By Erik Skye

20 Jul 2011

Mots du jour: bonne (good), tres bonne (very good), excellente (excellent)

I got lost. I couldn’t believe it. There I was, running through neighborhoods where the houses, streets, and signs almost seemed indistinguishable from each other (respectively). I didn’t know the language, and I didn’t have my tools (phone, computer, notes). Even if I could communicate, I wouldn’t know what to say (i.e. I didn’t have an address or phone number for Bernard with me). I finally reached out to the only lifeline available – a small boy along the street. After an exchange of “bonjour”, I asked in French if he knew English. I got a blank stare in return (which means “no”). Finally, he pointed to a house nearby. I went over and knocked on the door and soon was in the middle of an exchange of gestures and French and English words with the inhabitants of the house. The process was effective. They brought out a map of the neighborhood, let me come in to use the computer (which I used to access Bernard’s address), and offered me water. Finally, the man of the house personally walked me to Bernard’s house. They were incredibly kind people. The irony is that I ran past Bernard’s house many times and never recognized it! I wasn’t lost, I was having recall issues. Haha.

To celebrate my safe return, we had delicious lunch of fresh fruit salad, bread with homemade jams (one was “cassis” which means black current), goat yogurt, three kinds of cheeses, wine, tea, cookie-like biscuits, salted salmon, and salad. I’m in heaven with the French cuisine! One of the cheeses was called “camembert”, which is also a term for “close your mouth”. I’m pretty sure Bernard and Marie-Helene were using it playfully with each other as we snacked.

I also learned Marie-Helene has acted in theatre, performed book recitals, and is a writer.

Bernard’s a mountain pilot; that is, he lands on glaciers and high altitude airstrips with small airplanes, in the French Alps. He showed me some videos of the action from www.afpm.org (soon to become www.afpm.fr), a French organization for this sort of thing. Bernard’s interest in this kind of flying is what brought him to Alaska last year (why we met in the first place) and something we have in common.

Bernard’s favorite kind of airplane for mountain flying is a French design called a Jodel D140. He’s been in the process of rebuilding one from scratch for the past 12 years. He doesn’t have a lot of time to devote to the project though, because he’s always flying. For example, he showed me two other of his favorite planes (small business jets, owned by clients whom he flys them for) – The Cessna Citation CJ3 (which he picked-up in Wichita, Kansas brand new) and the Cessna Citation Mustang 510.

We then went on a tour of Lyon, starting on top of a hill along-side Basilique Nortre Dame de Fourviere and pointing out different features below. Bernard said they call this the city of three rivers: Saone, Rhone, and Beaujolais. The first two actually are rivers, the last is a brand of wine produced locally.

We made our way down steep streets and narrow stairways to Vieux Lyon (the old part of the city). We were looking for a restaurant too. Bernard peeked into one, which was empty. Coming back he declared “never go into a restaurant where there is nobody – never”. Good advice. Actually, some restaurants were packed, and some were in fact quite empty. We chose a full one called L’amphitroyn, which focused on traditional local cuisine (with many dishes using pork). The establishment had a good feel and when the food came, a great taste! I tried a dish made from blood, another from chicken liver, and one with sausage and lentils. This was all accompanied by bread and wine and a dish similar to scalloped potatoes (but with a thicker and more flavorful sauce). Afterward, I tried an interesting dessert made with eggs, which might be best described as a firm meringue with a thick, lightly-sweet, yellow sauce.

We finished the evening by continuing our walk through Lyon by night, with Bernard pointing out his birth place, schools where he and his children attended, wall murals, location for famous local made ice cream, traboules (passageways between buildings in Vieux Lyon), and other important features and historic buildings.   I think it’s one of the prettiest cities I’ve ever come across.

Merci beaucoup!

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