Leaving Italy and onto France!

Monday was a travel day again.  Both Jerry and I are beginning to dread them, especially when they come close together.  It's not the travel, but getting TO the travel, that makes him nervous and me exhausted trying not to make it worse. He doesn't sleep the night before, he doesn't like that the suitcases are so heavy...etc.  I just want some coffee and something to eat. :-) Anyway, we took a cab from our hotel in Milan to the train station that is across town (of course not the one that was 1 block away) had some Cappuccino and a croissant (I am really getting into Italian Cappuccino, and now I am leaving 😕), and waited for the train to France.

We were able to board early because the train originated from Milan.  It was a little "older" train car, and our seats had us going backwards, so we changed that right away. (in a train car, about half of the seats face one way and the others face the opposite way.  If there is no one sitting in a seat you can get up and switch).

2 of the three bags we have, purple and red

As I said before, you are totally responsible for your own luggage on a train, so finding a spot close to you so you can watch it, can be easy or hard.  This time it was easy, right behind us. On our car was a family with 2 boys and a little boy (like one year old).  He did not want to sit on his moms lap and fussed a lot.  Also, there were about 12 teenagers from Italy that were on some sort of holiday trip.  Jerry thinks 7th or 8th graders.  No chaperone that we could see (probably up in 1st class or the bar car).  They drove us nuts! Back and forth, yak yak yak!  Oh well.

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Only issue is The Italian Alps!

It was very scenic and if we would have had a quiet car, it would have been bliss.  No problem.  The train to France stops in Chambery, which apparently is a train hub.  From there we would take a local train to Lyon.  More waiting, more lugging suitcases.  We arrived in Lyon at about 4 PM after a very full day of traveling (there was a baby on this train too!😂  ).  Picked up a cab for our hotel, and it was totally on the other side of town.  Lyon is a big city (one of the largest outside of Paris) and we had no maps, etc. so taxi was the only way. 

When I booked this hotel through Expedia, the most important thing was that it was walking distance to the train station,  Well, guess what?  It is, BUT it wasn't OUR train station. 

 It is very nice, in a 14th Century manor house.  Here is our room:

View out the window

After a little rest Jerry went out to see the neighborhood, of which there wasn't any, only the worthless train station, a bus station, car rentals, and the hotel. The other thing Expedia had said was it was right in the middle of town.  And it is, but surrounded by 6 lanes of freeway.  So we ate at the hotel.  Really nice dinner and a beautiful bottle of Burgundy.  Made the day end on a high note.

Hotel dining room

My sausage in Brioche with salad, Yum

Jerry's happy with some wine!

Jerry's Salmon Carpachio, really nice!

Main course comes next

Jerry had Poulet d' Bresse (chicken from Bresse) with craw fish sauce.
To die for!

I had Filet de daurade royale (Seabream, fish filet) with vegetables.

Dessert!  Raspberry creme Moelleux (cake)

Creme Bruĺe᷆ (cream custard with burnt sugar on top)

All in all a beautiful meal to finish a tiring day. And we charged it to the room, so it was free!  (Until we check out)  We slept like logs.  Well, I did and Jerry sort of did.

Today, sunny, warm - 55 or 60 degrees.  We will master the subway and let you know what we see.  Off to Provence tomorrow  so we have to get train tickets for Avignon.  Otherwise we are free birds.  A bientôt! (Until later)