Day 9 - The Chocolate Factory

Bonjour (good morning) to everyone!  I want to share some fun facts about Lyon.  Earlier, I had stated that Lyon is the gastronomical capital of France.  Lyon currently has "14" Michelin Star Restaurants and is home to "22" of the best places to eat in the country.

Did you know that Lyon was the birthplace of cinema?  The Lumiere Brothers created the first motion picture in 1895 and without them, it's unlikely that the film industry would be what it is today.

The best way to traverse Lyon is by bike.  A fact is, that Lyon is where bike rental service was invented.

An artistic fact about Lyon is that New York and Lyon have this in common, both cities feature statues designed by the same sculptor.  Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, who created the "Statue of Libery", also designed the "Fontaine Bartholdi".

Enough of "Fun Facts", let's get on with the tour.

With the sun shining and the temperature in the 70's, it was going to be a great day to go to the Bernachon Chocolate Factory.  Who doesn't love chocolate?

As we approached, the aroma of chocolate lured us into the small shop.  The smell alone made our mouths water with the anticipation of purchasing the various chocolate bars.

Berhachon makes the chocolate itself.  Most shops sell the chocolate they buy, but they don't actually make it.  There are very few chocolate-makers in the world, only 14 exist in the United States.  Bernachon is a small shop, but it is amazing in what they are able to produce.

Their most famous bonbons are the rich, ganache-filled palets d'Or flecked with bits of real gold.  They can barely keep these in the showcase.  One chocolate bar is called "Nuit et Jour(night and day bar, where one side is bittersweet dark chocolate and the other side is smooth milk chocolate).  Moka is made by grinding roasted coffee beans along with cocoa beans for a double-buzz, and Extra Amer is a super-dark bar of chocolate with very little sugar.

After the tour, we all had to have "chocolate".  I hope that the extras that we bought for family and friends make it back to the U.S.

Our next stop is "Les Halles Paul Bocuse".  It is only about a 5 minute walk from the Part-Dieu train station.  It is Lyon's mythic indoor food market with an international reputation for offering the very finest gourmet food.  Paul Bocuse is one of the reasons that Lyon is dubbed France's capital of gastronomy.

It was in 1859 that Lyon opened its first indoor food market in a large metallic structure located at Place Cordeliers in the centre of the city, known as the "Presqu'ile".   In 1971, Les Halles was opened.

There are fruits and vegetables, dried meats, poultry, truffles, spices, flowers and more.  There are also several bars and restaurants.   This was the perfect place for lunch.  Something for everyone.

With full stomachs, we headed to "Parc de la Tete d'Or".  This is a large urban park with 290 acres.  We observed the joggers, cyclists and families and couples boating on the lake.  Walking through the park, we noticed a small zoo with giraffes, elephants, deer, reptiles and other animals.

The sky started getting dark and we could hear thunder rumbling.  We decided it was time to get a taxi and head back to the hotel.  As we were getting our taxis', the rain drops came.  Just as we shut the door on the taxi, the sky opened up and it began to pour.

After eating all day, most of us were not really that hungry.  We decided some cheese and wine would be perfect for our evening meal.  It was going to be an early evening, as we would be traveling to Annecy tomorrow. Annecy is the "Venice of the Alps".

Bonne Soiree(have a nice evening)!

Bernachon's Signature Cake - "Le President"

Parc de la Tete d'Or