It’s Beginning to Look at Lot Like Christmas!

We live quite close to Le Centre Commercial de La Part-Dieu, a huge shopping center.  It opened September 8, 1975, and remains one of the largest shopping centers in Europe with five levels, over 260 stores, and 33.6 million shoppers per year.  We often go there to shop at Carrefour (a large grocery, book, electronics, clothing, etc. store), David shops at Decathlan for his biking supplies, and Anna likes to shop for clothes in the many boutiques in the center.

It’s been fun watching all the Christmas decorations popping up all over the center.  Here are some of our favorites so far this year:

The ceilings in the center are decorated from end to end.

There is a large, open area in the center of the shopping center.  It’s used for concerts, fashion shows, demonstrations, etc., and normally has a dancing fountain. 

The fountain that normally is
in the center of the Shopping Center.

 

Right now it's the home of a giant Christmas tree with one bear climbing up the tree and another popping out of the top.  All this is accompanied by movement and flashing lights.

 

Santa's Helpers receive the many letters to Santa in this motorized display.

 

And, this throne is reserved for Santa and his many visitors.

 

Even the escalators are decorated!

 

More decorations seem to pop up daily in the various shop windows.  What a lovely time of year!

Thanksgiving 2

AVF has coffees every Thursday morning so members can get together and chat while they enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee and a pastry.  Periodically, a group from a specific country will host one of the coffees to commemorate a national holiday or just to share goodies from their country.  For instance, the Irish always host a St Patrick’s Day coffee.  Thus, it made sense for the Americans to host a Thanksgiving coffee on Thanksgiving Day.

To be honest we hadn’t thought much about having an AVF Thanksgiving Day coffee.  We were too busy packing what we would need for our 5 weeks in Lyon including Thanksgiving at Estelle and Laurent’s.  That is until we got an email from Dominique telling us about the planned American Thanksgiving Day coffee and asking us to bring something “American” and Thanksgiving-themed.  What could we bring that is “American”, fits easily in our suitcases, and can be obtained on short notice? Our apartment in Lyon has no real oven so taking something to bake there was out of the question.  Then Anna got the great idea of going to our local Dollar Tree store and buying Thanksgiving table cloths, napkins, fold-out or expandable decorations, and other table decorations.  Nice, flat stuff that fit well in our luggage and didn’t weigh much.

Why Dominique ended up organizing an American Thanksgiving Day coffee was a bit of a mystery to us.  Somehow, although she is a native of France who spent a good deal of her adult life in Ireland and has visited but never lived in the US, she got “volunteered” to take the lead on the American coffee.  Apparently, there just weren’t many Americans around when the planning started so the event was placed in Dominique’s capable hands. 

Then there was a minor American invasion:  Maria and Tom arrived from Iowa followed by our arrival.  Maria suddenly found herself “in charge,” several people volunteered to prepare “American dishes” for the coffee, and we were able to present her with a bag full of Thanksgiving table decorations and the promise to help set up and host.

Some of the American crew and friends part way
 through our Thanksgiving feast.  (You can see
some of the dishes are nearly gone.)

The result was a huge success!  The decorations we brought fit the tables perfectly, someone contributed a lovely cornucopia, we had streamers of American flags, and little American flag-motif signs to explain what each dish was.  Maria, who teaches French at a university, explained the Thanksgiving story and holiday to our guests in her flawless French, and the celebration began.  We had pumpkin pies, apple pies, pecan pies, chocolate cupcakes, small peanut butter sandwiches, even hot dogs!  In fact we had so much food, we were wondering what we would do with the leftovers.  But, no problem - there weren’t any!

People had such a good time and enjoyed the food so much that they just didn't want to leave; the coffee ended up lasting much later than the usual noon end time.   And, you can be sure that Thanksgiving Day and American hospitality (and food!) will be fondly remembered at AVF in Lyon for some time to come.

Thanksgiving #1

We have celebrated Thanksgiving with the Neveus (our French daughter, Estelle, her husband, Laurent, and their sons, Paul and Victor) and guests twice before.  Each time the traditional Thanksgiving Dinner was a big hit.   So, since we were in Lyon during Thanksgiving, we all decided it was time to do it again.  Our celebration would be the Sunday before Thanksgiving due to work and school schedules.  (No Thanksgiving Vacations here!)

The first thing was to ask Estelle to order a turkey.  (Anna always specifies a “naked and empty” turkey since we’ve heard it’s not usual to get a turkey that’s dead but still has all its feathers and all other body parts untouched by human hands.)  Whole turkeys are not as popular in France as they are in the US and generally are served at Christmas, so Estelle’s special order was a key part of the preparation.  She even went in to check with the butcher the week before our feast to make sure the turkey would make its appearance.

That done, the rest of the planning and prep began.  Dominique and Roger were coming as guests so we planned dinner for eight.  Here’s the menu: deviled eggs and California (onion) dip with chips before dinner; turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing (a special favorite for Laurent and Paul), corn, cranberry sauce (hard to find in any form in Lyon), and rolls and butter for the main course; lemon meringue and pumpkin pies for dessert.  Very basic and traditional.  Each course would be served with the appropriate wine choices, of course!

The catch is that dinner and all the preparation happen at the Neveus since they have a full kitchen.  We provide all the ingredients and do all the preparation, but all chez Neveu.  This involves transporting a few odd items – disposable pie pans, for instance – from the US.  (The tart pans in France are much shallower and just not the right shape for basic American pies.)  And, since our apartment is a metro ride followed by a bus ride away from the scene of the crime, that means planning carefully to make sure we take everything we need when we go to the Neveus.

We arrived Saturday and Sunday mornings to make sure everything would be ready for the feast.  Anna had prepared the “overnight mashed potatoes,” the dip, and cooked the eggs at our apartment so she got right to work on the pies Saturday morning.  Meanwhile, David and Estelle went off to retrieve the turkey.  Then David prepared the dressing while Anna removed the remaining insides from the turkey, cleaned it, and got it ready for the oven.  Sunday morning was spent doing various last minute things.  For instance, preparing the eggs was teamwork with David shelling them and Anna transforming them into deviled eggs.  We actually had everything ready with a little time to spare!

Our every move was monitored by a certain kitty.

At noon Roger and Dominique arrived with Champagne, and we started in with the appetizers.  It is always a bit of a surprise that those simple dishes are such favorites here, but there was not a morsel remaining.  Then we moved on to the dining area and the main event. It was time to get down to some serious feasting and continued conversations. David chose Dehlinger Pinot Noir from our cellar in the US (this is always a huge hit when we serve it in France!) and Pouilly Fuissé from our cellar in France to serve with our meal.  Both went beautifully with the dinner.   Everything, with the possible exception of cranberry sauce, was a big success.  Next came dessert.  Estelle had given Anna a very nice bottle of dessert Gewürztraminer (a special favorite of Anna’s) which went beautifully with the pies.  Then came coffee and the typical Thanksgiving groans of amazement about having eaten so much.  (With the exception of Paul, who never seems to run out of room for food.) 

Taken by Roger.  L-R:  Anna, Victor, Laurent,
David, Estelle, Paul, Dominique

And, taken by Anna - with Roger in the picture.

It just doesn’t matter where it’s celebrated – there’s something very, very special about sharing a Thanksgiving meal with good friends and family.  We are indeed thankful for all those who shared Thanksgiving with us – especially the Neveu family who so graciously gave us full use of their kitchen and were such wonderful hosts.

Découverte de la France

We have been members of AVF since we came to live in Lyon for a year in 2010.  (AVF or  Accueil des Villes Françaises is an organization that assists returning French and foreigners living in France become acclimated into current life in France.)  There are a number of activities, classes, and groups within AVF, and one we particularly enjoy is Découverte de la France.  Andrée-Anne, our fearless leader, created and conducts this class that is designed to help all us newbies learn about the geography, history, architecture, and culture of France.  (The class is entirely in French, by the way.) We have learned a great deal about France, met some delightful people and made new friends (including  Andrée-Anne) in the class.  So, although we are here for a short period of time, we made sure to fit in a class this trip.

And, last Tuesday we made our way over to AVF for the class.  Andrée-Anne’s current theme is “les grandes figures de l'histoire de France", and Asta, a classmate, was giving a presentation on Louis IX or Saint Louis.  It was great to reconnect with many of our AVF friends, and to enjoy Asta’s informative research and talk.  As always, we learned several new bits of information.  (For instance, did you know that after Louis died while on a crusade, his body was chopped up and preserved in a cask of wine so they could return his body to France?)  

As a surprise bonus, one of our classmates had brought a bottle of Champagne and some chocolates to class.  David was called upon to open the bottle and managed to do so without spilling a drop – you never know how much the bottle has been bounced around in transit.  So our class ended with toasts, bises, and good wishes all around.  How very civilized! 

Enjoying the Champagne with Andrée-Anne

 (sitting in the middle wearing the purple sweater)

  

Pilrimage to Valrhona’s Cité du Chocolate (and trip to Tain l’Hermitage)

One of the things we brought back for our grandkids last time we were in France was a package of little chocolate and caramel balls from Valrhona for Xavier.  Well, Xavier made a special point of telling us that he really, really liked them.  So, of course, we had to plan another trip to Tain l’Hermitage and Valrhona to get more.  (Since Valrhona is our favorite chocolatier and Tain l’Hermitage is in the heart of one of our favorite wine regions, going there was not tough duty.)

In the past we have usually rented a car for excursions like this, but this time David suggested we go by train.  He checked out the train schedule, how to get to Valrhona from the train station, possible restaurants, and we were good to go.   The Part Dieu station is a short walk from our apartment so it was easy to catch a 10:20 AM train and be on our way.  It proved to be a lovely, scenic ride.

Train station in Tain l'Hermitage (note the sunshine)

We walked a short way through Tain l’Hermitage to Valrhona’s Cité du Chocolate and were able to find Xavier’s requested chocolate immediately.  (Whew!)  For those of you who haven’t had the privilege of visiting this bit of heaven on earth, it’s a huge shop full of an incredible number of varieties of chocolates – strengths, places of origin, formats, etc.  And, there are samples to savor everywhere! We added a few more items to our basket and headed for a cashier, a very pleasant young woman who added some additional chocolate items to our bag after we had paid for our purchases.  You gotta love that place!

Inside the Cité du Chocolate
So many chocolates - so little time!

Then we were off to a restaurant David had found online, La Lanterne.  It was just noon and the restaurant was opening for lunch so our timing was perfect.  We entered the small restaurant and were seated by the proprietor (his wife was in the kitchen and came out later to check on things).  It is always impressive to note how few people it takes to manage a restaurant in France – in this case, just the two of them.  Our very pleasant meal was made even more enjoyable by the owner’s humorous comments and bits of conversation.

La Lanterne from across the street.

After lunch we were walking towards the Tourist Office when we saw a sculpture of two children in front of a church.  A very pleasant gentleman saw us stopping to look and told us about the statue and much more about the history of the town.  It turns out that the two children were the future King Charles VII and his bride, Jeanne de Bourbon, and they were married at this church on April 8, 1380.  They were just twelve years old at the time.  A surprise little nugget of history!

Chalrles VII and Jeanne de Bourbon

The inscription on the base.

We took a pleasant stroll down to the river front, walked along the river on the Tain l’Hermitage side, then crossed a bridge and walked along the Tournon-sur-Rhône side before crossing back over the river and returning to Tain l’Hermitage.  A very enjoyable stroll on a sunny afternoon.

Tain l’Hermitage from Tournon-sur-Rhône

The river front in Tain l'Hermitage

As it turned out, we still had enough time to do a little wine tasting before our train ride home.  Imagine that!  So our next stop was the Chapoutier tasting room and wine shop.  We tasted several wines with the aid of a young man who really wanted to speak English with us.  (We settled for Franglish.)  After purchasing a bottle each of Cornas, Condrieu, and Crozes-Hermitage, we were back on our way to the train station and our train ride back to Lyon.

It’s interesting how intriguing bits of information and little surprises along the way can turn a nice side-trip into a more memorable experience.  We’re looking forward to our next adventure.

Lunch with our Landlords - Past and Present

Other than two brief stops early on, we have always stayed in the same apartment in Lyon.  David found it online through Craig’s List France back in 2010 when we were looking for a place to call home for a year.  He negotiated our year-long contract with then landlady, Dominique, totally online.  A huge leap of faith for both of them!

Our apartment is the left two windows on
the 5th floor (American) / 4th floor (French)

We have come to think of it as “our apartment.”  It’s comfortably furnished and includes pretty much everything we need down to linens and kitchen utensils.  Over time David has done some minor repair work, we’ve purchased a few things for the apartment, and, in turn, we are able to store some things in the basement.  (Think wine.) It’s definitely a second home to us.

Also, Dominique and Roger, her husband, have become good friends of ours.  Roger and David are in what Anna calls the “Male-Bonding Bike Group” – the group of four men that makes annual 4-5 day bike trips.  And, we often get together with Roger and Dominique socially. So you can imagine our shock when Dominique and Roger sold “our apartment”! 

Fortunately, our new landlords, Stephane and Nathalie, are also very nice people and have become friends.  Among other things, we have found we share a love of jazz with Stephane, who plays jazz piano in his “spare time”.  In the course of getting to know them and their charming daughters, Lucie and Fanny, we have enjoyed meals with them at their home, at our apartment, and, most recently, at Roger and Dominique’s.  Roger’s Osso Buco was excellent, and he put the girls to work stirring the risotto which was also delicious.

Enjoying the cheese course. (Roger is taking the picture.)

After dinner we were treated to a recap of Stephane and Nathalie’s recent family trip to the US to see the eclipse and do some other sightseeing.  (We gave the girls sheets of the special issue US Eclipse Stamps and that are heat-sensitive and can show the details of the moon in front of the sun.)  We definitely enjoyed hearing about their favorite places on the trip and other tidbits. 

Great food, great conversations, and fun people to share it all with…we are, indeed, fortunate to have such super past and present landlords for “our apartment.”

Back in Lyon!

Our primary reason for returning to Lyon at the beginning of November for a six-week stay was La Fête des Lumières.  This annual December 8^th celebration has its origins in a thanksgiving to the Virgin Mary for saving Lyon from the plague or from the Prussians.  (We’ve heard both versions.)  It started with people lining their window sills with votive candles – a remarkable sight in itself in this city of apartment buildings.   More recently the city has also transformed itself into an incredible world of lighting displays.   Facades of buildings are metamorphosed via lighting, major city streets are transformed into breathtaking lighting displays, and the bridges and banks of the Saone and Rhone are changed into incredible displays of light and color.  Not surprisingly, it has become quite the tourist event with large crowds of people gathering in the streets to view the amazing displays, and also enjoy some roasted chestnuts or hot-spiced wine.  It is an amazing experience!  But, don’t take our word for it – check out the video of last year’s Fête.  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzevNlhTl9s  )

But, we’re here for six weeks so, obviously, we have other things to look forward to.  Among them, a visit from our friends the Bergdahls , a Thanksgiving celebration at the home of our French daughter, Estelle, and her husband, Laurent, a pilgrimage to Valrhona for some great chocolate, and reconnecting with French friends. So stay tuned as we share some of our experiences with you.

Lyon during  La Fête des Lumières