Gallivanting Grandma

Monday – May 29, 2017

The medieval town of Perouges is one of les plus beaux villages de France – one of the most beautiful villages of the world.  Located about 25 miles northeast of Lyon, Perouges is a 12th century gem preserved by the French government and restored to its medieval glory.

The village is a main tourist destination and is usually very crowded, but because today is Monday and French shops are closed, Perouges was deserted.  We had the entire town to ourselves and my cousins and I enjoyed walking along quiet, empty cobblestone streets.

The village has two main entrances: Porte d’en Bas – the bottom gate and Porte d’en Haut – the upper door.  Once through the ancient gates, we were magically transported to the Middle-Ages.  Narrow cobblestone paths weave through towering rock walls of medieval buildings. 

The stone paths are intertwined in a labyrinth of little streets between houses.  It was fun to walk along and finally end up where we began!

The main square is the site of a majestic linden tree which was planted during the French Revolution and is known as La Place du Tilleul. The medieval walled city was originally inhabited by weavers and farmers.

Claudine, Astrig, and I explored all the cobblestone paths and alleyways in the village.  We stopped at one of the shops to try Galette Perougienne, which is a speciality only made in Perouges.  The sweet pizza-like tart is made with sugar, butter, and lime zest baked on flat brioche dough.  Of course, it was delicious!

Le Moyen Age cat sleeping on the horizontal window shutter, le volet, never stirred when I took his picture.

Perouges has several restaurants, gift stores, artisan craft shops, a bakery, and a wine shop which cater to tourists. It’s an exceptionally lovely medieval village and a wonderful rare treat to visit without crowds of tourists. The poem below, paying homage to Perouges, was mounted on one of the buildings:

Sunday – May 28, 2017

Joyeux Anniversaire et Bonne Fete des Maman! 

France celebrates Mother’s Day on the last Sunday in May and today is also my cousin Kevork’s 87th Birthday.  We had a big celebration!

May 27, 2017

Vienne’s Saturday market takes over the city and sprawls across all the mid-town streets.  I love French outdoor markets because you can buy almost anything you need to live a good French life.

We left the Saturday market and went home briefly to refrigerate our purchases.  It was another hot 92 degree day.  (33 Celsius)  Then we drove to Lyon to have lunch with Claudine’s and Astrig’s friends.

The restaurant, Au Bord du l’Eau, was located on the shore of a picturesque lake.  We had a scrumptious feast on le terrasse.  I had fresh smoked salmon appetizer and fish with potatoes and seasonal veggies.  Below is a photo of la grenouille – frog’s legs fresh from the Lyonnaise region.

And, of course, dessert:

May 26, 2017

Vienne is an incredible city which is full of ancient historical statues, buildings, and artifacts dating back to Roman times.  The city is also famous for the Jazz a Vienne festival held every July.     

Today, we rode the tourist train all around Vienne to see the most important sights in the city.  We had a very enjoyable time!

It was a lot of fun and a great way to see the city!!!

Historic sights in Vienne:  the Hotel de Ville – city hall

Narrow shopping streets:

A Middle Ages half-timbered house:

Saint Maurice Cathedral – a Gothic cathedral built between 1052 – 1533

Roman Temple d’Auguste et de Livie:  (Imagine a real Roman Temple in the middle of your town!!  Amazing!!)

At the end of a narrow street was the Medieval church and Benedictine monastery of St. Andre en Bas which was rebuilt in 1152.

The Roman Plan de l’Aiguille or Pyramide which was associated with the city’s Roman circus:

May 25, 2017

Lyon, the third largest city in France, is located about 30 kilometers north along the Rhone River from my cousins Claudine and Astrig’s house.  Initially developed by the Romans in 43 BC, several sections of Lyon are designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites because of “exceptional continuity of urban settlement over more than two millennia on a site of great commercial and strategic significance.”

Lyon is a beautiful city whose architecture reminds me of Paris.  Both the Rhone and the Saone Rivers meander through Lyon and converge to the south of the historic city center.

Astrig, Claudine, and I took the funicular up the steep hill to visit the magnificent basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourviere.  It was a fun ride!

The view of Lyon from the top of Fourviere hill was amazing.  There is also a Roman amphitheater near the basilica but smaller than the one in Vienne.

We rode the funicular back down to Vieux Lyon, the old city, and entered the Cathedrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Lyon.  Construction began in the 12th century on ruins of a 6th century church.

Inside the Gothic cathedral was a huge astronomical clock, originally from 1383, and was rebuilt in 1661.  The clock has automated figures which move at various times of the day.

Vieux Lyon is protected by the French government as an historically and culturally significant district.  During the middle ages, silk weavers who had settled in Lyon, built corridors to connect buildings, courtyards, and narrow streets in order to easily walk through the city.  Many of these traboules still exist and they’re interesting to see and explore.

On this very hot 90-degree day, there were many tourists wandering the lovely ancient streets of Lyon and enjoying the shade of cafes.

We also visited Auguste and Louis Lumiere’s beautiful house which is preserved as part of the Institut Lumiere.  

The brothers were the first filmmakers in history.  They patented a cinematographe and had their first private screening of projected motion pictures in 1895.

The Lumiere Brothers’ first 50-second silent film taken with their Cinematographe, was L’arrivée d’un train en gare de La Ciotat, the train arriving at the La Ciotat station.

The Institut Lumiere was a very interesting museum which described and exhibited the history of films, movies, and cameras.  Highly recommended!  There was also a theater on site which shows current movies.

On the way back to Chasse-sur-Rhone, we passed the historic building of le hotel de ville, the city hall of Lyon:

We also stopped at the memorial in Lyon to honor the “1.5 million Armenians who were exterminated as victims of the first genocide of the 20th century by the “Young Turk” government: 1915 – 1916.”  “In the memory of the victims of all genocides and crimes against humanity.”