Transatlantic Testimonies: “Boston, mes chaussettes!”

There are over a billion of them worldwide. They outnumber cars two-to-one, and maintaining one annually costs 20 times less than driving and maintaining a car. There are dandy horses, velocipedes, tandems (the longest being over 20m long and seating 35 people), beer bikes (thank you, Germany) and penny-farthings. Queen sings a song about them. They are the most efficient vehicle ever devised. Only the duck is more efficient in calories expended per kilo and per kilometer.* It is my source of transportation.

It is a bicycle—a vélo, Fahrrad, bicicleta, велосипед.

While the (minimal) costs of studying Germany include a ticket for unlimited regional transportation within a certain area, French students either have to pay for public transportation, walk, or use their vélo. Lyon and other cities, however, offer a system called vélov, where you can pick up a bike at a certain station and ride it for thirty minutes or less to another station somewhere in the city while only paying 15 euro for the entire year.

Let’s face it: that’s gotta be way less than 1/20 of the cost of driving and maintaining a car. Unless, of course, you never have car trouble and spend only 300 euro (about $400) annually on gas (and if you are, please tell us all how you’re doing it).

The vélov has become my dearest friend, with the exception of dud-bicycles that have flat tires or bad brakes. They come with a light, a basket, and, of course, a bell that provides an insufficient level of aggression when you want someone to move out of your way.

Another huge advantage of the vélov is that it allows one to feel (almost) entirely justified in eating at a boulangerie or a patisserie any chance he or she gets to fuel up on baguettes, croissants and pastries. And that, my friends, is the tastiest fuel, even if you do somehow manage to spend only 300 euro a year for your car’s gasoline habit.

Before coming to Lyon, I remember reading somewhere that it is a city you should never visit if you don’t want to gain any weight. I’m hoping my daily runs in one of the largest inner-city parks of Europe and my renowned vélov plan will stave off any validity these rumors have. I actually really hope so, because the food is so good it is impossible to stay away.

My first “cuisine” experience was just on impulse when I was walking by a boulangerie that had some delicious flakey-pocket pastries filled with apples (feuilleté aux pommes). More fun, however, have been the nights that Francois, my roommate’s friend from Réunion, an island off of the coast of Madagascar that still belongs to France, made us traditional réunionnaise dinner. One dish looked like a sort of beef-stew, but instead of beef there was octopus. I had tried octopus before in Greece, which had a bit of a pickle-y taste, but this was tastier by far. There was also a sort of spicy couscous flavored with lime. We finished off the evening by sharing what Isabelle, my Quebecois roommate, brought from the patisserie: a tartelette framboise (a one-person raspberry pie), a tartelette aux pommes (same, but with apples), an over-sized chocolate macaroon and a tartelette au chocolat (you get the idea) that had a hard chocolate top, followed by whipped cream and a fluffy pie crust. Although I was too greedy to take pictures that night, I am hoping the ones I have found online will do justice to what I actually ate.

One excellent dining experience was this past Tuesday, when fellow Midd-Kid Laura Pollard scooted up to Lyon from Bourgogne to see me. We walked around, looking at all the plats du jour offered on all of the chalkboards, and eventually decided on one that had shrimp quiche as a starting dish. It was delicious, and I was in heaven. Not only does the food taste good, it also looks very pretty, especially the desserts. For my main dish, I ordered porc au pesto rosso, which was delicious and the most tender pork I’ve ever eaten (ever). I must say that the fact that I’ve had a cold this past week has definitely not hindered my appetite. But then again, maybe it’s the vélov. Or the fact that I live on the fifth floor with no elevator. Here’s to carbs and French wine!

tartelette au chocolat

Shrimp quiche... so delicious!

Miss Laura :) and a huge basket of bread that lived once upon a time until two hungry American girls came along...

porc au pesto rosso

This picture doesn't quite do it justice, but a delicious brioche à la praline

An attempt to stealthily take a picture of a bakery...

One meal cooked by Francois-- kielbasa in a very savory sauce with hot peppers, beans and rice on the side!

In our kitchen eating dinner! From left to right: Lucy, Asni (roommate), Francois (who hates having his picture taken), Isabelle (roommate) and Olivier