5 Days in Dijon and Lyon
Dijon
Dijon is one of Europe’s small scaled towns with one main commercial street, scattered townhouses with its signature yellow and black tiled roofs, and a slow pace. “來這種歐洲的小城市觀光，比較不會有緊迫的感覺” said Mom. Stopping by smaller towns in addition to the bigger cities of a country provides a glimpse of the daily localities, people spirit, and preserved culture.
Stewed beef in red wine and tomatoes is one of Mom’s signature dishes, and this trip to Dijon gave us a taste at one of its the most traditional recipes. Along the burgundy coast, Dijon has established a reputation for wine production (along with the Loire, the Rhone, and Alsace region). Thus, wine is widely applied in regional cuisine, with “Boeuf Bourignon” a signature stew that mixes red wine, tomatoes, garlic, and spices. We visited “Chez Lyon” and it was one of the trip’s gastronomic highlight for Mom, commenting “這是燉的很入味的牛排肉”, precious compliments from Mom for French cuisine haha. Good food brings out good conversation, and we enjoyed the evening accompanied by a bustling ambience and conviviality.
Lyon
Lyon is France’s third largest city, with distinctive districts characterized by its turbulent and rich history dating back to the Romanesque empire. The city developed from the West side to the East side, crossing the rivers the Rhone and the Sahone. We got a great overview of Lyon with a biking tour and a walking tour, balancing the “macro” and “micro” aspects of city overview.
The electric biking tour gave us enhanced speed and mobility in touring the city, thus we zipped through the biking lanes that surrounded the city, from residential areas in Lyon’s East side, the Park de Tete Or (a zoo park with relaxing greenery and huge gardens), Lyon’s pedestrian and bike only tunnel, and the extensive Rhone biking lanes. Under the 20 degrees breeze with radiant sun, I found Lyon to be a mid-sized city that was cyclist friendly, with a cityscape embellished by the 2 rivers that had a softening and beautifying effect. Mom and I enjoyed the electric bikes, as we zipped through the city with ease and comfort. I found Lyon to be a nice mid-sized city to live in, with abundant greenery, good gastronomy, rich historical roots, water cityscapes, and milder weather compared to Paris. Yet, Paris trumps all cities in recreation of arts and architecture, with abundant explorations constantly transforming with the co-existence of the past and modernity.
Mom and I attended Lyon’s free-walking tour, and we followed our guide for 3.5 hours tracing Lyon’s history and contemporary developments under the brisk and sunny weather. It was my second time attending a “free walking tour” in European cities, and I truly enjoyed the concept and experience. Guides were enthusiastic locals building up their own brand in the new economy, with reputation established from online reviews and compensation based on audience perception (tipping).
Our guide Mark started the tour from Lyon’s Bellcour Square, introducing us to Europe’s biggest pedestrian square and Louis 14th statue, one with a turbulent story of construction. It took years to construct, ship (along the sea coast from Paris to Lyon, that took many years), and was beheaded in the French revolution. We continued our trip through the Croisse Rousse murals, the Hotel de Ville, the traboules, and the bridges of Lyon, filled with interesting anecdotes deepening our connection with past and contemporary Lyonnaise society.
