Last week my mother visited Lyon (after, first, visiting the airport in Paris for longer than necessary), and we hopped around both the city and its environs. By its environs, I mean Geneva. Isn't it nice to live in a city with other cities nearby? That are easy and relatively inexpensive to visit? Yes.
In Geneva, we played giant chess (which, I won somehow. maybe pulling memories from the depths of my brain of chess strategies from childhood years of playing chess with my father? the world will never know!!), ate fondue, and didn't see the Jet d'Eau because it was inexplicably turned off. The weather was wonderful.
The fondue in Geneva was steamy and came with only bread to dip into the cheese. My mother was somewhat disappointed -- a condition relieved only by a healthy pour of the wine that we snuck into the restaurant and a promise from me of staging a fondue party for her this summer (so, Tanya and Keith, if you are reading: be prepared!!!). Then she set the table on fire and we ran away. For real.
On Wednesday we went to Annecy, which is beautiful.
I made us to go a restaurant near a canal to eat the regional speciality - tartiflette. Nt only was it delicious, but also, while sitting there, we got to eavesdrop on the people sitting next to us. There were two women talking about their past. From the bits and pieces I caught: one of them had a husband who had been thrown into jail for some humanitarian work or political work and then, something went wrong, and someone assumed that he was a terrorist. Yikes!
Going to all of these cities with lakes reminded me of how much I want to live near water and own a boat. Preferably a cute boat with both paddle and motor capacities (let's be honest: I know next to nothing about boats. but there's time to learn!).
On Saturday, Mom's last day in Lyon, we went on a macaron trek. Though first turning her nose up at my suggestion of savory macaron's, my mother was won over by the fois gras macaron and then was compelled to try the gorgonzola, the mushroom, and the olive and rye flavors.
Later that night, I made a potato gratin and salmon with morel cream sauce (and bought some Comte and Gex cheeses) to go with my newly purchased Vin Jaune . I'd wanted to try it ever since I learned of its existence (thanks, awful Geography of Wine class) and, in fact, Joe and I were going to go to the Percée du Vin Jaune in February until we learned that, to go, it would cost five times more than just buying a bottle. So, I waited. And finally the time was right to give it a try (note the year: 1995!!!).
It tasted like walnuts and went perfectly with the cheese (the other food, though I cooked as was directed by the people who sold me the wine, I'm not positive about). It was really interesting, but I lacked the strong emotion about it that was promised by numerous wine sellers ("You will either love it or hate it! There is no in between!"). Still, probably the best wine that I'll ever buy (at least, until I start making real money).
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