The Roche de Solutré and Solutré-Pouilly

Another day trip we enjoy when we are in Lyon is the “climb” up the Roche de Solutré.  Our trip starts with a pleasant drive to about 5 miles west of the city of Mâcon.  The Roche is a truly interesting prehistoric site - the area has been occupied by humans for at least 55,000 years.  (For those of you interested in more info on this, check out the Solutrean paleolithic culture – yes, it gets its name from the Roche.)

Looking up at the Roche de Solutré

The Roche de Solutré and neighboring Roche de Vergisson are in the cradle of the Pouilly-Fuissé wine appellation, in the Mâconnais subregion of Burgundy.  The views from the top of the Roche de Solutré are worth the hike itself.  Just lots of beautiful green vineyards, the village of Solutré-Pouilly, and the "twin" Roche de Vergisson nearby.

Looking down at Solutré-Pouilly from the top.

View from the top with 
Roche de Vergisson in the distance.

The French have done an excellent job of developing this site carefully.  There is an excellent museum, and a well-maintained, gravel path climbing up the Roche.  The signage along the path is great and points out views, plants, and history along the way.

Anna on the trail.

Trail Signage.

And, there’s an added bonus! After our first trip up the Roche, we went into Solutré-Pouilly in search of food.  There we stumbled on to a picturesque auberge and restaurant and a truly amazing lunch. 

La Courtille de Solutré 
(That's Anna to the left of the door.)

(We have since noticed the red Michelin stickers on the front of the restaurant.)  The food is amazing, the service is great, even the setting is lovely!  Note that we have found that reservations are definitely advised these days.

Hard to choose what to have!

Toasting our good fortune.

Ending with a delicious dessert.

Any time left before your drive back to Lyon?  How about some wine tasting? This is Pouilly-Fuissé country after all. There are several places to taste and purchase wine both in Solutré-Pouilly and in the surrounding area.  One of our favorites is Domaine Thibert Père et Fils, a family-owned winery in nearby Fuissé.

So next time you are in Lyon, be sure to take this side-trip.  We know we will!

Redecorating the Building Stairwell - More Progress

Most of the wall, ceiling, and trim painting has been completed.  Also nearing completion is the re-varnishing of the wood doors and window frames.  The focus of the project has mostly shifted to re-doing the Art Nouveau decorative features.  These features appear in the previous posts on this project, before repainting.  The lead on this part of the project is an extraordinary craftsperson, Cécile Dalmais, who does this sort of work all over the region, as well as internationally.  She has a young woman apprentice working with her as they tackle this daunting project.

The Artist and her Apprentice, with a Pattern

The Team with some of Their Work

For the decorative features, the image is transferred from a paper or cloth pattern by poking holes along a plastic sheet containing an outline of the pattern.  This produces an outline of dots on the wall, which then shows an outline of the image.  They can then use this transferred image as an outline as they paint over it.  The result is an exact replica of the original design with newly painted colors.

They have been finishing the green borders topped with a cream-colored line and pinstriping.  They are beginning to work on the signage indicating each floor that appears opposite the elevator and above the doors of the apartments.

Floor Indicator Signage Before Repainting

By the end of this week, we should have several more areas mostly completed, and we can photograph some of them to illustrate this saga.

Day three of our short, out-of-town bike adventure

Sunday June 9

The next morning, Roger and I got up fairly early so we could breakfast and get to the train station in plenty of time to make our preferred train leaving at a little before 9:30AM.  No rain, but very threatening.  There were several other bikers at the station, and we discovered to our dismay that we indeed needed bike reservations.  The ticket office did not open until afternoon, but Roger found a train system official who confirmed that yes, we needed a reservation, and no, none was available on the train we hoped to catch.  He did suggest lining up and seeing if we would be allowed on board. We were also informed that one had to book online to get a bike reservation, which we could not do at this time.  It would appear that in the future we are going to have schedule and book our trains before taking the bike trip, so we will have to adhere to a schedule revolving around our pre-purchased ticket with bike reservation.

Valence Ville Gare

We went out to the platform with our bikes and found a number of other people with bikes in the same boat – tickets with no bike reservation. This included some folks who had had tickets the day before, only to discover the tickets were for a train that stopped at a station some miles away – the tickets were non-refundable so they were out more than 200 euros.  They then bought tickets for the bus run by the train system, that said bikes were allowed, only to be told by the bus driver that bikes were NOT allowed.  So, our problems began to seem a bit smaller.

The train arrived, the people with bikes and reservations got aboard, and the rest of us were lined up hopefully.  The wonderful lady on the train asked if we had tickets – we said yes; she asked if we had bike reservations – we said no.  She looked around, looked down the train car, and motioned for us all to get aboard, for which we thanked her profusely.  All of us managed to squeeze our bikes and bags into more-or-less out of the way spaces and settled down for the hour-and-45-minute ride to Lyon, praising the railroad woman for her kindness and thanking our luck for bailing us out.

Our Bikes on the Train

Roger Celebrating as the Train Leaves Valence with Us Aboard

Roger Unloading Bikes in Lyon

We arrived in Lyon about 11:30AM, unloaded bikes and bags, and went to our respective homes.  Total distance: 4km.

Day two of our short out-of-town bike trip

 Saturday June 8:

We arose to a wet morning, with rain falling off and on as we got up, shaved, cleaned up, packed, etc.  We both had some rain gear, but riding in the rain is not very fun, although if you are on dedicated, paved bike/walk routes, at least you do not get splashed by cars and trucks.

Friday when we checked in, we were asked to specify exactly what we wanted for breakfast at the hotel the next morning.  France is on a campaign to reduce food waste, so having everyone choose in advance meant that the food provided would more closely match the food consumed – usually hotel breakfasts are buffet style with a wide array of choices laid out.  So, we entered the dining room knowing exactly what we would have, with no worries as to the availability of our chosen comestibles. After eating, chatting with each other and sometimes with fellow guests, we returned upstairs to finish preparing to leave. 

David in the Hotel Dining Room after Breakfast

By the time we paid and checked out, loaded our bikes, and prepared to leave, the rain had almost stopped.  After crossing the river to Sablons and heading out along the river on the dedicated bike route, we were able to avoid getting wet as long as we avoided puddles.  The weather was about the same as Friday, but we were certainly pleased that rain was not still coming down.

Most of the route was a dedicated, paved scenic path, sometimes through woods, sometimes along the river dikes, sometimes through agricultural areas.  Signage was good, there were often green dashes on the pavement that ensured we did not lose our way.  After about 90 minutes, we stopped at a new wine bar where David sampled a local red and Roger had more coffee.

Nice Bike Route

The changes in the route when compared to 2012 were amazing – much better signage, MUCH more dedicated, paved paths.  It is a lot easier to enjoy the countryside if there are no motor vehicles to contend with.

Plaque about WW II Resistance Victim on old Suspension Bridge Pillar

Stopped at the Above Bridge Pillar

The above photos are at an old suspension bridge pillar where a Resistance fighter's body had been dumped into the Rhone by the Germans.  The bridge was destroyed by the Germans during the war.

We had noted that our route was going to pass through the town of Roche de Glun, where, in 2012, we had lunched at a restaurant with good food and outside tables under big trees.  We found the place and had a fairly light lunch, again under the trees – which had recently been severely pruned, temporarily reducing their capacity as shade trees.

Roger Chatting with Madame 

Roger enjoying a beer at Roche de Glun

Apparently, the same folks own the restaurant, as we learned that they are about to renovate the place; it did not look as good as it had years before. 

Menu at Roche de Glun

David's Profiteroles 

Roger Enjoying Dessert

We had been looking at weather forecasts, and it was not good for Sunday.  The plan had been to stay that night in a small town, bike Sunday for 2-3 hours and then catch the train back to Lyon.  Roger wanted to get back in time to vote in the European elections on Sunday.  We had researched trains to get an idea of our options and to pick a town with several Lyon-bound trains a day.  We had also learned that the trains on this line might require a reservation if you wanted to take a bike on board.  No cost for the bike, but with more people doing as we were along a popular route, we might need a reservation in order to get on train with our bikes.  So, we had discussed at breakfast the idea of staying the night in Valence, where there were more trains per day heading towards Lyon.  That way we could continue to evaluate our options for Sunday. 

Threatening Weather along the Rhone

We found a hotel right on the Rhone and ViaRhona just outside of Valence and stopped.  After checking in, went to a bar under a canopy in the park near the hotel for a drink.  We decided to bike to the train station a mile or two away to check out our options more fully.  We had decided to go ahead and leave from Valence the next day as the weather did not look good, and neither of us was thrilled with riding in the rain.  So, as the ticket office was not staffed in the evening, we bought our tickets from the machine in the station.  The tickets were good on any train to Lyon the next day, and there was no mention of bicycles, so we thought maybe bikes would not be an issue.  Now that we knew exactly where the station was and how to get there, and had tickets, we headed back to the hotel.  David managed to lose his way again [no recognizable landmarks could be seen from our bikes], so Roger and his GPS again had to point the way.

Bike Path to the left

We returned to the hotel and went next door to a restaurant for dinner – Roger with a chicken salad, David with a pizza.  We then headed back to the hotel and bed.  Total distance – 66km.

A short out-of-town bike trip to a familiar area - Day 1

Friday June 7

Every year, David, Roger, Gerard, and Tom go on a 5-6 day bike tour of some part of France.  The very first twelve[!] years' ago trip involved riding down the ViaRhona from Lyon to Arles; at that time only Roger and David were involved in the adventure. (The ViaRhona is a bike route traversing from an area in Switzerland, down the Rhone River, through Lyon, to the Mediterranean.  It began as an effort in Switzerland in 1998 to create a bike route along the Rhone, the ViaRhona itself officially beginning in 2005.)  Twelve years ago, the route in France mostly consisted of following rudimentary signage along the shoulders of country roads and dirt or gravel paths along the tops of the river dikes.  There were a few paved segments free of cars, but the majority of the route was as described.   

This year, Roger and David decided to do a 2-3 day segment south from Lyon, to observe the changes over the past 12 years, and tune up for our upcoming 5-day trip around Jura. Jura is an area in the northeast part of France famous for cheese, winter sports, and hiking. 

Roger and David Preparing to Go

We left Roger’s apartment building at about 9:30 Friday morning, seen off by Anna [taking pictures], and Dominique.  We road through Lyon towards Halle Tony Garnier, to the tramway bridge over the Rhone, crossed the Bridge to the museum of the Confluence, and headed down the river through La Mulatiere.  We passed through several small towns along local roads and highways towards Givors, where we expected to pick up an actual path along the river.  We missed a turning and did a bit of tacking back and forth and eventually found our way to the marked route, thanks to Roger’s phone GPS.  We rode for several kilometers along quiet back streets with little traffic, and much better signage than twelve years ago.  Then, we often lost our way, and had to search for the ‘official’ route. 

Passing through Loire sur Rhone, and industrial area, where, as some of you may recall, our first attempt twelve years ago ended abruptly after David’s front wheel slipped and turned sharply at a wet railroad crossing, causing a nasty fall, a visit to the local emergency room, and ten stitches. [Two weeks later, we restarted, and finished our very first bike adventure.]  The area has changed, and the bike route has shifted, so we did not actually pass through the exact area of David’s misadventure.  

Informative Sign along the Path

We then wound our way through small towns via back roads and river-side paths until we reached the area of San Romain-en-Gal, where we accidently got on the bridge to Vienne.  We went down river a few hundred yards to a pedestrian bridge, recrossed the river, and continued on our way.

David on the Path near Vienne

Artwork on the Path in the Same Area

We picked up the beginning of the dedicated path and followed it to an area just at the border of Ampuis, a town where Anna and David attended a wine fair during our year-long stay in Lyon.  Roger and David stopped about 12:20PM at a guinguette right on the ViaRhona and had lunch.  [A guinguette is sort of a café or bar, often on a river or a lake, usually open only in the good-weather seasons, of 17^th-century Parisian origin.  Renoir and van Gogh, among others, did famous paintings on the subject.  Guinguettes declined with the ban on river swimming and the advent of other forms of entertainment, such as television. There is somewhat of a revival occurring now.] 

At the Guinguette

Lunches at the Guinguette

After lunch, we pedaled to Sablons and crossed the river to Serrières, and got a room at the same hotel we had stayed in last time.  The hotel has been much modernized on the interior.

 

Roger at the hotel in Serrieres

After getting cleaned up and settled, we went down for a drink and decided that the hotel’s restaurant looked like a good bet for dinner.  We both had the same thing – artfully arranged, carefully cut pieces of steak, with vegetables, dauphinoise potatoes, and a very delicious béarnaise sauce. 

The weather has been somewhat warm, cloudy, and sticky, but no rain.  We totaled 78km.

Redecorating the Building Stairwell - Progress and Challenges

The downside of living in this charming old building is that because the [long-ago retrofitted] elevator is so small, David has had to carry his bicycle up and down four flights of VERY narrow stairs each time he goes out for a ride.

Looking up the Narrow Stairs towards our Apartment

Stairs Below the Above Stairs

Small Elevator!

Just Outside Our Apartment - Elevator and Stairs

When he does this, there is a certain amount of contact with the walls and the bike pedals and handlebars.

Not wanting to potentially mar the impending new paint, David has been experimenting with ways to keep parts of the bike from scraping the walls.  Below are some of his ideas being tried to cushion any contact between the bicycle and newly-painted walls.

David's Bike with Cardboard on a Pedal and
end of a Handlebar and a Sock on the Mirror

More re the progress on the stairwell to come!

This Visit’s First Out of Town Adventure

We normally take a few side-trips while we’re in Lyon.  But, the gray, drippy, rainy days have not been conducive to getting out and about for any length of time.  So, we were pleased to see in the forecast that the weather was finally blessing us with some lovely Lyon sunny days.  Time for a fun adventure!

One of the day trips we like to take while we are in Lyon involves a train ride to Tain L’Hermitage, a charming town of about 6,000 people on the Rhône River, south of Lyon. The setting for the town is absolutely lovely!  It faces the wide Rhône River, and the hills around are covered with picturesque, terraced vineyards. (In fact, it is right in the heart of the Crozes-Hermitage Controlled Wine Appellation.) So, we hopped on a train for an hour-long ride from Lyon to Tain L’Hermitage.  The train travels south along the Rhône River, through the countryside of towns, villages, farms, and vineyards.  Just a pleasant, scenic ride.

Like so many places we like to visit, Tain L’Hermitage has a rich history.  The Romans were there, of course, and left behind a variety of artifacts including a rock altar used for sacrificing bulls.

A model of the altar that's on display
in a small park.  It must have been
interesting getting a bull onto this altar!

It is also the site of King Charles V’s wedding at the Church Notre Dame de Tain (which is still there) in 1350. Thomas Jefferson even visited Tain L’Hermitage and included comments about it in his Hints to Americans Travelling in Europe, 19 June 1788. (“Do not go to the tavern at the Post house, the master of which is a most unconscionable rascal.”)  We’re sure he’d be happy to know we avoided both.

When we arrived in Tain L’Hermitage , we strolled the short way from the train station into the main part of town, walked along Avenue Jean Jaurés (which is also Route N7), and then along the park-like path along the river.  

We took this photo on our walk along the river
path.  Doesn't that lounge chair look inviting?

Our plan was to walk around town a bit, take a look at the restaurants by the river, and just enjoy the scenery. We also decided to walk across the bridge to Tournon-sur-Rhône.  This bridge is the first suspension bridge over the Rhône River that was built using wire cables.  The bridge was designed and built by Marc Seguin, a native of nearby Annonay, who actually invented this technology.

The bridge over the Rhône between
TainL’Hermitage and Tournon-Sur-Rhône

Since lunch time was approaching, we walked back across Monsieur Seguin’s bridge to Tain L’Hermitage and on to the restaurant Le Nice. We’ve eaten at this restaurant on previous visits to Tain and were pleased to get a table with a view of the River.  

Another delicious meal in a lovely setting.

After a leisurely lunch, we were off to Valrhona Chocolate with our shopping list in hand. Valrhona makes our favorite chocolate, and you will often see it mentioned in descriptions of desserts in restaurants in the US. It is truly delicious!  Since they are in the process of remodeling their spacious display and shopping area, there were signs directing us to a trailer across the street.  A little construction trailer?!  Surely, they couldn’t fit all those purchasing choices into a trailer!  But, somehow, they had managed to do it!  (Maybe we should ask them to help us pack our suitcases.) After we had taken our items to the cashier and paid for them, she very generously tossed a few bonus items into our bag. Then she paused, looked at Anna and said in French, “This is for you!” and brought out an Valrhona apron.  Anna collects kitchen aprons and was thrilled!  Ah, yes, we do like visiting Valrhona!

Back in our apartment with Anna modeling
her Valrhona apron next to the
bag with our purchases.

It was nearly time to head towards the train station.  But, first we made a quick detour to the Chapoutier Wine Cellar and Tasting Room, which is very conveniently located on the street leading to the station. After a little tasting and a few purchases, we were on our way.  

Afterall, were in the heart of Crozes-Hermitage, remember!

We definitely packed a lot into that day-trip!  And, our scenic, relaxing, return train ride to Lyon was the perfect ending to the day!