BL-24 - Flipbook - Page 40
T R AV E L
THE BOISDALE
POTTED GUIDE
TO LYON
F
or the discerning gourmet,
Lyon is not only France’s
most gastronomic city, but
also one of the best cities on
the planet. Its market stalls teem with
fabulous cheeses and charcuterie; its
classic, old-school bistros (the famous
bouchons lyonnais) dish up local
specialities (quenelles de brochet,
cervelle de canut, tablier de sapeur)
to an appreciative clientele of locals
and visitors; and its formative role in
the history of French gastronomy is
assured by a bloodline stretching back
to the doughty les mères lyonnaises
(Eugénie Brazier among them, often
called “the mother of modern French
cooking”), via Fernand Point, Alain
Chapel and the sainted Paul Bocuse, to
the talented young chefs that cook in
Lyon’s best restaurants today.
As if that were not enough, Lyon
lies between the celebrated wine
regions of Beaujolais and Burgundy,
to the north, and the vineyards of the
Rhône, to the south. From a simple
pot of Côtes-du-Rhône or Morgon
in a bouchon to a grand old bottle of
Condrieu or Hermitage in a Michelinstarred restaurant, Lyon loves to drink
as much as it loves to eat, and – with
its grand squares, beautiful Classical
façades, eye-catching trompe l’oeil
murals and hilltop panoramas – it is
a very agreeable city in which to do
both.
Not that Lyon is resting on its
lauriers: far from it. The once-derelict
district of La Con昀氀uence, where
the Rhône meets the Saône, is now
a brave new world of avant-garde
40
BOISDALELIFE.COM
ISSUE 24
The cathedral of St. John
the Baptist with Lyon’s two
rivers in the background, the
Rhône and the Saône
architecture and urban renewal, with
the stunning Musée des Con昀氀uences
as its crowning glory, adding to
Lyon’s already distinguished roster of
outstanding museums and galleries.
Should you be laid low by cultural
indigestion, however, there are
plenty of suggestions below that are
guaranteed to alleviate any discomfort.
