Lyon is one of France's largest cities. It has a wonderful metro system which makes it very easy to get around and explore all the different neighborhoods. And, it has restaurants - LOTS of restaurants - everything from little bistros that spill out into the street in Old Town to Paul Bocuse's reknown and pricey restaurant.
It's situated on the banks of the Rhone and Saone rivers and has been a strategic site for trade and commerce since before the Romans arrived and made it their capital of Gaul. And, the climate is very temperate (not as cold and rainy as Paris, for instance).
And, the atmosphere is a little more relaxed than in Paris. (Don't get us wrong - we love Paris and began this trip to France there, but it's nice to get out to the "real France", too.)
We've been really impressed with the quantity and quality of the food available in markets here. We have our choice of various types of stores in Lyon. There's Les Halles with its individual markets specializing in a kind of food (fresh veggies and fruits, or butcher, or bakery, or wine, etc.) where everything is premium quality and sometimes pricey. Or, Mono Prix, which is similar to a grocery store in the US although the larger Mono Prixs actually resemble the Fred Myer model and carry some of everything. A small Mono Prix is just across the street and around the corner; Les Halles Paul Bocuse is just a few blocks away. Whichever we choose we will have our choice of lots of great produce.
In fact, rather than make this posting look like War and Peace, we'll talk more about local food in another posting.
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