Lyon: Part Deux

Lyon last weekend was wonderful!! It was nice, because last time I went to visit Mallory in Lyon we saw all the tourist stuff...so this weekend was more laid back. My train was a bit delayed Saturday night and I was pretty hungry when I got there, so we went straight to McDonalds (known to the French as McDo - pronounced "mac-doe"). I know what you're thinking, but Mickey D's doesn't have the same bad reputation here as it does in the states. I was actually really curious to see what all the fuss is about...it's actually semi-respectable here. I guess more like a California Pizza Kitchen?? Hard to explain. Anyways, it was the only thing that was open and I was starving so we went in. In case you have never seen the movie Pulp Fiction, please watch the following clip (around the 1:00 mark) to guess what I ordered off the menu.

Yes, it is really called a Royale with Cheese. And yes, they really do eat everything with mayo. And no, it wasn't all that disgusting. Not my first choice, though...

Mallory's Thanksgiving package that her parents sent her didn't arrive until after Thanksgiving, so we had some extra supplies and decided to make another mini one - Thanksgiving Light, if you will. We went to a pretty open air market on the river to get fresh veggies and a roasted chicken (a well deserved short cut/alternative to the turkey). It was really cold, but super pretty. Even though it had stopped snowing the day before, everything was still snow capped. Everyone was bundled and there were christmas decorations everywhere. It was magical :)

Here are the very few pictures I managed to take before my fingers froze from taking my gloves off:

That last one is the view from Mallory's apartment window. After walking around the shop and making a pitstop at Starbucks to refuel, me, Mal, and her friend Jess went back to Mal's place and whipped up dinner. A couple friends came by, we ate and listened to music, and by the end everyone was really sleepy - that's how you know you did Thanksgiving right.

The next day, Mallory had work so I slept in. On her break we went to Starbucks yet again, and after I walked around Lyon for a bit while Mal went back to work. I finally got myself some warm and cozy winter clothes! Oh how sunshine-y LA jaded me into thinking temperatures below 50 don't really exist... That night Mal, Jess, and I got dinner at L'epicerie - a cozy little restaurant that serves a variety of tartines. Mine was brie with honey and almonds, yum. We also had the joy of drinking some vin chaud while we waited for our table. This translates literally as "hot wine", and is just that - with some mulled spices mixed in, like a combination of wine and hot apple cider. Surprisingly delicious :) After dinner, we grabbed a drink at the James - Mal's local spot - then headed home.

This week in Lyon was the Fête Des Lumières - basically a festival of lights once a year to thank Mary for protecting the city back in 1643 from the plague. The whole city is lit up and everyone puts candles in their windowsills. Unfortunately, I left the day before the festival started...BUT I did get a sneak peak of the cathedral at night before I left:

The week since then has been pretty mellow...just workin' and going to school. I'll keep you all posted if anything exciting happens, but do keep in mind that I spend most of my time in the house with the baby! I generally measure how well my day went based on how many diapers I had to change. Some days are magnificent, others are...well...shitty.

Happy Friday!