After a quick walk to the train station to hop on the “A” Metro, we get to Bellecour Square lickety split to meet our wine tour guide. Olivier arrives promptly at 8:50 am as do the other 5 people on the tour. They comprise a mother-daughter from Austria. Daughter is a professional musician (the recorder) and mom is a stay-at-home mom. There is a young couple from Washington, DC, but currently living in Austria (both computer geeks, he works for the UN in cyber security-no shortage of work there these days!). A single, middle-aged woman from Australia, travelling alone. She is dressed to the nines all the way down to her SUPER pointy, high heels. She apparently did not get the memo that walking shoes should be worn. We were sure she would snap an ankle while maneuvering the cobblestone streets and alleys of Perouges, a medeivel village that was our last stop. More on Perouges later.

Really?

Olivier narrated as we serpentined on one lane roads through the countryside to the north of Lyon. The city behind us, our eyes were treated with nestled villages of  centuries-old stone buildings and castles either tucked down in valleys or perched on hilltops, with fortressed walls to protect from ancient marauding armies.  We briefly visited the villages of Charnay, then Chessy le Mines where they used to mine copper. The mines closed some years ago due to low commodity prices.

“Yellow village” built from iron-bearing limestone. Oxidized iron. Turns stone amber yellow.

The villages in this area are called the “yellow villages” for the color of the stone from which the buildings have been constructed since of the 12th century. It is iron-bearing limestone and as the ferrous mineral oxidizes, it turns the rock a warm amber color. However, many homes built-in present day are built from concrete due to costs.

Lunch was at a restaurant in a gorgeous village on a mountaintop where we devoured local fare. Goat cheese salad, frogs legs, salmon,prawns, and beef filled our bellies, while the ubiquitious wine quenched our thirst and livened up conversation.

We visited a small, family-owned winery and were greeted by the owner, Etienne, who described how he grows and tends the vines, harvests and processes the grapes to achieve his wonderful wines.

Vineyard owner, Etienne

Sampling wines in Etienne’s cellar

On to Perouges ~ an incredible medeivel, walled village about 36 kilometers northeast of Lyon. The original Three Musketeers movie was filmed on location here. A no brainer there!

Perouges medeivel village

Pig roasting for village celebration in Perouges

Returning to Lyon in a downpour with thunder and lightening, Olivier delivered us to within a couple blocks of our apartment. We finished the evening trying to consume the remaining foodstuffs in the frig before we headed off in the morning for Le Puy while listening to an audio book entitled “The Geography of Bliss” as the author described his experiences in Iceland. GET THIS AUDIO BOOK–HILARIOUS!!

Dinner our last night in Lyon. Nice, eh?

Next chapter ~ off to Le Puy en Velay!