their produce, so therefore it is easy to do. The soft fruit glut is nearing an end - as demonstrated by the arrival of the Miribel plums and the autumn vegetables are beginning to make an appearance.
You never really see anyone snacking in France and I would now never dream of eating as I walked along the street. You can buy Mars Bars and Kitkats etc in the Tabacs but it is a minute display compared to the rows of sweets that are available in a UK newsagent, so minute in fact, you really have to look for them. Last time I was back in the UK, I was blown away by the choice and variety of different chocolate bars and how much space they took up in the shop. Also, here you can buy crisps etc in the supermarkets but not in the Tabacs, they are definitely eaten as an accompaniment with an apero and not as snack as you are waiting for the bus.
My taste for chocolate has now changed and I prefer darker and more bitter types, whereas before I was a Cadburys girl and I now find that too sweet. I did have great fun introducing the girls at work to chilli chocolate, which I think is a fantastic combination and occasionally available here.
Don't get me wrong, not everything about French food is great. It can be very bland at times and though a lot of herbs are used, not many spices are. As a nation they are quite wary of 'Foreign' food and tend to stick with what they know. This is changing in the larger cities and things like Sushi are making more of an appearance. It is still difficult to get a good curry. Friends of mine like to get on first name terms with the local curry houses so that the chefs will make the food more spicy and hotter.
Unfortunately this new style of eating has not made much of an impact on my waistline because there is a nemesis to the healthy, seasonal, smaller portion society. It's called cheese and the French do cheese incredibly well.
What I have also noticed is how much my eating habits have changed over the last couple of years. Little changes taken one step at a time, that you don't really notice happening.
I saw some photos of my friend's holiday in the USA and the food portions were enormous!! Even in the UK they are bigger than in France. I now find myself eating smaller amounts of good quality food.
Also the food is far more seasonal here. OK, my regular supermarket is the street market where local farmers sell their produce, so therefore it is easy to do. The soft fruit glut is nearing an end - as demonstrated by the arrival of the Miribel plums and the autumn vegetables are beginning to make an appearance.
You never really see anyone snacking in France and I would now never dream of eating as I walked along the street. You can buy Mars Bars and Kitkats etc in the Tabacs but it is a minute display compared to the rows of sweets that are available in a UK newsagent, so minute in fact, you really have to look for them. Last time I was back in the UK, I was blown away by the choice and variety of different chocolate bars and how much space they took up in the shop. Also, here you can buy crisps etc in the supermarkets but not in the Tabacs, they are definitely eaten as an accompaniment with an apero and not as snack as you are waiting for the bus.
My taste for chocolate has now changed and I prefer darker and more bitter types, whereas before I was a Cadburys girl and I now find that too sweet. I did have great fun introducing the girls at work to chilli chocolate, which I think is a fantastic combination and occasionally available here.
Don't get me wrong, not everything about French food is great. It can be very bland at times and though a lot of herbs are used, not many spices are. As a nation they are quite wary of 'Foreign' food and tend to stick with what they know. This is changing in the larger cities and things like Sushi are making more of an appearance. It is still difficult to get a good curry. Friends of mine like to get on first name terms with the local curry houses so that the chefs will make the food more spicy and hotter.
Unfortunately this new style of eating has not made much of an impact on my waistline because there is a nemesis to the healthy, seasonal, smaller portion society. It's called cheese and the French do cheese incredibly well.
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