The PB Murals: The Market Wall

Le marché - the market scene - is another that might be found in any French town or city. Here I have focused on Lyonnais specialties.

The chickens in their charming wooden crate are Poulets de Bresse, an exquisitely tasty chicken raised near Lyon and considered to be the best chicken in France, if not the world. They are corn fed and free range. The great Lyonnais chef, Paul Bocuse, has helped to make them known world-wide, but they have been classified as AOC (appellation d'origine contrôlée - a trademark of local authenticity) since 1862. A fun fact about the Bresse chickens is that they are thought to be similar to the French flag (le tricolor de bleu/blanc/rouge) - blue legs, white feathers and red crests.

This video features a young, award-winning éléveur of volailles de Bresse. To those who aren't sure how Bresse could be so much better, he says, "Once you have it on your plate you will immediately know the difference."

The cheese seller offers local cheeses, such as St. Marcellin, Reblochon, fromages de chèvres, arôme de Lyon, Comté and Époisses. (I just happen to adore all of these cheeses, tops among them being St. Marcellin and Epoisses. Jack is a Reblochon lover.)

 A selection of our favorite cheeses - all from the area around Lyon (l to r): Reblochon, St. Marcellin, Époisses & Comté

The table in front features Pascaline Rispoli, mother of Chef Philippe, selling her homemade confitures (jams). While she does not really sell at the market in Lyon, her wonderful jams are available for purchase at PB...while they last. (If you miss out on getting some, just wait until Pascaline visits again!)

A selection of Pascaline's delectable jams at PB Boulangerie Bistro

The charcutier (cured meat seller) has hams, pâtés and other prepared meats beloved in Lyon. The poissoniers (fish sellers) in the foreground are offering local fish, as well as imported Cape Cod lobsters & Wellfleet oysters. This is fairly unrealistic, but we couldn’t resist! Even the people looking at the fish are Cape Codders on vacation. She is sporting her French straw market bag and he wears espadrilles, both newly purchased on this vacation.

Pigeons (squabs) are hunted and cooked in many French homes and restaurants.

Cooked squab is very flavorful - like a cross between dark meat chicken and duck.

The guignol (puppet theater) is another cherished tradition in Lyon. PB has some Lyonnais guinol puppets on display in their bistro.

In the upper left corner of this wall is the coat of arms of Lyon and the map in the upper right corner shows Lyon’s location in France.

The PB Murals: The Vieux Lyon Wall

Vieux Lyon (meaning Old Lyon) is the oldest part of the city, dating to at least Roman times. In 942, Lyon became part of the Kingdom of Burgundy, and later, in 1307, became part of the Kingdom of France. 

This photo (above) of La Place de la Trinité was my inspiration for this wall

The remarkably charming buildings in this part of Lyon are plaster colored in the wonderful pink, peach & ochre tones you see here. Medieval and renaissance architectural details abound here. The streets are cobblestone.

The organ grinder with his limonaire (crank organ music box or hurdy gurdy), similar to the one played and celebrated at PB Bistro, is a common site in Lyon. Many still keep a traditional little monkey as their sidekick. He attracts customers and collects donations, and I suppose, is the organ grinder's best pal. 

I gave my organ grinder (picture on right) the look of a gitan (gypsy) with his purple vest and yellow silk neckerchief with red polka dots. (See my two most popular posts, ever - both on French gypsies here and here.)

At PB Bistro - the wonderfully entertaining William (pronounced weel-YAHM), playing the limonaire during a recent upbeat evening

The sidewalk dining bistro scene is typical of such settings, all over France. The charcuterie platter with mustard, cornichons and sliced baguette is commonly enjoyed in Lyon. I decided to put university students at the bistro table in the mural, as a reminiscence of my own student days in France. We felt we were so sophisticated and grown-up, drinking wine for lunch and eating such amazing foods, and the truth is...I still believe we were!

The blackboard has a menu du jour that would be seen at many a Lyonnais bistro, including Bugnes de Lyon (miniature beignets). This particular menu was dreamed up for me by Pascaline, Philippe's maman.

The chef (who bears a slight resemblance to PB's own Philippe Rispoli) is standing in front of a Bouchon Lyonnais, a sort of restaurant typical of and specific to Lyon. Bouchons are bistros, serving traditional cuisine lyonnaise, such as homemade sausages, duck pâté, and other charcuteries, fish quenelles (dumplings), coq au vin, chicken stuffed with morels, and other hearty foods.

The épicerie is a grocery store which carries fresh produce and dairy products. As in this picture, épiceries display their products out on the sidewalk in all but the most inclement weather.

The baker represents both a boulanger (breads chef) and a pâtissier (pastry chef), both of whom are so important to the daily life of French citizens... and to the customers and staff at PB!  As in France, the French bakers at PB Boulangerie are there all night, every night, baking everything fresh for the next morning.

Above, just a small hint of the outstanding pastries and breads displayed at PB Boulangerie.

The PB Murals: The River Scene Wall

Lyon is a beautiful, historic city that lies in the East of France, at the meeting of two sumptuous regions of France: Beaujolais, Burgundy and the Rhône-Alpes. Situated at the confluence of the Saône & Rhône rivers, this river scene is typical of so many in the city. 

L'Hôtel Dieu, the long building pictured here, on the opposite side of the river, dates to medieval times and served as a hospital from 1184 until 2010 (over 800 years!) In fact, Chef Philippe's mother was born there. L'Hôtel Dieu is located on Presqu'Ile, which literally means "almost an island", since it is the piece of land located between the Saône & Rhône rivers, just before they merge.

A lovely French stamp, from 1939, depicting almost the same scene I painted

L'Hôtel Dieu at night

The church on the hill, Notre-Dame de Fourvière, is a well-known fixture in the skyline of Lyon. 

The structure that looks like the Eiffel Tower is currently a television tower, and not open to the public. Known as la tour métallique de Fourvière, it was constructed in 1914 for the Exposition Universelle of Lyon and originally had a restaurant at the top, accessed by elevator. It is really quite similar to the Eiffel tower in some ways, in that it is a beautiful example of early 20th century industrial modern construction.

There are many more buildings dotting the hillside between L'Hôtel Dieu and Notre-Dame de Fourvière, but I left them out of the mural in order to highlight just a few landmarks.

Looking down at L'Hôtel Dieu from Fourvière hill, you see many red tile roofs, a building material first introduced to this area by the Romans who settled on Fourvière hill around 43BC.



Many péniches (river barges) are docked along the quays, some of which have been turned into delightful restaurants.

Montgolfières (hot-air balloons) are frequently spotted over the rolling hills of this gorgeous area, giving tourists views of the famous vineyards of Bourgogne and the Côtes du Rhône, as well as the Alps to the East.

Two photos (above) from Original Travel, offering balloon trips over Lyon and the surrounding countryside