Lyon, Part 1 — the house and family in Champagne-au-Mont-d"Or

I'm writing on Sunday night. Tomorrow morning we leave Lyon and head for Normandy!  There is so much to say about Lyon!

The house in Champagne-au-Mont-d'Or (a suburb of Lyon) —
Outside the gate:

When my cousin, Marie-Therese, and her daughter's family moved to Lyon from Paris three years ago, this building had a plumbing business on the ground floor and living quarters above. They've transformed it into a marvelous combination for two households. Marie-Therese lives in a small home on the ground floor; her daughter's family lives above. It's a terrific arrangement.

Inside the gate:

Marie has created a beautiful garden.

Marie has traveled extensively throughout the world. Starting in 1991, she began to collect brooms. Each one is labeled with its country of origin.

Marie's collection includes brooms from Turkey, Yemen, Cuba, Ousbekistan, India, Algeria, Nepal, and Morocco. The most recent addition is from Iran, where Marie traveled this past April.

She acquired her very first broom in Turkey:

Here we are all gathered for Sunday dinner on the terrace upstairs:

Here is Fabien slicing meat from a ham. He and a friend cooperatively purchased a pig from a local farmer. 

A couple of days ago, Marie made potato pancakes. We both enjoyed this bit of our Polish heritage as children.

This is a beautiful home. It is a privilege to be here with this warm family.

In the next post, we'll go into Lyon.