On our second day in Lyon we drove to Yssingeaux to meet my sister's host family. Yssingeaux is a very small town located in central France about 2 hours away from Lyon. The ride there was breathtaking - we drove through rolling hills, evergreen mountains, and valleys that went on for miles. Yssingeaux is home to L'Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Pâtisserie (ENSP), an acclaimed baking school where my sister studied back in May.
That afternoon we explored Old Lyon, walking through a hidden traboule (a type of passageway native to Lyon) and taking the trolley up to the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, a grand cathedral at the top of the city. My sister and I walked to the infamous Only Lyon sign, had macarons from Richart, and saw a cool public art piece called "Flower Tree" by Korean artist Jeong-Hwa Choi in Place Bellecour. We ended our evening at a local brasserie where we feasted on Lyonnaise cuisine and drank lots of French wine.
