We reluctantly left Beaune for the city of Lyon and the Beaujolais wine region. Lyon is the third largest city in France. It will be nice to get in some city life. Once again, we are only 10 minutes from the city center. I am blown away by Lyon. The city is spectacular. The city is set on a peninsula where the Rhone River meets the Saone River. As you can imagine, maritime life is a big part of this city's history. As you walk around the “Old Town”, the hills above you are lit up in shades of blue. Lyon loves lighting and most of the cities monuments are bathed in light.
Many consider this the gastronomic center of France. With it's cafes, Michelin rated restaurants, large open markets, and fresh produce, it certainly can compete with Paris. Being budget-minded, we started to visit the open markets. I am now hooked. There's no other way to shop. One large market was over a mile long. The choices for food and produce was endless. For 20Euro, you can buy enough food to last you a week. Roasted chicken, Pia ya,lamb chops, rabbit, boiled shrimp, clams, fresh breads, and deserts, all placed beautifully before your eyes. You can even find some good wine bargains but the main reason to visit these open air markets is the people. You get an authentic look at every day life. You also began to learn to do as the locals do. I've turned into quite a good bargainer. It's one of the fun and interactive things that I enjoy about the market. It's almost like a competition where both parties end up victorious.
Many are familiar with Beaujolais Nouveau. The wine released to much fanfare, every year in November. You may not be as familiar with the non Nouveau Beaujolais. There are 10 cru-wine areas with superior quality wines. Beaujolais are made from the Gamay grape and tend to be relatively acidic with simple aromas of fresh picked red fruits. Beaujolais charm is that its refreshing, light, and naturally low in alcohol. It's a great red wine to enjoy in the summer.
Today we decided to check out a couple of hill towns and kind of meander 'til we found an interesting tasting spot. As you drive north from Lyon, you encounter a string of quaint sleepy towns. You get the feeling that time has stood still in many of these little hill towns. Red meticulously planted flower gardens and the cobblestone streets are very relaxing. After visiting a few towns, we saw a sign pointing to wine tasting. Again I think Bacchus was smiling on us. We drove down a very curvy cobblestone road that lead to a beautiful vineyard. Eric, our tour guide came out of the vineyards and welcomed us. He looked as though he had been in the fields picking grapes. This perception wasn't to far off. He was a jack of all trades. We went to a small tasting room about the size of a garage. A few steel tanks lined the walls as well as a misc wine stuff. My eyes got big as he pored our first taste, a very large pour, probably over 3 ounces. Hmm. I thought to myself this can't be a complimentary tasting. After 5 more pours of equal size, I was prepared for a tasting fee but it was all complimentary. The first wine we tasted was a Chardonnay. It was a surprise to me that Chards were grown in such a red wine region. It had a crisp, minerality, almost Alsacian. Next we tried the customary rosé and then 4 different Beaujolais. I learned quite a bit about Beaujolais wines, as our host was an excellent teacher even in his broken English. We toured the vineyard and the work site in between the tasting of the wine. It was an unpretentious hands-on experience. The kind of mom and pop experience you dream of having. I happily left with a half a case of very good wine. The kicker is it only cost 33Euros!
Our last day was spent hiking through a 2000 year old Roman amphitheater and it's surroundings. This was one of the most relaxing days I have had. Sitting in the theater you can transport yourself back in time. Much to the dismay of my traveling partner I began to talk in a Shakespearean-accented voice and quoting Julius Ceaser all day long.
We decided it was time to stop budgeting and spend the last night in the city accompanied by a nice meal and nice bottle of wine. The ambiance of Lyon seems to stay with you. With all the natural and man-made beauty around you, it's hard to leave this place. My fondest memory of Lyon is the opera house. Every night they had free jazz concerts. It brought the city alive. This is a place I plan on visiting again sometime.
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