How to see lots of France, in a month

À votre santé, Lyon!

Bonsoir, all:

Lots of pictures in this post, so I’ll keep the narrative to a minimum…not easy for a talker like me.

In the most recent post, I mentioned that the girls had performed their end-of-year choral concert. Well, Leo just performed his this past weekend.  I was out of town for my own concert, but Grandma and Grandpa got to catch Leo and his Kindergarten cohorts.

Concert attire in French kindergarten

Sky art during France's annual "Festival of Music"

Tonight, I’m sitting in my apartment and am listening to a different kind of concert: the full-throated bellowing from the Irish soccer fans here in Lyon.  Today, they lost their match against the French and they've been drinking, singing, drinking more and commiserating for the past 5 hours.  They will sing all night.

The Irish Invasion

The UEFA soccer tournament currently taking place in France has brought in fans from all over Europe, and they are formidable supporters.  Each day, we see crazed fans in full national regalia which range from simple hats to full body paint.  The fans from Ireland and Belgium have been particularly impressive.

My folks head back to the States on Thursday, and even though they’ve spent the whole month of June here in France, we will really miss them.  Seeing them at school drop-offs in the morning and having coffee along the river has been casual and wonderful.  And our trips and excursions to various points within and outside of Lyon have been so much fun.

Mom and Dad with me at the Place des Jacobins

Cruising the Saône and Rhône rivers

Mid-afternoon pick me ups.  I won't mention who ordered which...

And, speaking of excursions…

Since the last post, we've visited our good friend, Janine.  She is a dynamic and generous French woman who lives in a great apartment overlooking the city of Lyon.  She cooked up her gourmet Lyonnaise cuisine for my parents and then we admired the view from her terrace for hours.

Daphne relishing Janine's mousse au chocolat

Shortly after, I enjoyed my annual ‘trifecta’ which consists of my birthday, our anniversary and Father’s Day, all in one week.  Our friends Aliette, Olivier and their daughter Gacienne came over for my birthday and Olivier made Boeuf Bourguignon for the occasion.  My parents had not tried this National treasure of a dish before, and it was a touching surprise for them and for us.  A great night…and a late one.

The very next morning, we took embarked on a three-day, weekend trip to Aix en Provence with some other wonderful friends.  They lived for a while in Aix, but now live around the corner from us here in Lyon, and their two splendid daughters attend school with our kids.  They showed us Aix the way the locals see it, which was really special.  The outdoor market there alone is worth the visit, and the entire village square smells of lavender right now…

Mom catching some zzz's on the train to Aix

Leo spotting a great deal on Aix's famous chirping Cicada ornaments...

Provençal tomatoes taste like candy

Dinner at the Air BnB

Cora watched this painter at work for a really long time...

Find the truffle, Leo

Cora is on a mission to sample a macaron from every French town

"Enough of your pictures, Dada"

Happiness is a bowl of noodles

Or a big pizza...

Or a chateau courtyard for a picnic

The roses in Lyon’s beautiful Parc de la Tête d’Or (Park of the Golden Head) are in full bloom and we’ve had two picnics surrounded by them this month. This is a huge city park, complete with a zoo, walking/biking/running paths, pavilions, numerous rosaries and a large lake.  It takes its name from a legend saying that a treasure with a Christ's head could be buried somewhere in the park. 

At the Parc de la Tête d'Or

After one of our picnics, we rented a small boat to zip around the picturesque lake within the park. Everyone took turns steering, and Leo (intentionally) tried spinning us in circles. He's a pirate, not a sailor.

These are called 'Tequilla Roses"

The Love Boat

...and it's captain

...and it's one-armed pirate.

I had a concert in Paris this past week, so I missed out on some of the Lyon fun, but had some of my own...

The music hall in the Rothschild Chateau in Paris for a recital

...and the afterparty in the 'backyard'

We’ll actually be heading back to Paris on Tuesday to spend a couple of days with Mom and Dad there, before they depart for the States.

And Mom and Dad are already talking about the next trip over here…which we love to hear.

"Maybe we should just move to France, too?"

Back on the bus

Another fine French meal 

Busy month.  

Lots of love to you all,

Aaron

P.S.:

I know have memorized the song which the Irish fans have been singing (nonstop) for hours.  Goes like this:

"Don't take me home!  Please don't take me home!  
I don't want to go to work!

I want to stay here, and drink a bloody beer,

Please don't take me home!"