[Sept. 2025] When we returned to Lyon from Pérouges, France, I was so exhausted that I thought I’d had enough for the day.
However, after a short rest, I felt much better.
Thank goodness.
I had read that there was a very large square near Bellecour Station, one stop from our hotel, so we decided to go there.
It was already past 7:30 PM and dark.
When we got there, we found the square was closed in preparation for some kind of event.
I could tell that this area was the centre of people’s lives.
It felt a bit like the area around Schlossplatz in Stuttgart, which we visited in the spring.
We decided to have a drink around here before heading home, so we searched online and found a place called L’Officine.
It was apparently behind the Grand Hotel, but we couldn’t find it.
Normally, it’s my job to look at the map and lead the way, but it seems we took a wrong turn somewhere along the way.
I was ready to give up, but my husband is persistent at times like these.
In the end, we found it in a newly developed area on the grounds of the Grand Hotel.
L’Officine had a suspicious-looking entrance with a heavy closed door, and the interior was dark once inside.
The outdoor tables on the balcony seemed popular, but we settled on a seat inside.
I chose a cocktail whose name means “clear milk.”
It came in a glass filled with a huge chunk of ice, and it had a really milky taste that was delicious.
I’ve forgotten the name of my husband’s cocktail, but it seems there was a certain order in which you had to drink it, and even though the waiter was doing his best to explain it to him, my husband said, “I don’t understand French.”
Even though he was explaining it to him in English.
I’m concerned that my husband may have blown a big hole in his self-esteem.
A similar incident happened to us in Spain a long time ago, but that time the person was an older man, so I think the damage wasn’t too severe.
For appetizers, we had fried chicken and sweet potato fries.
Both were fried, but both were delicious.
It was a lovely time, but places like this don’t really capture the local flavour, so you end up feeling like, “Where am I?”
It got especially noisy when a group of Americans came storming in, which distracted us, so we left.
Drinks that night cost €53.50.
