Bourg en Bresse and Pouilly Fuisse

This was the fountain in the square in front of our hotel in b en b. 

This is the town hall. 

This is the wine we drank at lunch with the famous chicken. 

There was an amuse Bouche. 

This is the famous chicken with its emblem from the Republic of France. 

It was very good. 

We stopped in Macon which is the entry into Burgundy. This is their Romanesque cathedral. 

Then we entered wine country and decided to drive toward Solutre Pouilly. 

This woman told us her son is the present winemaker, her husband was before him, her father before him and then her grandfather. They make Pouilly Fuisse. We bought a bottle. 14€ on the site. This stuff better be the best. 

These are the grapes and the rock. 

The Confluence Musee in Lyon

This was designed by an Austrian firm. 

So it's the confluence of the Rhone and the Saone. From here south it's called the Rhone. 

So it's hump day right?

One of the people who work here told me all of the animals are stuffed but with a new acrylic material. And all the animals died of natural causes in places around the world and were acquired. 

These creations don't even attempt to be real. 

So the museum tells the story of life from the beginning until the present. It ends with how we die and the different rituals around the world. It only opened last year. So well done. So many interactive features. 

Lyon. The silk industry.

This is the museum of silk. No pictures are allowed inside. 

I do not know when the industry began but it was raised to a great height by the French kings. All of this cloth was made by the workers who ate in the "bouchons" which were the eating clubs. 

From what we can tell, they ate all the "leftover" parts of the animals but their chefs created great things. The problem is Ed and I just can't do it. We've basically been starving here. 

This is a tour of the last "atelier" that made silk braid the ancient way, without computer. 

It was great.  I think the production of silk is gone from Lyon today but has been replaced by an industry that produces acrylic cloth. 

The first days in Lyon

Here we are on one of the bridges over the Saone. 

This "place" is very close to our hotel. 

This is the theater Celestines which is on the Place Celestines which is the name of our hotel. It's a great hotel if you come here and you should come here because it's a great city.  This theater is the second largest theater in France. 

After crossing over the Saone to the Old Towne the first thing to encounter is the Palace of Justice. 

We stopped to have a burger at this place. It was great  it was the first burger we encountered with dill pickles. 

We took the funicular up the hill to the Cathedral. 

This is quite a cathedral. 

These ceilings and walls are those little tiles. What's the name of that?

When we exited our hotel Sunday morning we encountered the food market all along the Saone. Fabulous. 

This is Louis XIV who promoted the silk industry. 

Grenoble

Two rivers come together here, and the city sits at the bottom of a valley surrounded by mountains. 

The first thing to do is take the cable car bubbles to the top. At the next table they had ordered an enormous drink. 

This shows the date of when the Winter Olympics were in Grenoble. 

People were doing the bungee jumping thing here. 

Finally it rained and hailed for an hour or so. 

In order to find the museum devoted to Stendahl it is necessary to consult the

Lingerie shop next door because the musee starts on the third floor.  

Stendahl was highly connected. He knew Napoleon, etc. He was definitely at the seat of power. 

The rain was such a life saver for everyone.  

It seems to be a well run city. Below is a photo of the bubble cars that go to the top. 

Aix en Provence

Aix is the birthplace of Cezanne and Victor Hugo. They were friends. Inside this museum are 8 Cezannes. He is considered the founder of Impressionism.  

This is Louis XIV. 

This is a major Cezanne. 

He was also buddies with Giacometti. They have a lot of his stuff. 

This is a little chapel right next door to the museum dating from the Crusades. That stained glass over the altar was novel to me. Many people. Who?  I'll need to research it. 

Aix is famous for all the private mansions. 

This one was given to the city. 

That's all from Aix. It's been over 90 for so long it's just oppressive.