Lyon - Je Pense Que Je t'aime
Paddinton to Lyon - Photo © Anne-Marie Minhall
Three of the most important phrases in any language have to be: "Thank you," "Yes please," & "I love you."
Oh, but let's not forget: "Shall we go & have a glass of wine?"
A love affair with France began with family summer holidays down to Marseilles & Antibes.
Nothing fancy, don't get me wrong although looking back, what a lucky youngster I was. My father would drive us down to the south from Calais over two or three nights post-ferry (Townsend Thoresen).
Paris was always an interesting driving experience. Our accommodation for the journeys en route was always comfy, cosy & had great food. We'd stay at Relais Routiers establishments. No internet. No Trip Advisor in those times. Just OS maps. It would be a case of chancing across a place in the late afternoon which my parents liked the look of & to discover if there were any vacancies.
Wherever we stopped off I seem to remember we always ate well. Steak & frites & a massive dollop of Dijon mustard was my favourite in the evening.
Breakfast - crêpes with fresh fruit.
To some extent my parents looked to their kid to 'parler aux hôtels' wherever we stopped for the night. This made me a little nervous, but, people were friendly & helpful in the main. My father spoke fluent German but it wasn't terribly useful in France. French was my second favourite subject at school (after English Lit). I loved the sound of it, the passion. Oh, but then my French teacher changed from the fantastic one to another who washed his feet in a bowl of water during class. Yes, really.
Apart from a few work trips to France over the years, it was time to return to a favourite country for a break. Somewhere that a francophile could indulge herself. A new destination called.
LYON
A morning in September
Paddington (a striking railway station, second in my heart to St Pancras)
Heathrow - Lyon (un bel aéroport. See, I haven't lost it)
Rhôneexpress into town
Hotel
Explore Lyon on the sunniest of evenings
Impromptu dinner at a friendly looking restaurant
First beer & wine of the break in this city which has already won my heart
Peckish
Locally baked bread with eggs, tomato & sausage
Replete
Hotel & I introduce myself to the biggest & most comfortable bed in France
Sleep for my country (unusual for me in a strange bed away from home)
Before retiring for the night I had a look at my lunch venue for the next day. It had been booked weeks ago. Of course it had been, I'm a Cancerian.
AMM
