Fete des Lumieres

(Fete des Lumieres Lyon 2012)

     My dear friend Fatiha invited me a few months ago to the Fete des Lumieres (festival of lights) in Lyon where she lives. I have heard so many good things about it through out the years so I jumped at the opportunity to go. But with Shaun's injury being a little time consuming, it wasn't until the week of the Fete that I was 'in the clear' to go. Thankfully, one of Shaun's teammates stayed at the house with him helping him do the everyday things that us able-bodied people take for granted. I laugh because I can only imagine the conversation, the sights and the sounds that were present while I was away. I had made some Spinach Artichoke dip and cookie dough and left it in the fridge with instructions on how to cook it. For the first day and a half, I am pretty sure that is all they ate..it was like a bachelor weekend. And I will tell you, I'm glad I wasn't there to see it. But anywhoo, my trip was fantastic. I knew I was in for a great weekend when I found bath salts, a bottle of water and a fresh towel on my bed, it was like being at an upscale hotel. We hit the ground running, as usual, and walked what felt like 10 miles all over Lyon to make sure we didn't miss a light during the 3 day exhibition. It was cold, like would of been warmer if it snowed cold, but we were prepared and stopped in Starbucks a few times to load up on some warm holiday drinks while we planned out our next step. Fatiha was a great tour guide since she had done lots of research and even scoped it all out in person before I got there so we got to see the best of everything.  The lights were magnificent and, if possible, put me in more of a Christmas spirit than before. Let's just say Clark Griswold would of been in all his glory. Thanks Lyon, until next year...

{Used buildings as backdrops for the lights}

{Christmas market}

{Candied fruit...my favorite}

{Artisan confiture}

{The largest tartiflette pan ever. Just shortly after this pic, the man yelled at me for taking pictures since he thought I worked at a magazine. I think he was really mad because Fatiha outed him for not using real potatoes}

{Elegant Christmas chalet selling chocolates, chandeliers and all}

{Roasted chestnuts..how random is this?? This guy and his chestnut stand are from Toulon. Yep, the same Toulon where Fatiha and I lived last year, small world}

{Roman tyca, a pedestrian walkway with Moroccan themed lighting}

{Alas, a pic of us}