On the Road Again....... Paris to Nitry to Lyon, Rhône-Alpes, France

Leaving Paris after a three-week stay, we motored south enroute to Lyon. We stopped in the small town of Nitry for lunch on the way. We stumbled upon a local restaurant, La Beursaudière Auberge, and had an excellent lunch. It was somewhat off the beaten track and seemed to be filled with mostly locals - young, old, businessmen, families, couples, kids, dogs, nursing mothers, waitresses in long dresses looking like it was hundreds of years ago. It all seemed so, well, French - the looks, the sounds, the ambiance - we were apparently the only Americans in the place.

The countryside along the way was reminiscent of rural Pennsylvania/Maryland/Virginia in the United States.

Old stone houses.

A country lane in Nitry.

Arriving in Lyon, we were out and about quickly. Lyon is the second most populated city in France (behind Paris) and we stopped there for two nights enroute to southern France. It is a bustling area with one of the largest economies in all of Europe. The region abuts Switzerland and Italy on the east side. The Rhône and Saône rivers join in the center of Lyon on their way to the Mediterranean Sea. We stayed right downtown and spent what little time we had there mostly on the Saône River side of town.

Friday and Saturday morning featured a produce market along the Saône River.

The old town section of Lyon, (Vieux Lyon), featured great narrow streets with beautiful warm, golden light.

And always, folks hanging out in the sunshine at sidewalk cafes.

At this cafe, the crepe maker in the blue shirt and white apron is ready to ply his craft right there outside - he had a customer shortly after this photo was made - that would be me.

Many folks seem to opt for the standard coffee, a cigarette, and a sweet.

One of the grand plazas/squares in the city, Place des Jacobins.

I enjoyed the light on this bicycle.  And speaking of bicycles......

The town has a very robust bike-share program, dedicated bike lanes painted in the streets, and all types of folks using bikes for commuting, shopping, visiting, etc.

But if bicycles aren't your style, this shiny well-loved Harley-Davidson might just be what you need.