Big Day in Lyon...

Today was a big day. We left early on foot to take a walking tour of Lyon. Lyon has an impressive old town in addition to its modern Metropolitan side. We walked through the commercial district with our guide, Claude. She told us the history of the city and explained how we were situated at the confluence of the Saone and the Rhone rivers. We went into several cathedrals and learned that Lyon was the french seat of Catholicism for some time. We also went into several kinds of ancient homes and learned about the architecture in this special city.

Then we took the funiculaire up to the old city and admired the amazing views. It was cloudy and threatening rain at the beginning of our journey, but the clouds started to part when we go to the top.

We then went into the amazing Basilica Notre Dame de Fourviére. There was a mass going on, but we learned about the gorgeous mosaics on the walls and the history of the cathedral.

After the Basilica we walked down to the Gallo-Roman museum where we saw ancient Roman art and artifacts that had been excavated along with two ancient theaters.

After the museum we went to the larger of the two Roman theaters, where we had to sing...if just to check out the acoustics of the ancient engineering!

At this point we walked to a lovely boulangerie and had a lunch of baguette sandwiches, Croque Monsieur, salad, and a variety of amazing pastries (there have been a lot of pastries on this trip...) Then we walked to a local middle school which was to be the meeting point for our exchange/concert with the Lyon Conservatory students. We changed into performance clothes, met the students from the conservatory, warmed up together and sang for one another and a small audience. Several of our Scouts performed classical solos, and we sang our group numbers. They surprised us with opera, performing The Humming Chorus from Madame Butterfly, and an ensemble version of Habanera from Carmen. We had both rehearsed Fascinating Rhythm separately, and finally had an opportunity to sing it together!

Then they taught us a Danish folk song that we sang in a round.

There was a lovely reception and the students had a chance to meet and mingle. Several made connections and exchange contact info to stay in touch. Then we went out to the rooftop to take photos. The sky had cleared and we were able to see the Alps! At the end of the day we took the funiculaire back down the hill, walked to the hotel and then to a lovely dinner at Bistro Georges, a huge famous restaurant nearby. Long, stimulating day!

David's Dish

Today was a very packed day. Breakfast was slightly rushed and lunch was something we got on the fly. But in contrast, dinner was akin to a festival. It was in an old restaurant which was very crowded, a sign of any regional favorite. We passed the time eating bread, then a lentil salad with an egg. To me, lentils are not something familiar. It was both oddly familiar and completely alien at the same time. It had the texture of beans yet had a similar shape to rice. Still, it was enjoyable. Next came the main dish of chicken and potatoes with a creamy tangy sauce. It was a superbly cooked chicken, and the potatoes were obviously cooked in the chicken juices. There was one issue though; the chicken was dry and did not have enough sauce to go with all that chicken. Same problem with the dessert. The cream filled pie-thingy was just too dry. Yes there was condensed milk, but there was not enough.

Overall 4.2/5

Amazing ambiance.

Tasty food (a bit dry)

Long wait :(

Ps, the vegan desert was a fruit cup which felt more like an airplane’s fruit cup.