Lyon has been on my list since I discovered Bernachon chocolates over 10 years ago. For the longest time, the only two places that you can purchase their chocolate bars was from their flagship location in Lyon or this chocolate shop owned by the cutest lady in the Pigalle district, Paris. While I had the option to connect from SFO to CDG to LYS, I chose to take the 2 hr direct train from CDG instead for two reasons: I didn't want the 3-4 hour layover and also, the airport is an hour away from Lyon center. I arrived in Lyon by mid-day, checked into the Intercontinental Hotel which looks to be a museum of a building and took the metro to Bernachon chocolates.. seems to be one of the few shops that was opened on a Sunday outside of the Old Town.
Day 1.5 in Lyon, I spent roaming the cobbled streets of the Old Town. Peaking into various shops, spending probably a bit much at a particular toy shop for the kids, and marveling at the quietness of the town itself. Lyon is known for their food and architecture and neither disappointed. The best meal I had was at a chef's menu multi course vegetarian restaurant, Culina Hortas. I unknowingly walked in without a reservation and luckily, they had a table for me. Note to everyone: reservations recommended!
Day 2.5 was spent in the main part of town in between the two rivers but first, a trip up to the Basilica of Notre Dame. An architecture gem seem across from all of Lyon sitting on a hill. It's the only thing that's opened in the early morning other than boulangeries. Walking the quiet streets lined with shops reminded me of Le Marias of Paris. Lyon feels that way.. a quiet and peaceful Paris. I remember seeing a youtube video not that long ago of a solo traveling gal who was in tears because she said people in Lyon was mean to her. Luckily, that was not my experience at all. The funniest encounter that I had was probably a shop owner letting me know that I can speak English when I was attempting to communicate with the very few French words and phases that I knew. Pastries are divine in France but I will say, America has chocolate chip cookies down. France tries but their cookies are so subpar to their croissants and pastries.
My fourth time in Paris and it never gets old! Although, it was a bit of a sensory shock going from quiet and relatively empty Lyon to a crowded Paris full of moving humans! Every time I come to this city, there's always something new that's developed. When I was here two years ago, there was one cafe offering matcha. Now, you can find it on just about every other block! This time in Paris, I decided to focus on Le Marais which now has one of my favorite shops, Merci and the Latin Quarter which is full of architectural gems itself. It was also my first time exploring Place des Vosges. The great thing about having gone to Paris multiple times is that I can now just explore the more local gems vs the tourist gems. There's a cute little street that reminds me a lot of London in Rue Cremieux. There's the most charming little lane called Commerce Saint-Andre that is lined with restaurants and shops. I did visit inside the newly renovated Notre Dame as they had just reopened after closing due to the fire five years ago. I had planned to just walk by since I had read about the long lines of people trying to get into the cathedral but on a random February Thursday morning, there were no lines to enter and so in I went. The next time I return, I will definitely spend more time in these areas as I discover more local gems and maybe I'll finally make that visit inside the Louvre.
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