Heading towards the sea - Lyon and Marseille, France

After a week in Paris we took a train to Lyon and then drove down to Marseille.

First stop Lyon - a city in the centre of France, with two rivers running through it. The old town dates back to the 16th century - is covered in cobble stone roads, filled with many hidden passageways and has a charming character.

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Market - along the Saône river, every Saturday local farmers are found selling many fresh and prepared foods. We bought some veggies, fruit, meat, a dip and some snacks to enjoy nearby for lunch.

Frescos - one of the things Lyon is known for are beautiful murals on their city walls. It's as if you're walking through an outdoor art gallery. A particularly special fresco is one with famous Lyon citizens painted on it.

Boutique Pralus (Chocolate + Praline Shop) - when in Lyon it’s a must to try their sweet bread filled with candied pralines. It’s similar to a Ukrainian Easter bread “babka” - since it has a fluffy texture. The pralines in the bread are coated in rose-coloured sugar, making it extra sweet and tasty!

Nacre - an Oyster bar in the old town, which opened only in the fall of 2021 serves many French classics and some melt in your mouth oysters. The staff was very friendly and the food was wonderful. We were very glad we found it.

*Oysters - Fines + Speciales Marennes Oleron

*Dried Sausage from Maison Bobosse

*Duck "Pate en croute" with Pistachios

*Vintage Sardines + Potato Salad with olive oil

*Creamy Lemon Tart

Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste - in the middle of the old town sits the large Cathedral. Inside the cathedral is an astronomical clock from the 14th century, back when the citizens thought that the sun circles around the earth. The clock keeps the time and shows the positioning of the sun, moon and stars above the city. It was accurate up until 2019, and it's now been stopped to be restored.

Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière - located on the hill, it can be seen from every corner of Lyon. We took a funicular to get up to the top and to visit the church. The inside is covered in blue, green and gold mosaics which depict biblical events. Behind the church there’s a nice view over old and new Lyon.

Traboules (hidden passageways) - found all over the old and new town of Lyon. These “secret” passageways were used by silk merchants to transport their products. It was cool to explore the traboules and see where they led us.

#StandwithUkraine in Lyon - the Ukrainian and Syrian communities organized protests against current wars and against Putin. We spent our Sunday afternoon chanting phrases in French, Arabic and Ukrainian, listening to heartbreaking stories and standing for peace, against both wars. We spoke with many refugees from Ukraine and helped with translation into French/English were needed. Lyon was also covered in flags, and the biggest one was plastered outside the Lyon Opera.

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Next up Marseille - in the south of France, overlooking the sea, this port city is home to a diverse population, with many individuals from North African and Middle Eastern countries.

La Vieille Charité - in the 17th century this building was used to house immigrants before they found a home or those needing a place to stay after losing employment. Now it’s home to an archeological museum and also showcases other art exhibits.

Cathédrale La Major - overlooking the sea, this neo-Byzantine cathedral was built in the 19th century. Inside we found a miniature version of Bethlehem, with a detailed depiction of the birth of Jesus.

Cookiss - right across from the cathedral is a shop selling cookie dough and baked cookies, with flavours ranging from matcha to oreo, peanut and lotus. We found it accidentally, like all hidden gems I’ve found during this trip, and we loved every little bit.

*peanut butter cookie

*lotus cookie - cookie dough

Ubud - this Indonesian restaurant served delicious traditional dishes. The owners thought of every detail when trying to transport guests to Indonesia for the evening, from the fruity drinks, street-like food, to décor and atmosphere. It was an amazing experience!

*Bakwan Sayur - fried vegetable cakes

*Octopus with a mango salsa

*Sate Kambing - Lamb skewers with a peanut sauce

*Dadar Gulung - Dessert green crepe with coconut and palm sugar

*Mango passionfruit daiquiri

*Coconut mojito

Old port - this long stretch features various museums, restaurants and shops. There were many boats parked in the port of course, and one even had a Ukrainian flag, see if you can spot it!!

Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde - after a long climb up a hill and up several staircases we made it to the basilica. Purposefully situated at the top, overlooking the city and the Mediterranean sea, Notre Dame (Mother Mary) watches over sailors, fishermen and the people of Marseille. Inside the church there are many paintings of boats sailing through storms and toy boats hanging from the ceiling.

#StandwithUkraine in Marseille - Ukrainian flags were spotted during the day and buildings were lit up in blue and yellow by night. The support was seen and felt in various ways. While driving out of Marseille, we spotted a sign, which I'm sure all understand and feel strongly about - "F*ck Putin".

Слава Україні! Героям Слава!

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P.S. On the way out of Marseille we stopped in Aix-en-Provence, a short 30mins drive from the city. This French town is home to many students and retired folk. It was also home to my "mama" (mother) in 1980-81 when she was a student in her third year of university. She showed me around the city and we explored the various outdoor street markets - food, clothing, and flowers. It's a nice city with many bakeries selling the traditional Provence almond cookies - Calissons.

Next up, I'm heading east along the coast of France, quick stop in Monaco and then ending off in Nice!