Dimanche et Lundi avec Amy (Sun/Mon w/Amy)

On Sunday, Amy and I started along the Saone river at the creation market (where they sell art and hand made creations). Amy found a little man with a stand who explained in great detail how he drew his various Lyonnais prints. She bought 3 (for only 15 euros!) to decorate her apartment at home. We also found a jewelry stand (and I may or may not have bought someone a present).

Lindsey met us there and we took Amy to our new fondue restaurant find (the wooden one)... which coincidentally also does raclette. It was a perfect raclette day, kinda gloomy and chilly (but it thankfully cleared up while we were eating). This was the third way I've seen raclette served... they gave us a hot plaque thingy where we put our cheese and then dumped it on our potatoes/deli meats/salad. No matter how the cheese is melted, either in an individual frying pan, from a half cheese wheel, or on the plaque thingy, it all tastes pretty delicious. (Amy seconds this deliciousness...)

After our yummy cheese, we went to the yummy macaron store... which sold a bajillion different flavors. A macaron is a little meringue cookie with a filling (kind of like a gourmet oreo). The man let us taste test one each, and then we picked out 3 each... eating them all immediately. Next, we went into St. Jean (which is still covered up by scaffolding). We saw that the old clock would go off at 2, 3, and 4, so we decided to try to catch it later. We left and rode the funicular up to Fourviere hill (praying hill) to show Amy the Notre Dame Basilica. She was just astonished at its beauty (her words, not mine). It is pretty spectacular:)

Lindsey guided us towards the left of the church to the Roman Ruins. The last time I went, we went a different way and I had no clue they were so next-door-neighborly. We started at the top of the big amphitheater, walked down to the bottom, and asked a kind old lady to take our picture. She took 2 really good ones. Then, we went to the Odeon (smaller amphitheater) where Amy showed off her Roman acting talent (on stage).

From there, we went back down to Vieux Lyon via other funicular to go back into St. Jean to see the old 14th century clock go off. The little figurines turn and dance at the top while a little chime thing sounds. It was about 20 seconds of coolness. Guess that's all you can expect from a clock built 7 centuries ago.

Then, we went to the MINIATURE MUSEUM (haha get it, it's in all caps). Anyway, this was an interesting 5 euros spent. The first floor was a creepy movie set of some movie with Dustin Hoffman... the rose murder or something? The next floor was movie memorabilia (which explains the picture of Stuart Little). The last two floors was everything in miniature size (food, furniture, rooms, shoes, people, etc.). It was like a doll house maker's dream come true. Many of my pictures of the mini scenes actually look like real rooms... the one in the picture was titled "Manhattan." There were also little pieces of paper cut into tiny figures... like a really detailed tree the size of a penny. Huh. (I wondered who has this much time on their hands to discover how to cut tiny images into paper?) The building itself was beautiful and almost worth the money just to be inside... but the miniature things were pretty neat too.

After the excitement of the mini museum, we went to a crepe cafe for some dinner-desert. I had a lemon crepe, but Amy had an AMAZING crepe tatin, which was basically apple filling in a crepe with whipped cream on top. Yumz. (She wants to eat this for dinner every night). After crepes, we said adios to Lindsey and went to the Place des Terreaux (favorite horse fountain and Hotel de Ville). We went inside the Hotel de Ville, which I've never seen open to the public, but it was showing some weird kid Russian art exhibit.... We got on the metro after that and headed home:)

Today, I went to school (while Amy, the bum, slept in). I was being observed by a conseilleur pedagogique (pedagogical advisor?) who followed me around, gave me suggestions after each class, and I tried my best to integrate them into my next lesson. She was sort of annoyed that I was in each class for such a short period of time... but that's not my fault. She was nice and I appreciated some of her ideas... and after classes she told me I had good "teaching presence" in the classroom, whatever that means. So... at least I haven't lost everything I learned in my teaching training...

After I got back, Amy and I made lunch and headed back into Lyon. We had planned on going to the Resistance Museum, but of course it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.... so that won't be happening while she's here unfortunately. Instead, we decided we'd go to the Musee des Beaux-Arts (the art museum I've been to, but never completely finished). But first, we started off in Vieux Lyon, because I needed to use the free public facilities. Then, we miraculously caught a bus (one of like 4 that I know) from Vieux Lyon to Place Bellecour (the red square). We took some pics of Louis XIV... and hopped on the metro to Croix-Rousse (the working hill). We saw the view of Fourviere hill (praying hill) and walked down a bunch of steps through the winding streets of Croix-Rousse. We took a pit-stop to see the last of the Lyonnais Roman Ruins.

We ended up in Place des Terreaux again, so Amy could see the fountain in the daylight... and then into the Museum which is right next to it. The Museum got a few more cool points because th floor that I missed out on was the sculpture collection... which had a few more Rodin pieces... and a baby Statue of Liberty.

Last, but certainly not least, we went to find pink praline brioches. En route, we went inside St. Nizier (the church with the huge organ inside) and went to a very exciting Christmas store. We spotted a boulangerie across the way. Amy bought a pink praline bricohe galette... which meant that the pink juice was a little runny (well, that's what it was doing). I bought a rock with some pink pralines thrown in. It was actually called a croquant praline... which just as it sounds, means crunchy, crack your tooth, praline cookie. Amy, needless to say, devoured hers... I more or less sucked on the stupid cookie.... trying not to break a tooth. It was good, but I will not be buying it again. I'd rather have runny pink juice bread than rock cookie.

Now we're chez moi (at my place) about to make some din din and get ready for another day at school/bumming around. It is also a strike day tomorrow, so we'll see how far we get on the tram... it may be a St. Priest castle/village afternoon with some Porte des Alpes shopping thrown in the mix... just depends! We also have to go to bed super early because Wed. morning we are leaving my apartment at 5:15 am to catch our train to Avignon. YUCK and exciting.

More later! Reste Cool:)

Amy and Lindsay