Lyon: Part I

I had the lucky privilege of going to Lyon last month to see a very special concert, an homage to Allen Ginsburg with Patti  Smith and Philip Glass. The outdoor concert was high in the hills of Lyon at the Theatres Romains de Fourviere, a Roman theatre-odeum-temple complex that is the oldest in France, built by the order of Augustus from 17-15 BC. It was a hot, sultry night when the concert started at about 9:30PM. Patti Smith came out first and sang some songs with her daughter Jessie and Lenny Kaye accompanying her. She sang a beautiful,timely song dedicated to the memory of Michael Jackson. Afterwards, Philip Glass performed some mesmerizing piano solos including one for the film The Hours, for which he composed the haunting soundtrack. The finale was Patti reading some of Allen Ginsburg's poems and in between telling vivid stories of her close friendship with him, which prefaced the poems. The powerful, potent poem Footnote to Howl seemed to have taken over Patti's body, and her voice soared, reaching a fever pitch as she seemed possessed by the words.

Blown away by the concert but exhausted by the heat, we headed back to our hotel. We stayed at the luxurious and very comfortable Sofitel Lyon Bellecour in an excellent location right in the heart of the city on the river Rhone . The room had chilling air conditioning and I crawled under the soft white sheets and slept like a baby on the firm, cushiony mattress.The next morning, I took an invigorating shower in the spacious, walk-in shower with a wooden bench and used the fresh smelling Hermes soap and body scrub. The concierge was most helpful in helping me navigate the city and giving me advice. I highly recommend the Sofitel Lyon Bellecour if you are planning a trip to Lyon.

We headed out to Le Vieux Lyon, which is the old quarter of the city. I had visited this part of the city last year briefly, but had more time to explore this time around. The ancient architecture dates back to medieval times and hidden passageways known as traboules behind the buildings were used for silk merchants to transport bolts of fabrics. The cool, damp traboules were a welcome relief from the intense heat and the fun part was discovering the mystery behind the each door and where it lead me.We had a long, lazy lunch outside under a white umbrella and ironically had vegetarian salads on the rue de Boeuf.

More great photos of Lyon tomorrow in part two.

Sofitel Lyon Bellecour
20 quai Gailleton, 2nd arr., Lyom
http://www.sofitel.com/gb/hotel-0553-sofitel-lyon-bellecour/index.shtml

  

 

 

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook. First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte’s professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.

Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 3 students, maximum 6 students.

Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Comments

[Paris Hotels]

What a beautiful photos. I love it. You have provided me lot of information in your blogs. Good JOb MAn ! Keep it up!!