The loo we couldn't find at first

Once we found our hotel in Lyon - which was trickier than you might expect, as the entrance was low key to say the least, we learnt we’d had a room upgrade as we checked in. That doesn’t happen to us so often, so it was quite exciting. As we were shown our room we took it all in our stride as we were shown around, but as soon as she was gone, we were exploring for ourselves, looking out of the window for the view, checking the snacks on the dressing table, the wardrobes with its towelling robes, and the bathroom. It’s just that one thing was missing. And that was the loo.

Seriously.

A huge bath, luxurious toiletries, fluffy towels, a fancy sink. But no loo.

There had to be one. And then in clicked.

It had to be off the mirrored entrance-way…

And so it was, opposite the wardrobe. The brass door knob in the picture above was the only clue we had. And neither of us were quite ready for what was behind that door.

Yes, our very own OTT hand-painted chateau-scene. If It’d have told you beforehand, I’m not sure you would have believed me, and seeing was believing.

It was totally bonkers, and totally made for my Loo Series posts - did they know? And what were the other room’s loos like?

In truth, it was a bit like a caravan loo, just quite a fancy one. But still bonkers.

Only in Lyon. Or is it?

The best wine bar in Lyon

That’s quite some claim and one that got us through the door when we visited back in February. We were staying in a hotel close by, and as is often the way when we stay in hotels, we didn’t need any more food. Well not a full evening meal anyway.

But, what to do of an evening? And this evening in particular was a pretty foul one, so wandering around wasn’t really an option. So that’s how we found ourselves spending our evening in La Cave Des Lyons in the old town, in Place Saint-Paul. We’d walked past it earlier in the day, without really noticing it, which sounds a bad thing, but I don’t think it really is. At that point in time, we were tourists seeing the sites, and hungry tourists at that, who were looking for breakfast.

Yes, after a fabulous meal in our hotel the night before, breakfast as soon as we got up wasn’t needed either. You’re right, this is almost unheard of, but Lyon isn’t a place where we went hungry. The food was plentiful and fantastic, and I seriously came home heavier after just a few days away, even though we walked near and a little bit further around its streets.

As you’d expect the wine bar had plenty of choice and through sheer good fortune and a fair bit of pointing we got ourselves a fairly decent glass of vino, actually a few. We’d hoped for a bottle but maybe that’s just an English thing. Settled into our spot just by the door, which gave us a perfect people spotting spot. The best sort of spot, I think. We could see the whole downstairs area of the bar, peek into the tiny kitchen (through the doorway at the end of the bar), monitor the stairs and even people walking past outside. Or as the evening went on, blow past.

It was turning into quite a foul night outside, the winds getting up and the rain starting again. We didn’t need much more to encourage us to stay put and have another glass. We also opted for food, but only a small amount. A cheeseboard to share. And just as well we shared, it was huge. It also came with a variety of accompaniments, some you’d expect, like nuts, dried fruit and such. But also some that I wasn’t expecting, including sliced banana, which also worried me slightly.

I have no photos of the food - again, too busy eating than photographing - one day I might remember, but I can’t promise that. But actually the banana weirdly worked. I’m not sure I’d add it to my cheeseboards through choice, but I’d probably try it again.

FOR THE RECORD WE DIDN’T POLISH ALL THESE OFF

So was it the best wine bar in Lyons? Quite possibly, though we only tried the one. I’d definitely be up for going back (at some point) to try here again, and some others for comparison. All in the name of research…

Floral street art in Lyon

Shortly after I wrote the previous post, I found myself relenting and looking through my recent photos to see which inspired me. I was looking for some flowery posts, and colour is a little few and far between, but then I spotted this floral street art and an idea started to form.

They’re flowers. It’s Friday. Sorted.

I am sure there is much more symbolism than I’m picking up in the photo below, but that isn’t what makes me smile. Look to the lion’s head, just right of the drainpipe. That’s what made me chuckle, even while I was taking the photo.

But this wasn’t the only floral street art we saw on our wanders around the city. The one below again is inventive, and features a series of floral tributes and hearts, looked over by some tiny figures. Who knows? I don’t, but I can admire its quirkiness.

As we wandered around a different part of the town on Valentine’s Day - a part of town that was uphill and full of steps, which I was fed up with. I rerouted MOH around one of the gentler inclines and that’s when we spotted our red roses. The street art carried along the concrete retaining wall, and was quite an improvement.

The rosebuds popped out the other side of the sprawling bushes too, clearly some thought had gone into this piece of art.