Tourist First

Travel notes and advice from around the world. Above, the daily flight from Managua at the San Carlos, Nicaragua, airstrip.

Saturday, August 9, 2025

Contents & Quick Links

 Travel in 2025:  A spring trip to France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Old and new favorites in Paris. In Nantes, a switch from building ships to having fun.  Oysters in Cancale. The wonder of Mont Saint-Michel. History lessons in Bayeux. Lupin still inhabits Etretat. The unexpected in Rouen. The best of Lyon.

Travel in 2024:  A spring (November and December) trip to Chile including Santiago,  Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Atacama,  Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego.  One night at Usuaia, Argentina. Buenos Aires, in brief.  San Diego's big swinging organ. A family visit to Milwaukee.  A quick visit to Red Rocks outside Denver. A July visit to San Francisco and its oyster bars. Six weeks in Spain, with links to Madrid, Valencia, Seville and other cities. Plus Joshua Tree and Death Valley, two California desert wonderlands.

Welcome to Stephen M. Bailey's Tourist First! I hope these photos and impressions from my travels will help you plan your own trips. 

These blog posts are not updated once they're posted. For example, my post about a July 2019 visit to Venice does not reflect the terrible damage done by flooding in November 2019. And some hotel links may no longer work, though I try to delete them when that happens. Small hotels and lodges, especially in less developed destinations like Nicaragua and Laos, often are short-lived and the ones I've visited may no longer exist. Please leave a comment or email me (stephenmbailey@gmail.com) if you have questions about any post or if you see errors. 

General Travel

In the Air, a Caste System
Here's What I Want in a Hotel Room 
And see what more than 1,000 of my New York Times readers want in a hotel room
Favorite hotels: Tripadvisor's list 
Travel Experiences With Minimal Expense
Strategies for Saving on Travel
My 2008 New York Times column on travel in a motor home or RV
My 2004 New York Times article on eco-resorts in the Caribbean (not all are still operating)
It's Easy to Avoid Credit Card Ripoffs Abroad
Road Trip: Though the Rockies on Interstate 70

Weekend Homes
This blog is primarily devoted to tourist trips and vacation explorations, but some people prefer to make the same trips over and over ... to their weekend homes. Instead of a month in Italy, they choose almost every weekend at the lake or in the mountains. Here are some of my New York Times articles about weekend homes: 
A Chesapeake getaway is an HGTV Dream House. 
A weekend home without beeps? Ditching technology.
Owning your own place in Mexico or Canada.
Thinking of a weekend home at a lake?
Dealing (or not) with problem guests.
Always pampered: A weekend home at a resort.

African Safaris
Itinerary for Six Weeks in Africa
My 2019 New York Times Article on Tips for Your First Safari
The Safari Experience
Botswana: Kalahari Desert
Botswana: Okavango Delta
Namibia: Chobe River
South Africa: Sabi Sand Game Reserve
Tanzania: Ngorongoro Crater
Tanzania: Serengeti

Argentina
Buenos Aires: Cafes and More

Australia
Itinerary for 10 Days in Tasmania
Freycinet National Park: Beaches, Trails and Shellfish
Lake St. Clair: Not a Platypus in Sight

Belgium

Britain
Wales: "Retiring" to a Canal Boat

California
Road trip: San Diego to Healdsburg
Anzo-Borrego State Park: A Desert in Bloom
Central Coast: Big Sur and Route 1
Idyllwild: Mountain Retreat
Joshua Tree: A Desert Adventure
Lassen Volcanic National Park: The Landscape of Disaster
Malibu: The Getty Villa and More
Palm Springs: A Fall Getaway
Paso Robles: A Focus on Wine
Point Reyes National Seashore: Isolation on a Grand Scale
San Diego County: Potato Chip Rock
San Francisco: Oysters and Alcatraz

Cambodia
Itinerary for Three Weeks in Southeast Asia
Small Airlines for Touring Southeast Asia
Religious Images: The Divine in Southeast Asia
Elephant Valley: Saving Asia's "Living Tractors"
Kep: The Place for Crabs (My Apologies to Chesapeake Bay)
Phnom Penh: Where the Past Is Past
Siem Reap: Gateway to the Angkor Region
The Angkor Temples: Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Bayon, Banteay Srei, and Ta Prohm. 

Canada
Montreal: Frenchy but Not Exotic
Niagara Falls: The Canadian Side, Please
Toronto: First Impressions
Toronto: Second Impressions

Chile
Itinerary for Three Weeks in Spring (November and December)

Colorado

Mont Saint-Michel: The Wonder of It All
Paris: Ten Days of Joie de Vivre in 2025
Rouen: Lights, Action, History
Greece
Itinerary for Two Months in the Balkans
Athens: Better Than I Imagined
Chania: Walls and Charm on Crete
Delphi: The Oracle is Silent
Heraklion: The Capital of Crete
Hydra: Quiet and Carless
Santorini: Island as Shopping Mall
Thessaloniki: A Party Town With Few Foreigners

Iceland
Reykajavik: Geothermal Wonderland

Iran
A 2016 Family Visit
What to Expect If You Visit Iran

Italy
Itinerary for a Three-Month Visit
Agrigento: Sicily's Valley of the Temples
Alberobello: Home of the Trulli
Capri: Another World
Catania: Gateway to Mount Etna
Lecce: Baroque Wonderland
Maratea: Italy for Italians
Masala: More Than Wine
Matera: Modern Cave Dwellers
Naples: One Night Isn't Enough
Palermo: Beyond "The Godfather"
Pompeii (and Herculaneum): What Vesuvius Wrought
Rome: The Palaces
Rome: The Churches
Rome: The Ruins
Rome: Dining
Rome: Walking
Siracusa: Outpost of the Ancient Greeks 
Taormina: Mountains and Sea in Sicily
Trieste: The Least Italian City in Italy
Trani: On the Adriatic
Venice: A Summer Visit

Laos
Itinerary for Three Weeks in Southeast Asia
Small Airlines for Touring Southeast Asia
Religious Images: The Divine in Southeast Asia 
Luang Prabang: Monks and Tourists 

Maine
Georgetown: Do it for the lobsters.

Maryland
Assateague: A Fall Afternoon
Annapolis: My 2008 New York Times article on Maryland's capital city
Baltimore: My 2002 New York Times "36 Hours" article on Charm City
Blackwater: My 2012 American Forests article on Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
Chesapeake Bay: A Fishing Trip
St. Michaels: My 2004 New York Times "36 Hours" article
Tilghman Island: Where I Lived for 10 Years

Mexico
Ajijic: Expat-Friendly Town on Lake Chapala
Baja California: Cabo Crowds and Peaceful La Paz

Minnesota
Boundary Waters: My 2011 American Forests article on the Boundary Waters Canoe Area

Mississippi
Ole Miss: My Alma Mater
Oxford: My 2008 New York Times article on Faulkner, Football and Food  


Montenegro
Itinerary for Two Months in the Balkans
Kotor: Small but Choice 


Morocco
Itinerary for a Three-Week Visit
Ait Benhaddou: Kasbahs and Movie Locations

New York 
Finger Lakes: My 2012 American Forests article on Finger Lakes National Forest
Rio San Juan: Howler Monkeys and River Huts
Selva Negra: Ecology-Minded Coffee Plantation
Solentiname Islands: A Poet-Priest's Art Project
Solentiname Islands: My 2012 New York Times article and a photo slideshow

Panama
Bastimentos: Nature Inn and Chocolate Lodge
Bocas del Toro: Surfers and Backpackers
Boquete: A Coffee Estate in the Mountains
Panama Canal: An 11-Hour Trip Through an Engineering Marvel
Panama City: My 2014 New York Times review of the Panama City Waldorf Astoria 
Kuna Yala: A Cabin on the Water

Pennsylvania
Adamstown: My 1999 New York Times  article on Shopping for antiques in Amish country
Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob

Peru
Itinerary for One Month in Peru
Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu: Mountain in the Rain Forest
Amazon: River and Wildlife Cruise
Amazon: Fatal Fire on a River Cruise Boat
Arequipa: Juanita's Story
Colca Canyon: In Search of Condors
Cusco: The Inca's Capital
Lima: Museo Larco's Amazing Pre-Colombian Pottery
Lima: Ancient Culture, Modern Life
Ollantaytambo: Life Amid the Ruins
Paracas: An Ancient Mystery Beside the Sea

Portugal
Itinerary for a Three-Week Visit
Belmonte: Mountain Retreat
Evora: Cusine and Cork
Douro Valley: Where the Grapes Grow
Lisbon: Riverfront and Seafront
Obidos: Old Walls and New Buddhas
Porto: The Sweet Life
Sintra: Royal Aerie

St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Bequia: The Moonhole Experience
Bequia: A Happy Island
St. Vincent: My 2004 New York Times article on Petit Byahaut and Other Eco Resorts
St. Vincent: My 2004 New York Times Slide Show on Petit Byahaut

Slovenia
Itinerary for Two Months in the Balkans
Ljubjana: Cozy Capital
Piran: At the Concrete Beach

South Africa
Robben Island: A Visit to Mandela's Prison
Sabi Sand: Safari Satisfaction Guaranteed
Western Cape: Beyond Cape Town and the Wine Regions

Spain
Itinerary for Six Weeks in 2024: Madrid, Valencia and Southern Spain
Valencia: Is There a Better City in Spain for Food?


Tanzania
Zanzibar: As Exotic as Its Name

Thailand
Itinerary for Three Weeks in Southeast Asia
Small Airlines for Touring Southeast Asia
Religious Images: The Divine in Southeast Asia 
Bangkok: River Metropolis

Turkey
A 2010 Vacation, Istanbul and Beyond
Aboard a Gulet for a Blue Cruise
Istanbul: Seth Kugel Does It on the Cheap
Istanbul: Visiting a Hamam

Utah
The Marvels  of Arches National Park

Vietnam
Itinerary for Three Weeks in Southeast Asia
Small Airlines for Touring Southeast Asia
Religious Images: The Divine in Southeast Asia 
Ha Long Bay: Two Nights on a Junk 
Hanoi: Swarming and Sophisticated
Hoi An: Fine Dining, Fine Silks 

Virginia
My 2008 New York Times article on Virginia's Eastern Shore

Washington, D.C.

Washington State

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Yellowstone National Park: Morning Glory Pool and Other Wonders   

Posted by at No comments:

France: Eating and Drinking in Lyon

 

The view of Lyon from high in the Fourviere district on the west bank of the Saone River. That's the
 river below and a pedestrian bridge. The black cupola-shaped dome in the upper right is part of the
Grand Hotel-Dieu, and the Dome Bar is housed directly beneath it. The Cathedrale Saint-Jean is
in the lower right. The line of green in the distance are trees along the Rhone River. This was taken
 from the  terrace outside the Basilica Notre-Dame Fourviere.  We rode a funicular up and took
 a lengthy stairway down. 

    We arrived in Lyon by train (from Rouen via Paris) just befor 5pm on Thursday, May 22, part of our spring 2025 trip to Europe that took us back to a city we had enjoyed during a 2014 trip to France.  That time we stayed a bit away from the city center at a too-trendy hotel called Mama Shelter. This time we opted for the right bank of the Rhone and the smaller and more charming  Hotel de l'Abbaye, housed in the converted presbytery of the nearby Romanesque Basilica of Ainay.

      The hotel put us within a short walk north to Place Bellecour, a 15-acre (6.2 hectares) plaza at the heart of Lyon, populaton about a half-million. To the west is the Saone River, to the east is the Rhone, to the north are the business and financial districts, and to the south the land narrows until it ends where the Saone flows into the Rhone. When we were here in 2014, the plaza was festooned with orange rocking chairs that were scattered about for people to enjoy. Not only were they gone this time, when Jane asked about them the tourist center person had never heard of them. 

       In addition to Place Bellecour, we could easily walk to the city's gigantic Grand Hotel-Dieu, a palace that now has several restaurants, shops and an InterContinental Hotel. Jane and I wanted to visit the Le Dome, the hotel's famous bar, but we had trouble following the signs to it, so we asked at the hotel desk. The attendent gave us complicated directions which nonetheless got us to the bar (which is an amazing space and friendlier than you might expect). When we left the bar, we took an elevator that deposited us at the hotel desk exactly where we had been standing when we asked directions. Why weren't we told to turn around and push the "up" button? 

      Another touristy destination was the Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, a huge food hall with restaurants, butchers, fish mongers, cheese vendors and more.  It's certainly a lively place but we wonder whether many locals actually shop there. We had planned to have lunch at the Halles but instead continued east, over the Rhone, found lunch and a young crowd at Bar des Champ's, and then continued south toward the Institute Lumiere's museum devoted to the brothers who made the first moving pictures in 1895. 

      The story of the Lumiere brothers, Auguste and Louis, is told in the magnificent house that was built by their father, a prominent industrialist. One of the first movies ever made simply shows women leaving one of their father's factories. Anyone interested in the history of photography or film will find a lot to look at here. 

      Another museum required an even longer walk. The Musee des Confluences is at the tip of land where the Saone River flows into the Rhone. Its modern building almost defies descripton, a scrum of many angles without a defining facade. Inside, the exhibits are massive and well curated, dealing with social and environmental issues. I think it's the must-see attraction in Lyon, much more compelling than a traditional fine-arts museum or another French cathedral. I doubt there's another museum like it anywhere.

    One of Lyon's biggest attractions is its food scene, highlighted by traditional Lyonaise buchons, restaurants serving the traditional hearty and comforting food of the region. We found two excellent bouchons near our hotel. At Le Poelon d'Or (the Golden Pan), we were intrigued by a dish that was translated on our menu as "pig feathers." It seemed to be thin and very tasty cuts of pork loin. Other dishes there were pike quenelles and tomatoes with pesto and burrata cheese. And a 29-euro bottle of Moulin a Vent. 

       A more celebrated bouchon is Abel, also just a few steps from our hotel. Abel is rightfully famous for its chicken in morel sauce, which is leagues beyond any mushroom sauce you've ever had. Add a bottle of Chablis and you've got a memorable dinner. I had expected this well-known place to be filled with anglophone tourists, but the people seated near us all were speaking French. 

     Our hotel has a very casual bar and a very serious restaurant, called Artichoke. We had one dinner here, notable for its excellent pressed fois gras, veal and a Crozes Hermitage syrah. Judging by how some of the other diners were dressed, it seemed Artichoke is something of a special-occasion restaurant.

      One dinner we had been looking forward to was at La Bouteillerie (it means bottle factory), a tiny wine-centered restaurant about two kilometers or a half-hour walk north along the Saone River from our hotel. When we told the host (also the waiter, cook and sommelier) Christophe Noel that we had been there 10 years ago when he had a platform for tables in a street parking spot, he treated us like long-lost friends, even introducing us to friends of his who were at another table. Here we had a simple meal, mainly several nice glasses of wine (Christophe selected each after asking what we liked), a generous cheeseboard and tarte Lyonaise, which is basically quiche. 

      On Monday, May 26, after four nights and three full days in Lyon, we took a two-hour train ride north to Dijon. 

     Here are some photos from Lyon:

The Musee des Confluences in Lyon opened in 2014 in this indescribable building designed by the
Austrian firm Coop Himmelblau. It's a science and anthropology museum that takes on 
a wide variety of 21st-century issues and concerns. Walking from our hotel meant that
we had to take a path beneath this highway.

The interior of the museum is as intriguing
as its exterior.

One major exhibit that we found interesting was on death, with academics and other experts
discussing (in French with English captions) everything from ancient beliefs surrounding
death to today's evolving medical protocols on when to declare that death has occurred.
Visitors sit in separate pods to watch and listen to the videos.


This is the point of land just downstream of the Musee des
Confluences where the Saone, right, flows into the Rhone.

This is one of a number of architecturally audacious
buildings just north of the Musee des Confluences.

This building on the east bank of the Saone River is nicknamed "La Mimolette" after a
cheese that is a similar color. It's also called the Orange Cube. It opened in 2011 and
houses offices and a design showroom. 



Near the Orange Cube is this green version by the same architects.
It's the headquarters of Euronews and opend in 2015.

The sprawling food market just east of the Rhone in central Lyon has vendors selling cheese, meats,
fish, prepared foods and wine, along with restaurants and bars. 

A selection of pates at Les Halles de Lyon. This was a difficult counter to walk away from.

Not all the food in Lyon is traditional
or expensive. 

This funicular connects the bank of the Saone in Lyon's old quarter
 with the Fourviere district atop a bluff overlooking the city.



The main attraction of the Fourviere district is the Basilica 
Notre-Dame. The other attraction is the view of the city.

I did the math so you don't have to. At 1.16 USD
to the euro, this price per liter comes out at 7.68 
USD per gallon. That's for the "regular"
gas at the top. Gazole, by the way, is diesel.

Le Dome is the Intercontinental Hotel's magnificent bar at the Grand Hotel-Dieu,
a former palace that also houses several restaurants.

This is the world's first movie projector. The lantern on the right
shown a light through frames of film that were fed by a hand-
turned wheel through a lense. It's at the Lumiere Institute's museum.

One of the more pleasant problems of life in France in general is having to select a pastry
for breakfast. This is a bakery in Lyon.

More food choices at an outdoor market.

River boats stop in Lyon on their tours of the Rhone River.

We sat at sidewalk table a couple of times at
this brasserie on Place Ampere a short walk
from our hotel.

Sidewalk tables outside Hotel de l'Abbaye where we stayed our four nights in Lyon. At 
the left is Basilica of Saint-Martin-d'Ainay.

One of several memorable meals in Lyon was here, at Abel. Buchons such as this are
known for traditional Lyonaise cuisine, which you can think of as comfort food.

When we visited La Bouteillerie in 2014, tables were out on a platform in the street, just as
at many American restaurants during the Covid pandemic. Upon our return a decade later,
that platorm was restored as street parking and other than these two tables, all the dining
was inside.  I'd send anyone visiting Lyon to this place to meet Christophe Noel who
will select your wines, feed you very well and make sure your dinner is a happy onee. 


Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)