(Lyon, France)

After the idyll of Largentière, it was a bit of a culture shock to step off the train in Lyon. It’s the second-largest city in France, and the Part-Dieu station was just as noisy and crowded as you might expect. The unspoiled fresh air of Largentière was…not quite as evident here either.

But there are some benefits of being in a cosmopolitan urban centre. I had a dizzying array of dinner choices, and was pleased to see a cluster of interesting restaurants within 5 minutes of my hotel. I decided to try Messob, an Ethiopian restaurant that appeared to combine good food with pleasant surroundings. I’ve written a lot about Ethiopian cuisine, and love to try out new restaurants serving this tasty food.

My first impression: most of the patrons were Ethiopian and wearing traditional clothing. It turned out that a fundraising dinner was being held for the local Ethiopian church: the food was served buffet-style and you could take whatever you liked. I decided to give it a shot. The food was delicious, but I took no pictures of the food or the interior. It didn’t seem right, even though the traditional clothing (and the restaurant itself) looked great.

In honour of the occasion, the restaurant was also serving a special beverage called tej. The waiter tried to explain it to me. I wasn’t exactly sure what I would be getting. I knew there was honey in it, but beyond that I struggled a bit. He said it also contained gesho, but couldn’t translate that further. I couldn’t even tell if tej was alcoholic or non-alcoholic. It is strange to start drinking something without knowing exactly what it is.

My glass of tej was definitely alcoholic. And it was also very good. When I got back to my hotel, my research revealed that tej is an Ethiopian form of mead (honey wine). Gesho is a bittering agent, similar to hops, which offsets the honey’s sweetness. If you ever have an opportunity to try authentic tej, I recommend it!

I slept well after my Ethiopian feast. The next day, the weather was great and I set out relatively early to do some sightseeing. While I had been in Lyon last year, it was in late February and the weather was gray and cool. I also didn’t make it to the truly old part of the city. That was my goal on this trip, as Vieux-Lyon is a renowned destination for travellers.

It seemed like every tour group in town was visiting the Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste. The cathedral reminded me vaguely of the duomo in Orvieto, Italy. Rather than follow the throngs, I decided to head up the steep hill that loomed over the cathedral. I found a narrow, deserted street that looked promising. It was a really tough grind…straight up without a break.

At the top (in the Fourvière district) I was rewarded with a great view of the big city. But I also found something else … stay tuned for the details!