Author Archives: Graham Miln

Greenhouses in Parc de la Tête d’Or

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Lyon’s largest park, Parc de la Tête d’Or, contains a set of beautiful greenhouses. These large glass houses contain plants needing a warmer, more controlled, environment than Lyon’s weather can offer.

Greenhouses in Parc de la Tête d'Or, Lyon

Greenhouses in Parc de la Tête d'Or, Lyon

Underneath the glass, a banana tree seemed to thrive alongside numerous other tall trees reaching up towards the curving roof.

Looking up at a banana tree

Looking up at a banana tree

Bunch of bananas hanging from the tree

Bunch of bananas hanging from the tree

Below is a short film of the greenhouse. As usual the footage was taken with my small point and shoot camera, and edited with iMovie. A High Definition edition is also available.

Thanks to Vidian for the soundtrack. The track Flowers Die is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial via ccMixter.

Inside the greenhouses at Parc de la Tête d'Or

Inside the greenhouses at Parc de la Tête d'Or

Spikes, flowers, and palm leaves

Spikes, flowers, and palm leaves

Routines and Markets

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With so much uncertainty swirling around us, a sense of routine has been helpful. We have not been in France long but we have already settled into something of a weekly routine.

Fresh fruit and vegetable market shopping has been a weekly task for us since Melbourne. In Melbourne, we were close to the massive Queen Victoria Market and all it had to offer.

In Lyon, we have a sizeable market at the end of our street. This market is best for food on the weekend when the number of stalls and the shoppers increase. The stalls open early and vanish soon after lunch.

Market stall selling fruit and vegetables in pre-divided containers in Lyon, France

Market stall selling fruit and vegetables in pre-divided containers in Lyon, France

In just a few weeks we have picked out a handful of favourite stalls. I have gravitated to those stalls offering pre-divided containers of fruits and vegetables. The choice tends to be fair, clearly priced, and easy to buy.

As we get more settled, we will probably end up moving to another market but for now this weekly trip is a welcome morsel of routine.

Plants on a Window Sill

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We have been looking for a permanent apartment in Lyon. Having viewed numerous apartments the details tend to blur together. One small apartment tends to blend into the next and the next.

What stands out are the small touches. These plants sitting respected, enjoyed, and flourishing on a stairwell window sill hint at friendly residents.

Plants on a stairwell window sill

Plants on a stairwell window sill

Offal and Other Meats

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The range of meats available in our local supermarket is impressive and occasionally unsettling. A few photos of surprising cuts are below.

Horse meat for sale in Carrefour in Lyon

Horse meat for sale in Carrefour in Lyon

Around the Easter weekend, rabbit appeared in a separate freezer unit. The unit included whole rabbits, headless cuts, and the heads alone. I have no idea who would buy just the head, but at 25c for two they were not expensive. The limited number of packs of rabbit suggests few buyers.

Rabbits whole, part, and just the heads for sale

Rabbits whole, part, and just the heads for sale

Offal is considered part of Lyon based food culture.

Offal including brain packaged ready for sale

Offal including brain packaged ready for sale

Luxury Cars

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Given the crazy touch parking, dents, and hitting of cars with handbags, I am amazed anyone would park a luxury car in the middle of Lyon.

Aston Martin in Lyon

Aston Martin in Lyon

In Sydney and Melbourne, I regularly spotted and photographed expensive cars motoring around the streets. The wide streets and undercover parking made owning such an expensive car in the city only a question of money.

Here in Lyon, the chances of returning to your car to find it damaged, scratched, or knocked must be unnervingly high.