Notes from Memphis Lyon, France

Boules Tournament in Place Bellecour

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:05:00 +0000

I stumbled upon the annual Lyon Boules Tournament this afternoon in Place Bellecour. Tomorrow is the official start and it runs through Monday. I don't know anything about this game - maybe I should learn because it's pretty big here.

Et Voilà

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 16 May 2013 05:19:00 +0000

I watched the game on Bien Sport in the wee hours of Thursday morning (we are 7 hours ahead) and listened to the French commentary throughout the game. It's funny to hear things like Chez Memphis, Les Grizzlies and "Quelle horreur pour OKC". It was great to see this win. The only thing better would be eating BBQ in Tom Lee Park knowing that Chez Memphis is heading to the Western Conference Finals. Allez Grizz!

Game 5: GO Grizz!!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:26:00 +0000

Rainy Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:32:00 +0000

A bus stop and cafe after work on a rainy Wednesday

Official City car advertising the Lyon Marathon (Oct. 2013). The driver was driving on the sidewalk and stopped just past the cafe you see in the first photo. But I'm sure it's ok because he only drove for a half block and no one was around. He did however misjudge the width of the sidewalk and ran over a part of the canvas sidewalls of the cafe. Oops, oh well! Not sure if he was pub-crawling in this tiny car or what.

Paris - Lyon - Marseille

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Tue, 14 May 2013 17:16:00 +0000

Planning a trip to France? If you speak (or read) French you may want to check out the "My Little..." websites. These are full of good information on where to find the best that Paris, Lyon and Marseille have to offer. They are divided up into categories including Fashion, Beauty, Weekend, Restaurants, Bars, Culture and Gifts. Here's the link to the My Little Lyon website http://www.mylittle.fr/mylittlelyon/ and the My Little Lyon video is below... (I've had that hamburger at the Bistrot de la Passerelle but I've never had anyone tap-dance with me or been invited into a secret bar).

La Pâtisserie de la Semaine

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:52:00 +0000

The Pastry of the week is the Zephyr à la voilette from Sève

This little lavendar-colored flavor grenade sits upon dacquoise, a cake made from layers of almond meringue and buttercream. The filling is crème zéphyr à la voilette, which I can only describe as a creamy cloud that tastes like rosewater (or in this case, violets) and inside the creamy cloud is a cassis (blackcurrant) compote. Heavenly - a thin hard shell (white chocolate?) on the outside and a creamy, fruity and flowery deliciousness on the inside...

Previously featured pastries:
Swedwich
Italian Chocolate-Meringue
Canelé
Hérisson

Tartelette au citron meringuée

Pavé aux fruits

Tarte aux pommes
Tarte Amandine aux Framboises
Succès

And hey, totally off topic, but I haven't posted about the toilet store lately so here's what they've been up to... you can have them put a picture of "your preferred animal" on your custom made toilet seat...

Thanks to Nuits Sonores, an Electronic Music Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sat, 11 May 2013 20:33:00 +0000

Thanks to Nuits Sonores, an Indie and Electronic French Festival, I was able to go inside the City Hall (Hôtel de Ville) for the first time. They were holding their "European Lab" event here and I guess just anyone could walk around in there, at least no one stopped me. Unfortunately, I only snapped two photos; one of the courtyard and one looking out from the main entrance onto Place Terreaux... voilà...

And here is the teaser for the festival...

It's Not a Holiday, It's a Bridge and Fun at Auchan

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:58:00 +0000

Since yesterday was a holiday that fell on a Thursday, lots of people took today off to "faire le pont" or "make the bridge" between Thursday and the weekend. So, this is effectively a five day weekend since Wednesday was also a holiday. I wasn't bridging any gaps myself as it's just a regular ol' Friday for me. But I can tell you that the folks at Auchan aren't having any of that bridge nonsense as they were all hard at work today. I went shopping there this afternoon and finally got a picture of the floor cleaning man who is constantly riding around on his blue floor cleaning machine at all times, night or day... this was at 4pm ....

And there he goes again. He likes to ride up and down that main aisle a lot and it doesn't matter how many people are in the store, he'll work around them. I had to dive into an endcap of paper towels just to let him drive over an exploded Coke. It was exciting. He did at least say "merci".

And this Auchan has an army of people stocking all the time and yet there's never any yogurt...or at least there's never any of the kind people want. And see those "guard rails" on the floors in front of the shelves? I suppose they are there to keep the floor cleaning guy's machine from beating up the shelves but mainly people just trip over them. But I'm looking forward to a new and improved Auchan as this one in Shake & Bake is getting a makeover.

It's a Holiday (again)

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 09 May 2013 17:10:00 +0000

Today is Ascension and it's a public holiday in France. Ascension is 40 days after Easter and marks the day that Jesus ascended into heaven. Several French public holidays mark Catholic holy days. Above is a picture of Saint Jean Cathedral in the foreground and the Fouvière Basilica high on the hill. Below is a photo of St. Georges Church. Did I mention that May 1st was also a holiday? It was Labor Day.

And painted on the window of a nearby bar called By Saint Georges is this .... Hey Ho, Let's Go...tribute to the Ramones and the name of the bar, which in and of itself locates the bar, all rolled into one.

It's a Holiday

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:06:00 +0000

It's Victoire 1945 (Victory Day)

Click this link http://www.france.fr/institutions-et-valeurs/victoire-du-8-mai-1945 to go to the France.fr site. Then scroll down to the bottom of the page to see some interesting photos of Normandy including the American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer and monuments built in memory of British allied forces. Jean Moulin, the most famous French resistance fighter, was arrested by the Nazis in Caluire-et-Cuire (aka Shake & Bake) and later died at their hands. Moulin had been assigned the task of uniting the various Resistance Movements throughout France. He was arrested during a meeting with fellow resistance fighters in a home in Caluire-et-Cuire. Since it's a big holiday everything is closed today and no one is working.

In the Waiting Line

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Tue, 07 May 2013 18:09:00 +0000

So, I was back at the Préfecture this morning and in line at 7 a.m. on the dot. I waited along with all of the people you see in this picture and many more that you don't see as the actual door to the Préfecture is way up ahead and around a corner. Good times. The line snaked around cafe tables and a large barricaded hole in the sidewalk that city workers were repairing. I sat upon my camp stool like little Miss Muffet but for that hour and a half before the 8:30 a.m opening I was comfortable. Once I got my ticket at the door I was let inside and went to the delightful waiting room where I sat for 3 hours waiting for my number - 99 - to appear on the large screens in the room. Ten minutes later, after much paperwork was handed over, I emerged with my temporary carte de séjour and I'll be able to get my permanent one in a couple of months!

La Pâtisserie de la Semaine

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 06 May 2013 15:22:00 +0000

The pastry of the week is the Swedwich. I have never seen this anywhere else so I believe our neighborhood pâtissier gets a gold star for originality. It's chocolate, peanuts and caramel on a cookie crust.

Previously featured pastries:
Italian Chocolate-Meringue
Canelé
Hérisson

Tartelette au citron meringuée

Pavé aux fruits

Tarte aux pommes
Tarte Amandine aux Framboises
Succès

Prefecture update: I have to go back to the prefecture tomorrow. I am attempting to get my carte de sejour extended along with about one million other people in Lyon apparently. They open at 8:30 but I'll have to get there around 7 a.m. and get in line (yes, there will already be a line at 7 a.m.) in order to be served. I bought a small, lightweight camp stool with a handy strap so I can tote it around with me. One ad says this kind of stool is "Perfect for camping, fishing, hunting, swap meets, golfing, waiting in lotto lines (in case you need to win the big one), air shows, bus stop, patio, picnics, conventions and shows, flea markets, sporting events and much more!"

That was verbatim. I suppose waiting in line at the prefecture would fall under "much more". But there are ways that I can entertain myself and others while I wait in line, like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaz8A9Bu-pA

Breaks in Lombardy and Piedmont

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sun, 05 May 2013 20:23:00 +0000

We drove back from Montegrotto yesterday through the regions of Veneto, Lombardy and Piedmont and stopped for lunch in Bergamo ...

...and had dinner in Turin. Turin is the "Detroit of Italy" as the Italian automotive industry is based there (history of Fiat). Actually, Detroit and Turin are official sister cities.

Back to reality tomorrow as I head off to the Prefecture for administrative fun! More on that later ...

Venice

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 03 May 2013 21:28:00 +0000

I only had one day to visit Venice...

I have no words to describe the beauty of Venice so I've stolen some and will rely on my pictures to tell the rest.

"A realist, in Venice, would become a romantic by mere faithfulness to what he saw before him." Arthur Symons

"If you read a lot, nothing is as great as you’ve imagined. Venice is. Venice is better." Fran Lebowitz

And from Mark Twain's The Innocents Abroad: "I began to feel that the old Venice of song and story had departed forever. But I was too hasty. In a few minutes we swept gracefully out into the Grand Canal, and under the mellow moonlight the Venice of poetry and romance stood revealed. Right from the water's edge rose long lines of stately palaces of marble; gondolas were gliding swiftly hither and thither and disappearing suddenly through unsuspected gates and alleys; ponderous stone bridges threw their shadows athwart the glittering waves. There was life and motion everywhere, and yet everywhere there was a hush, a stealthy sort of stillness, that was suggestive of secret enterprises of bravoes and of lovers; and clad half in moonbeams and half in mysterious shadows, the grim old mansions of the Republic seemed to have an expression about them of having an eye out for just such enterprises as these at that same moment. Music came floating over the waters--Venice was complete."

St. Anthony, More of Padua, Monte Pirio and the Salt Room

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 02 May 2013 09:30:00 +0000

I'm still in Montegrotto and taking day trips to Padua. Above is the Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua - Saint Anthony is buried here.

Prato della Valle

At the market: the best Italian cheeses, hams, pastas, olive oils, etc

Italian dogs waiting for their espressos

The view from one of the hills (called Colli Euganei) surrounding Montegrotto. This hill, covered with olive trees, is Monte Pirio and we were driving up it to get to this great restaurant, Trattoria al Pirio, recommended by a friend who lives in the area:

And back at the hotel in Montegrotto, a first for me, sitting in the Salt Room with the ever changing lights. The hotel, which is also a spa, boasts that sitting in the salt room for 30 minutes is equal to being at the beach for 3 days. No it isn't, but it was relaxing anyway with an added Studio 54-ish benefit....behold....

La Pâtisserie de la Semaine from Italy

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 20:33:00 +0000

The pastry of the week, imported from Italy, is Chocolate Meringue Pie. This is not such a great picture of it, I know, but it was one of those things that falls apart when you cut into it. Is a pie a pastry? I think not, but it's all I've got for today.

Previously featured pastries:
Canelé
Hérisson

Tartelette au citron meringuée

Pavé aux fruits

Tarte aux pommes
Tarte Amandine aux Framboises
Succès

I am in a tiny town in Italy called Montegrotto this week. I took the short 15 minute train ride into Padua today and have posted some photos below of my walk around some of the town.

Piazza dei Signori

Palazzo della Ragione

Houses along the Bacchiglione river

The two previous pictures are views of Via 8 Febbraio 1848 but click HERE for a really nice 360 view

Cafe Pedrocchi

We Don't Give Up, Grit, Grind, Go Grizzlies!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 23:42:00 +0000

Watched the Grizzlies win Game 4 tonight...

Moonlit Night

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 20:11:00 +0000

The full moon above Place Bellecour tonight

La Pâtisserie de la Semaine and Monoprix

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:08:00 +0000

The pastry of the week is: Canelé. These pastries originated in Bordeaux and they're made with sugar, eggs, milk, flour, vanilla and rum. They have a dark and slightly thickened outside and a custard- like inside. I really love these with coffee. One of the places to buy canelé if not THE place is Baillardran in Bordeaux. It's on my list of places to go.

Again this week I was not able to go to the pâtisserie in my neighborhood! I bought these at Monoprix which is, in my opinion, the closest thing to a Target in France. I go to the one downtown a lot. In it you find a grocery store (a really good one for its size) clothes, accessories, make-up, a para-pharmacy, housewares, office supplies, books and a small self-service cantine.

Previously featured pastries:

Hérisson

Tartelette au citron meringuée

Pavé aux fruits

Tarte aux pommes
Tarte Amandine aux Framboises
Succès

Say It Like It Is

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 07:21:00 +0000

On the box of the delicious Caprice des Dieux cheese, two angels point to the slogan "God it's good."

Good to Know...

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 17:48:00 +0000

Spring Night

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 19:58:00 +0000

La Pâtisserie de la Semaine

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 19:41:00 +0000

This week's pastry is the Hérisson (Hedgehog). I get it, but it looks more like a pine cone to me. It was delicious and rich. This is dark chocolate ganache formed to look like quills on the outside with cream on the inside. But there's more; inside the cream there was another bit of creamy crunchiness and the whole thing is sitting on a small crunchy cookie. It was just about impossible to find a recipe online but from what I read it's a specialty of Lyon. The odd forums that I came across sometimes listed chestnut cream and sometimes listed almond paste. The only constant in any ingredient list I found was dark chocolate and the recipe for the cookie base. I was not able to get to my neighborhood patissier and had to stop by a patisserie near my school. As a result, there's no threat advisory today.

Previously Featured pastries:

Tartelette au citron meringuée

Pavé aux fruits

Tarte aux pommes

Tarte Amandine aux Framboises

Succès

Paris: Categorized

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 23:26:00 +0000

I was in Paris this weekend visiting a friend who is staying there for a couple of weeks. Here are some pictures that I've divided up into categories:

THE LOCKS

Any kind of chain link fencing on a bridge is fair game for people to put "love locks" on them. The Pont des Arts is the most famous one in Paris, or at least the preferred one, for locks. You write your name and the name of your significant other on it, lock it to the fencing and throw the key in the Seine. There was a lot happening on this bridge today...

A love lock couple (?) taking the plunge...

A Paris River Police training exercise off the Pont des Arts; he's taking the plunge too.

THE MONUMENTS

DESERTED PARIS: The coolest way to see Paris is while taking an 8 a.m. weekend run from the Louvre all the way to the Arc de Triomphe with almost no one around, except for a few other runners.

GENERAL BEAUTY

THE SHOPS

RANDOM

The magazine L'Express calls President Hollande "Mr. Weak"

Yes, it's the guy from Lyon spreading the Birdy Brain love in Paris

It's hard to tell but this was the end of a line to eventually get to a falafel stand. It's the green store-front on the left hand side of the picture. Here's a better picture of it:

I had never heard of the place but my friend told me it's very well known. The wait ended up being about 20 minutes and the food was great. We ate our falafel and shawarma in the nearby Place des Vosges.

THE SEINE

Fish Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 18:04:00 +0000

I'm making dorade again for dinner and it seems like more often than not when my friend finds it at the store he buys it whole, but gutted and scaled at least. The first time he did this was when I was making dinner for a group of people (insert the memory of a panicky feeling here). I had never heard of this fish, had no idea how to cook it and was disturbed by a fish, well, that still looks like a fish. Having been accustomed to filets my entire life, I had never even had to worry with scales or fish heads. I searched online and found a very simple recipe so I gave it a shot and it was great. I now love dorade because it's delicious, healthy and so easy to prepare. I put a bay leaf and a slice of lemon inside each one and place them on top of sliced potatoes and tomatoes. Add salt and pepper, a little white wine and bake for 40 minutes on 325.