Becoming a Francophiliac

There were two things we needed to do in Lyon before moving on. First, we have to eat at  Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse . If Lyon is the food capital of France, then their legendary covered market must be the center of the universe for French gastronomy. The history of the original covered market goes all the way back to 1859, but the building was expanded and rebuilt in 1971 and renamed Les Halles de Lyon. Legend has it that Mr. Bocuse (Lyon's star chef with three Michelin stars which he kept for 54 years) shopped at this very market way back when he was a working chef and sourced the supplies for his restaurants here. In 2006, after a complete redesign and modernization effort, Mr. Bocuse offered to lend his name to the new building which is now known as Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse. There are many "food halls" in France with the centuries-old Paris Les Halles being the most famous. Perhaps Brasserie Les Halles in New York City might come in second because that is th...

CroisiEurope is a French company with a fleet of over 40 river boats that cruise all of Europe's major rivers. My first CroisiEurope experience was two years ago when I booked their Prague-based Vltava River cruise. The experience was so perfect that I swore allegiance to this company immediately. When it came time to choose a second riverboat trip, we went to the CroisiEurope website immediately and didn't bother researching any other options. This time we chose a cruise based in Lyon (the so-called food capital of France). Both experiences were identical: first class service, the most amazing gourmet French food, all-you-can-drink wine, beer, cocktails, aperitifs, digestives any time of the day or night. On both trips, the crew were amazingly friendly, very accommodating, and genuinely enjoying their jobs which prioritizes keeping their clients happy. Every cliché about French people being snobby gets thrown out the window the second you step on one of their boats. CroisiEur...

Going to France is a big deal. To really appreciate France, you shouldn't just hop on a plane to Paris and go visit the Eiffel Tower. One has to know at least a little about French culture, travel a little bit around Europe first, drink a little wine, and then perhaps work your way up to the Holy Grail of travel destinations. I didn't realize it, but I've been preparing myself for this trip of a lifetime most of my life. It all started in high school when my psychology teacher took me to see Black Moon , my first French film. I didn't understand the movie, but I immediately knew this one was different. This was an "art" film. Later, when the director's name appeared on the poster for Pretty Baby  and I intuitively became aware of what I later learned was called the " auteur theory" (a French invention). Soon I was following Louis Malle, then Francois Truffaut, Alain Resnais, and later Michel Gondry -- and I became a film geek. Then there were th...