Gastronomic Capital of the World... Oh Shucks

Market Purchases

As I mentioned in one of my first few posts, Lyon is known for being the food capital of the world.  And I have to spend an entire semester here.... what a shame.  =)

Now you may think that this blog post will be about the restaurants in Lyon. I will be honest and say that I am excited for that blog post, too.  However, I decided to share with you what being in the gastronomic capital of France and the world means to me.  Being in Lyon gives me an opportunity to try something new and different in my life.  To me, being in the gastronomic capital of the world means becoming a chef.

Vegetable Frittata

I'm sure most of us have heard the saying, "You Are What You Eat."  Well, thank God this isn't true.  Otherwise, I would have baguettes for limbs, my bones would be cheese, and my head would become one giant crêpe.  Come to think of it... that wouldn't be a bad thing (provided by heart was pumping Nutella throughout my body). If there is one thing that I have gained a great appreciation for, though, it would be cuisine.  I've decided to dedicate this blog post to the remarkable changes that Lyon has given me with my cooking.

Mongolian Beef Strips

When I was younger living at home, I would always want to be as great as my mother when she was in the kitchen.  (It's at this moment that I've just surpassed my sisters and have become the favorite child.)  But really,  I always wanted to be able to have the skill of combining ingredients and making an incredible meal for everyone to sit down and enjoy.  Living here in Lyon, I have been given that opportunity.  Before I arrived, I was so excited because I was hoping to have the opportunity to continue my dessert baking.  (While living with my sister in DC during the summer, I decided to learn how to bake to surprise her when she returned from long trips.)  I ended up tossing all of that excitement out the window when I arrived to find that I have no oven.  Just two small stove-top burners and a microwave.  Yay!

Greek Chicken Salad

Now, I am really glad that was the case.  I decided to accept that since baking was out of the picture temporarily, I would focus on cooking instead.  I started out at a rather sufficient level I would say:  boiling water for pasta.  But then, I decided to have a little fun and begin to experiment.  Each Wednesday and Saturday, there is a great farmer's market right outside my building.  Every Tuesday and Friday night, I would plan out a few meals before I would go to bed.  The following day, I would head over to the farmer's market and explore.  I usually come back with bags of fruits, vegetables, breads and pastries, cheeses, and so much more.  The first picture of this post shows my purchases after going to the market one morning.  (You can see some of the different products offered at the market in the picture below.)  In the evenings after doing some reading or going for a run, I would begin having my entertainment for the night.

More Than Just Produce

I would open the fridge and pull out my purchases from the market. I'd then use my original meal plans along with my creativity to cook something that ended up being completely different from my original ideas.  For example, I was going to do an omelette in the second picture (that ended up becoming a vegetable frittata with roasted potatoes).  In the third picture, I was going to do a flank steak (that ended up becoming Mongolian beef strips with peanuts and stir-fried vegetables).  Tonights dinner, the fourth picture, was originally going to be chicken breast with a side salad (that ended up becoming a Greek chicken salad).  I absolutely love this opportunity to be spontaneous and try something completely new.  The best thing about it is that if a meal doesn't work out, I just won't take a picture of it.  No one else has to know.  ;-)

In the end, Lyon is giving me the ability to explore its culture through its food with my own spin on it.  Although I do plan to enjoy the restaurants in Lyon, I really enjoy being able to continue my passion of cooking using the products of Lyon.  I cannot wait to see what tomorrow will bring!

"Dance First. Think Later."

Currently in Lyon, we are celebrating... DANCE!  From September 13th to September 30th, hundreds of dancers have been, are, and will be holding various performances celebrating dance.  This event combines various shows, dance lessons, a parade, an enormous flash mob, and more!

To kick off the festival, a parade was held on the streets around Place Bellecour with participants representing different areas of Lyon.  Each group had something different to offer to the crowd.  There were plenty of dancers, singers, stilt-walkers, musicians, and acrobats.  It was certainly one of the most colorful and unique parades I have seen  in quite some time.  (I am still have dreams of being chased by hundreds of people looking like the Blue Man Group.  See the picture to the right below to understand why.)

I was extremely proud of myself for being able to provide medical attention to a dehydrated drummer during the parade.  Okay... so maybe I just provided some water, sunblock, and used my height to provide shade.  STILL... I am saying that I saved a downed drummer with no pre-health experience from W&J. 

Once the parade was complete, the participants and the spectators gathered at Place Bellecour around a stage to watch a group of extremely talented dancers perform.  Once finished, they invited the entire crowd to participate in the dance.  (They clearly didn't know how bad of an idea that was with me in the audience.)  HOWEVER... the dancers taught the crowd (or most of the crowd at least) a few simple dance moves that amazingly came together quite well.  I've taken the liberty to add the video below for your enjoyment... and laughter.

I will now launch a contest on this blog:  The goal is to find me!  I promise that I am in this crowd, and I am dancing.  The challenge is to find me!  I will give you a few hints.  I am wearing a black polo shirt, and I am towards the middle/left if you are standing on the stage facing out towards the audience.  

And no... this is not just a way to let you do all the work in finding me since I've failed at it.

Good Luck!  Oh... and the winner will receive a prize!

Dinner And A Show

I certainly believe that truly experiencing the culture when you travel is absolutely essential to having an enjoyable journey.  It is great to walk around the famous landmarks, see the galleries and museums, and take a guided tour.  However, I like to take it a step further when experiencing the culture.  I prefer to go from feeling like a tourist... to feeling like a local.  For example, I may attend an arts festival or go to a soccer match and cheer on the city's team.  I will certainly go out to the local restaurants and enjoy the food (especially when you consider I am in the gastronomic capital of the world).

Late last week, my school had a day of orientation for us that involved plenty of activities.  We left early in the morning to head up into the mountains outside of Lyon.  The day was spent hiking in our berets, mountain biking (and I mean it when I say 'MOUNTAIN'), and playing some football (soccer) with a team consisting of players from France, England, and Ireland.  (NOTE:  It is impressive that I only received a broken toe when playing against Frenchmen, Englishmen, and Irishmen in a game of soccer.)

After the activities, we went back into Lyon to a restaurant named Le Geret for dinner.  After an exhausting day, I think that everyone needed to have a good meal.  This was certainly the restaurant to have one.  After enjoying a variety of appetizers consisting of the local meats, vegetables, and bread, we were served an absolutely INCREDIBLE dinner.  Those of us at my table tried to order something different so that we could all share.  Although we managed to successfully order something different, it was rather difficult for us to share.  I will say that I believe I sat at the best table consisting of my school's Spanish professor from Mexico, a professor from Italy, the school's program coordinator for my year who lived in Spain, a student from Denmark, and three French students with the ability of multiple languages.  Once you add in wine to the picture, I can say for certain that I was sitting at the most talkative and culturally diverse table in the restaurant.

And if I thought the night could not get any better after dessert, the restaurant was taken over by my school and led into song.  I honestly don't know a better way to celebrate than to sing the French national anthem, La Marseillaise.  Luckily, I was able to have the entire thing on video.  This was certainly an experience that I never wish to forget.

Breathtaking... No Literally

Anytime I travel somewhere new, I absolutely love walking around and exploring.  This is usually when I manage to take the best photos, find the best restaurants, and make the most stories.  Lyon is certainly an incredible city to walk around since you almost always have a great photo-op with every turn you take.  Granted there are some turns that will lead to staircases and will make you want to turn around.  However, I've learned to just follow the path that is in front of me (even if it does take me a mile off my original plans).

I usually set a challenge for myself to make it to the highest hill around the city so that I am able to get panoramic views of the city.  As mentioned in my previous post about stairs, Lyon certainly gives me plenty of hills for those panoramic opportunities.   The first weekend I arrived, I hiked up the hill to the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière and the Gallo-Romain amphitheaters.  (The first picture on my blog is of the amphitheaters.)  It was wonderful walking around at the top of the hill taking picture after picture of the grand basilica, a smaller replica of the Eiffel Tower, the entrance to the funicular, the... wait... they have a funicular to get to the top???

In any case... the scenic views of Lyon have inspired me to be outdoors and enjoy the weather whenever possible.  I have been out jogging in the park, hiking up the hills, and even simply walking across the city.  Tomorrow I will be heading out for my school's orientation and have the opportunities to go biking, kayaking, swimming, and much more.  Exercise will certainly be a significant part of my life here while in Lyon.  How else am I expected to work off the crêpes???

Furthermore... the city encourages you to exercise!  You see so many people out running, biking, and more!  They even placed these handy automated external defibrillator at the top of the hills.  So Comforting!

Tête d'Or... I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.

For those of you wondering about the title... Tête d'Or (at least in my mind) is somewhat similar to Toto (the cute dog from Wizard of Oz).  It will make sense as I continue... I hope.

Over the past few days, I have been spending quite a bit of time in Lyon's most famous park, Parc de la Tête d'Or.  It's literal translation is Park of the Golden Head.  Sounds better in French, no?

The park is located in the northern area of the city along the Rhône.  The park is approximately three hundred acres in size... complete with it's own lake, various sporting facilities, jogging trails, and some carnival-style attractions.  Another very unique feature is that it comes complete with a zoo!  The zoo has hundreds of animals ranging from lemurs, and antelopes, and giraffes... OH MY!  (You had to know I would be doing that at least once during this post.)  They have everything ranging from small to large, gentle and dangerous.  I was somewhat surprised to find that they keep the crocodiles in an enclosed exhibit.  I mean really... we had crocodiles walking right past us in the Gambia.  (I feel as though this will give my mother heart palpitations.) This experience in the park was all VERY enjoyable, though.

Park de la Tête d'Or is also an incredible place to go if you are just looking for some peace and somewhere to de-stress.  For those of you who enjoy watching The Big Bang Theory, I can officially say that I have found "my spot" in the rose gardens of the park.  In the hottest part of the day, it is shielded by trees overhead which provide a cool atmosphere... yet not too much leaf coverage which would make sitting there depressing on such a nice day. In the summer, it's directly in the path of a gentle breeze due to an ideally located building approximately fifty-five feet away that directs the airflow towards the spot. It faces the main field of the park at an angle making it enjoyable to comfortably watch as people play soccer... but not too much of an angle that makes it difficult to enjoy the view of the rose gardens to the left. I could go on... but I think I've made my point.  If you are confused by this part of the blog, you can follow this link to watch a video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2hIIvF5gJI.  Hopefully it will all make sense.

The park is certainly one of my many favorite places to escape to when I simply want to take some time to relax, write, and enjoy the weather.  Furthermore... can you really NOT enjoy a park that has Tiki statues randomly placed throughout the gardens?  I don't think so...

A Step (Up) in the Right Direction

Cities you travel to may be known for key characteristics.  Chicago is the Windy City... Paris is the City of Lights... Jerusalem is the Holy City... and Walla Walla is the "town so nice they named it twice."

What is Lyon known for, though?  Of course I knew Lyon is the gastronomical capital of the world (trust me, you'll see posts about that later)... but was there anything else?  Why yes.  Yes there is...

The City Of... STAIRS

Prior to leaving for the semester, I did research into Lyon.  I read about the culture, the food, the history, and the geography.  I should have known what was coming after reading that Fourvière is known as "the hill that prays" and the Croix-Rousse area is "the hill that works."  (Fourvière is the location of the famous Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière, and Croix-Rousse was the location of many small workshops that specialized in silk.)  Thinking back to my learning of this... I wish I had been more "inclined" to do more research to see just what kind of elevation we were talking.

I arrived in Lyon on Thursday (Aug. 30) and had orientation  on Friday.  I had the weekend free to do whatever I desired.  Friday night, I sat down with my map of Lyon and planned out sightseeing tours for myself.  (I will talk about those tours in one of my next posts.)  I set out early on Saturday, and I began exploring the city.  I had started in the main center of the city, so the walking was perfectly fine.  As I continued walking, though, I realized one thing... I was almost constantly traveling uphill.  Everywhere I went on my route had either an inclined path or stairs.  However, I've learned to LOVE this.  Once I reach the top of a hill, I can almost always turn around and have a spectacular view.  (Trust me... you will see photos soon.)  I took incline after incline, stair after stair. Although exhausted at the end of the day, I absolutely loved all that I had accomplished.  I was able to get a great night of sleep and be ready for Sunday.  I just wasn't exactly prepared for what was ahead...

I set out early on Sunday to cover the Fourvière area of Lyon.  I had planned to go see the basilica, ancient amphitheaters, and a walking path through various gardens.  I accepted the fact I would have to do a little uphill hiking.  What classified as "a little", though?  The three pictures I attached with this post should explain how I spent much of my day.  Was it tiring?  A little.  Was it strenuous?  Sure.  Did I have fun?  Most definitely.  Although I was exhausted at the end of this day... I felt so accomplished (which made up for the lack of feeling in my calves).  To summarize, I absolutely love this city and all it has to offer... stairs included.  Let's just see where the next set of stairs takes me...

"Surely You Can't Be Serious"

"I am serious... and don't call me Shirley."

I thought a little humor from the movie Airplane was appropriate for this post about my flight to France.  It never ceases to amaze me how I can't even make it to my destination without something bizarre happening.

My flight schedule involved flying out of Washington DC from Dulles International Airport to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.  I then would take a short flight from Paris to Lyon.  I am pleased to say that nothing actually went wrong (surprising with me, no?).  I made all of my flights without having any delays or issues.  The only drawback was that I didn't sleep on my flight over to Paris.  So when I arrived there at what would be midnight at home... was actually six in the morning.  With that in mind, let me say this... I will buy dinner for anyone who can successfully find their way through the Charles De Gaulle airport without becoming lost or needing to ask for directions.  This, my friends, is no simple task (especially when sleep deprived).

I, however, managed to accomplish finding my gate with some unexpected help.  After departing the first plane, I took a shuttle to the terminal.  When walking through a corridor (hoping that it would lead to the next terminal over) a group of fully-armed military/security officers gathered in the corridor around me.  Seeing no other passengers nearby, you can imagine the thoughts going through my head.  Am I in a secure zone?  Do I look suspicious?   I continued walking at a slower pace realizing that I was actually fine.  They just happened to convene in the hall at the same time I was there.  I just about made it past the group when I hear "Allons-y!"  The entire group began walking, surrounding me (the only individual not wearing camouflage might I add).  I couldn't break left or right, speed up or slow down.  I just had to go with them.  Much to my surprise, I find out they are heading in the exact same direction as me towards my gate.  Every turn I need to make, they make.  Fortunately, they all break away from me just as I see my gate ahead of me... sparing me from having to cut through them.

However... what does one learn from this experience?  Well... walking with a group of fully armed military officers through an airport for about ten minutes will give you plenty of stares from other people that are trying to figure out if you are a wanted criminal or a high-priority VIP.

And the adventure begins...

Bienvenue!

Welcome to Laughs From Lyon!  Thank you for visiting my blog about my semester abroad in Lyon, France.  I will continually be updating this blog with stories, pictures, and video from my experience here in Lyon (and wherever else I travel to during my time here).  Since I find comedy the best way to remember various adventures, I am determined to make most of the posts comical and lighthearted.

Please feel free to leave any questions, comments, or concerns (hopefully not too many concerns) underneath any of my posts.  If I don't respond in the first one or two days... I probably just had too many crêpes and need to rest.  If I don't respond in three to five days... I probably just boarded the wrong train and ended up in London instead of my residence.  If I don't respond after five days... I probably took a wrong turn and am walking aimlessly around in the Alps.  (This would be a great time to send some help.)

To summarize... it is OKAY to laugh at me.  I actually encourage it.  Believe me... I will be doing plenty of that myself.  Enjoy!  Oh... and welcome to Lyon!