We’ve seen a lot of Vieux Lyon, the old city where we are staying, so we plan to branch out and explore parts of city we’ve yet to see. I want to see the Musee de Beaux Arts de Lyon today. It’s supposed to be reasonably sized and a good mix of art from the 1500s to today.

Lillian gets dressed quickly so she and grandpa can go get croissants for everyone. She seems to have twice the amount of energy with her grandparents around. We enjoy croissants with coffee (finally, a normal coffee maker!).

//Grandpa note: I wish I had twice as much energy.  The medieval stairs were a killer.

Around 12 we set out for Les Halles de Lyon – Paul Bocuse. It’s across town, so we plan to have a nice walk and end there for lunch. It’s overcast and cooler than it has been. We walk across the river to the Place Bellecour. The kids take full advantage of the large open space to ride their scooters. In the center is a large statue of Louis XIV on horseback. There’s surprisingly little around this square–only one restaurant and the tourist office.

//Grandpa note: With Kimberly and Stefan I take every opportunity to sit.

Once we cross the second bridge, we spot a carousel! We walk over to find it is closing and the ride going is the last one. Lillian makes such a disappointed face that the woman working carousel decides she can run it once more just for Lillian and Olaf. The kids are so happy. This is definitely the happiest you can make a kid for 1 Euro. Lillian picks the cup that spins around ferociously; Oly rides in the rocket ship.

The walk to Les Halles is longer than I expect, but it’s interesting to walk through some of the city that seems to host “normal life” compared to the more touristy areas.

//Grandpa note: Maybe a little too much “normal life”.

Les Halles seems split evenly between food stalls and restaurants. The kids get some fruit cups, and we select a place for lunch, Les Garcons Bouchers, because they have a Lyonnaise salad  (Grandpa notes> and because Grandpa had already camped out there with a glass of wine) that looks exceptional (peering over people’s shoulders here). We share a salad, veal with mushrooms and rotisserie chicken. The veal is by far the best. What’s most surprising is that it’s enough food for all 6 of us (4 adults and 2 kids).

We buy some yummy cheese for dinner tonight, and Oly picks out a birthday cake! His birthday is the week after my parents return home, so we want to celebrate early with them. My mom can’t hold onto gifts long, so tonight is a good time. Oly’s ecstatic to run around Les Halles looking for the perfect cake. He finds one surrounded by strawberries. Perfect.

It’s overcast when we walk outside again, and as a result the walk to the museum isn’t too bad. A man is is blowing bubbles while children run around trying to catch them. It’s magical (except for the occasional bicyclist who tries to ride straight through the children). 

The Musee de Beaux Arts de Lyon is off a big square in the center of town. We enter a calm courtyard centered around a fountain and with statues throughout. Then we enter the museum. It’s very affordable, though we learn one of the permanent modern art exhibits is closed due to renovations. Bummer.

The kids use the free tablets, which are pretty worthless. I recommend spending the extra Euro on an audioguide, which correlates to many works throughout the museum.

This museum is unique in how much variety it has in a relatively small space. We still spent an hour and a half in the museum, but we saw so much. The bottom level is all gorgeous marble statues that capture the imagination, then you head upstairs to see Egyptian pieces. On the next floor there’s a lot of European religious art from the 1600s onward. While there is a small section dedicated to more recent artists such as Monet, the closure of the modern art section is a real loss for us. We don’t appreciate the older art as much. My mom, on the other hand, could have spent another hour perusing.  

We walk back to the house, stopping at Picard, a favorite shop of mine that sells French frozen food. I make dinner at home, and we finally all get to enjoy the backyard patio property. 

There’s a beautiful view overlooking the city. It feels so perfectly summer to sit outside, eat good food and drink good wine. Oly falls down but is super pleased to wear three Mickey Mouse Bandaids. 

My parents give Stefan his birthday gift. I suppose because we are going to celebrate Oly’s birthday tonight. Stefan receives an Amazon Echo, which we’ve been eyeing. Very cool, and we look forward to playing with it.

//Grandpa note: And because Debbie cannot wait to give her presents.

We celebrate Oly’s 3rd birthday early tonight with the cake he selected at Les Halles. We find three candles in a drawer here at the Airbnb and sing to him. We can barely get the candles to light from the wind, but he doesn’t care at all. He is beyond happy. Once all the slices are served, Oly swaps his small piece for the remainder of the cake. He was obviously just giving us a little piece of HIS cake. How can we argue with that?!

My parents give him the rest of the gifts they brought for him, which include a set of whimsical mustaches, a bowling set and a set of binoculars.

The kids get to watch a little movie on my dad’s iPad, which he’s loaded with all sorts of new films for them. We all sit outside, watching the sun set.

//Grandpa note: And the skies were clear enough that we could see Mont Blanc in the distance just to the right of the brown office tower.  The day before my mean family insisted that it was only clouds on the horizon.  It was fun because we could tell Lillian that was where we were driving this weekend.