The Yogurt Aisles

Each trip to the supermarket brings me so much joy, much more so than in New Zealand. The aisles are stacked with french delights and even the frozen section is quite exciting. But as I wander through the cheese and meat aisles I know that I'm getting closer to the true reason that has brought me here... The yoghurt aisle! A whole aisle dedicated to yoghurt, and sometimes there are even two! My heart leaps and wobbles indecisively as I decide on what to take this time round! They are often packaged in glass jars which make the perfect vessel for flowers or paintbrushes. The best kinds are thick, creamy and taste like the fruit has just been picked from the tree. So, I am eating a lot more yoghurt than before. I wish I could take them all back to New Zealand with me when I return. With such a huge dairy industry back home, I wonder why there aren't options of incredible yoghurts like there is in France! What a pity.

La petite cuisine

When we first moved into our apartment, I was a little worried about the size of the kitchen. I love cooking and when I realised the reality of living in an apartment in France - a two-hob stove top, little-to-no bench space and no dishwasher - I thought cooking might be impossible. But, now that I'm used to our wee kitchen, I love it. Everything fits perfectly; each dish and pot has it's place, and I must say, having a spinning spice-rack makes my day.

My absolute favourite feature, is the circular window - perfect for staring out of while stirring at the stove top.

La Boulangerie de la Martinière

I am always plotting a little plan when we're off to explore Lyon... Is it possible to go past La Boulangerie de la Martinière? Tim: "We're on the opposite side of the city Grace...". Sometimes, I wrangle it. My good friend Sophie showed us this magical place on our first day in Lyon. Thanks Soph. Inside, the walls are covered in antique tiles which form a fairytale-esque drawing. Birds fly above snow-covered-castles and leaves fall onto crashing waves as I choose a treat for the day. This place is particularly special and every baked delight is worth crossing the city for!

Les Cordonneries

In France there are specialised shops for almost everything; cheese, wine, meat, fish, bread, cakes, chocolate and the list goes on. In each neighbourhood you can be sure to have the choice of at least 10 boulangerie (bakeries) and a handful of fromagerie (cheese shop), boucherie (butcher), poissonnerie (fish shop). When we moved to the Croix-Rousse, our friend Julie who we're renting our apartment from, took us on a tour of her favourite specialised shops. Now we have our favourite boulangerie etc. Honestly, the choice of boulangerie is ridiculous! There are so many. Today I visited our local cordonnerie which is situated in a lovely old building! A young vibrant man owns the place and he kindly punched a hole in my phone case, for free. 

cordonneries specialise in shoe repairs

the workshop space with beautiful wooden floors

Lost in Translation

I have lost my confidence a bit while trying to get by using the small amount of French that I know.

The other night we were invited to have an apéro (shortened word of 'apéritif' - small drinks and snack before a meal). The couple who invited us were a lovely pair whom we were introduced to through our friend who we're subletting from. The French couple spoke only French (quite normal as we're living in a French speaking country!). So, there we are at their house only speaking French and I'm understanding mostly everything well. Boy, I even feel confident. Until, I feel the need to express my opinion. My face screws up searching for the words I need, "je pense...". Everyone's faces screw up in a show of sympathy... It doesn't help, only makes it worse.

I have finally saved up enough money to start an intensive French course. So, here's to the screwed up faces becoming less screwed up! :)

A raspberry tartelette I ate after signing up for the French course!

Settled in Lyon

Being cosy is my favourite thing. I love spending time at home, especially in Winter - all rugged up with tea, a book and Tim. I was pretty excited when we decided to settle in Lyon; the prospect of an apartment of our own in the beautiful French city and being able to unpack my suitcase, finally! After travelling for six months we decided on Lyon because we had met a few lovely people and we liked the small scale compared to Paris. We had darn good luck and found a beautiful, luminous apartment to sublet for six months (on Le Bon Coin). We are very lucky - our little home is situated in the Croix-Rousse, has a huge food market each morning literally right at the doorstep and it came with a little, rather cuddly cat called Estimée. Since we have a few more weeks of the bitter cold, I look forward to spending time inside weaving, cooking and eating yoghurt (one of my favourite things about France is the yoghurt aisles in the supermarkets...)

Our circle window - view over Les Pentes