Day Trip to Solutré-Pouilly

One of the side trips we like to take from Lyon is to Solutré-Pouilly.  (Those of you who have been reading our blog for a while may remember this.)  This picturesque village is nestled in amongst vineyards in Bourgogne and has the Roche de Solutré, a spectacular limestone escarpment, looming in the background.  Quite the setting!  (More on the Roche later.) 


Anna at the gate of one of the local wineries.  That's the Roche de Solutré in the background


Surprisingly, in the midst of this small, country village is an amazing restaurant and auberge (Michelin rated).  Anna claims to have eaten her best meal ever at this restaurant (seven-hour lamb on a bed of julienned vegetables, and the sauce – oh the sauce!).  Anyway, David decided to make reservations although we never have before.  Brilliant move!  They were turning away customers because a tour group had booked the side dining room, and we were so glad we had reservations.  We started with glasses of Cremant (sparkling, refreshing wine) and corgette (zucchini) gazpacho topped with whipped crème fraîche and then moved on to a bottle of Moulin à Vent and another amazing meal.  (See pictures below.)

David's lunch: Beef slices with potatoes,bone marrow, and sauce Bernaise

Anna's lunch:  Also beef with slices of red onion and shitaki mushrooms on a bed of potatoes with an oriental-type sauce

After lunch we went across the street to a shop selling local wine and other goodies.  There we bumped into a group of folks from Sammamish and Issaquah, Washington.  Small world! Then we walked through the vineyards to the base of the Roche de Solutré and began our climb.  The top of the rock is not terribly high (493 m/1617 ft) and there is a well-defined trail.  We had lots of company – including our new friends from Sammamish and Issaquah.  The view from the top is spectacular!

View of the village of Solutré-Pouilly and surrounding vineyards from the Roche de Solutré

The Roche de Solutré is noteworthy because they have found evidence that humans hung out there at least 55,000 years ago.  (For those of you anthropologists and archeologists, this is where Solutrean Paleolithic culture gets its name.) They (cro-magnons, among others) came to this spot to hunt reindeer, bison, and horses back when horses were just little bitty dudes.   There is an excellent museum at the base of the rock along with an archaeological-botanical garden.  The French really do a good job with their National Historic Sites.  There is also a small café with a terrace and picnic tables.  This place is well worth the trip if you are in the area! 

Time on these day trips seems to zip by at warp-speed so it was soon time to get back on the A6 and head for home.  We will definitely return to Solutré-Pouilly on a future visit to Lyon, and we will be sure to make reservations at that wonderful restaurant, La Courtille de Solutré.