Summer Travel Plans!

We've had a few rainy days, but for the most part it has been beautiful in Paris for the last couple of weeks.  Melanie and I really have the travel bug right now so we are excited for our upcoming trip to Ireland (our first time), but we haven't made any specific plans yet.  Our daughter Autumn is coming for a short visit next month (yay!!) and we'll probably head off to Ireland after she leaves.

Incidentally, Autumn's visit was supposed to be a surprise for Melanie's birthday, but she bought her plane tickets using a joint bank account and Melanie happened to get online and see a picture of the check. I came home from work that day and heard, "Why did Autumn write a check and make a note that it's for Portugal and France trip???"

"Uh... err... I have no idea.  I have to go to the restroom..."

I slunk off to the bathroom and immediately texted Autumn to see what she wanted me to do. From the kitchen I heard Melanie yell: "Are you texting Autumn right now"?

"Uh... err...  no..."

Shit.

It's probably just as well that the secret got out, as I'm not very good at keeping those damn things. After Autumn and I made our secret plans I caught myself, more than once, saying to Melanie, "When Autumn comes-- comforts... when Autumn COMFORTS her cats... I wonder what... she... um... says to them?" To which Melanie would reply, "...what!?  What is WRONG with you???"

Autumn won't be here until the middle of August, so in the meantime we would like to take some short weekend trips to explore France, and I'm happy to report that we have finally decided on our initial getaway!

First, we're going to spend a day in Lyon, the third largest city in France and supposedly one of the gastronomic capitals of the world.  (Paul Bocuse, the world famous French chef, has a 3 star restaurant there, and we're thinking about splurging on a meal!)

Lyon, a city in France’s Rhône-Alpes region, sits at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers.

Then, the following day, we're traveling to Pérouges, a medieval walled town about 30 km northeast of Lyon.

Pérouges is perched on a small hill that overlooks the plain of the Ain River.

According to Wikipedia, Pérouges was founded in the 1100's by a Gallic colony returning from Perugia in Italy.  In those early days it was mostly inhabited by craftsmen, farmers and linen weavers.

French maïs hanging above the patio of a restaurant. I think this is at the hotel where we will be staying.

In 1167, the Seigneur d'Anthon famously shut the commune's walls against the troops of the Archbishop of Lyon, and as early as 1236 the inhabitants earned communal freedom.

Pérouges is often used as the setting for period films by French directors and others.

In 1601 the town officially became French, and until the end of the 18th century, the textile industry in Pérouges boomed. In the 19th century, however, roads and railroads were re-routed and the population dropped from 1,500 to 90. Starting in about 1911, the town was restored and many of the original houses were saved.

Although a very small town there are several excellent restaurants in Pérouges.

Here are a couple of shots of our hotel:

We will be staying at the Ostellerie de Pérouges,in the heart of town.

The restaurant serves regional specialties like morel mushrooms, crayfish, and the famed Bresse chicken.

Even the rooms have a certain old world charm.

We're very excited and I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures and stories to share when we get home!