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Lyon Archaeology
Gallo-Roman Museum, Vienne
You may have heard of Robert Caro who famously wrote thousands of pages about LBJ and Robert Moses, but did you know his wife Ina was not only a Francophile and a fabulous researcher (the only one Robert Caro ever worked with) but also a writer? If you are going to France, make sure you read The Road from the Past by Ina Caro before you go. Ina’s enthusiasm for the history of the region in the time of the Roman Empire is infectious.
For example, Ceasar’s troops served 20-year tours of duty. When their service was complete, each soldier received a parcel of land in Gaul (which they helped conquer) so they would settle down and behave rather than wreaking havoc on the populace.
Each little town was a miniature version of Rome complete with the same layout (public baths, market, aristocrats’ lavish houses, and of course, elaborate aqueducts for fresh running water) so no one would feel they were living in an outpost as opposed to the main attraction. The French have done an amazing job of preserving these sites, and ruins abound.
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A Famous Restaurant near Lyon
amuses 
fish Actually, we’re in Vienne, 45 km south of Lyon, paying homage to the ghost of Fernand Point, a portly fellow who is sometimes termed the father of modern French cuisine. The chef is Michelin 2 stars whereas of course Point would have been 3 but a glance at the menu should quiet your fears.
If this seems like bouchon food with more expensive ingredients, you have to imagine the many levels of tedious preparation that go into each ingredient. All involve a three-year sous-chef working for an hour on some prep stage that’s nearly invisible to the customers but which makes all the difference. We ordered one of each and a half-bottle of M. Bour’s Grignan, couldn’t finish, and all for a hundred bucks each? How do they do it?
Lyon Olympique Echecs
I found some time to slide over to the largest chess club in Lyon, 3rd largest in France, and play a game with a young Armenian fellow, Albert Arustamian, rated about 2100. I played a classic Sicilian Nc6 and managed to last about 40 moves but died in the ending. Never mind I look more like Kasparov. I sac’d an exchange and got an advantage but he sac’d one back and evened out into a won ending.
The established FIDE blitz time seems to be what they played at the Marshall–3/2, which is fast but during which you must give yourself time to think or you just lose, at least to this level of player. We played two such games after our long game but I lost both. I could have played a bit slower.
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Paris, Briefly
Musee d’Orsay, Blitz Society
Only in town for an exhausted evening of sleep, a full day of museum, lunch, and a bit of blitz, and a yoga session before we boarded the TGV for Lyon, .
The above would have us believe that affiches were a “people’s art”, perhaps in contrast to fantastically expensive oil paintings of mythological scenes like the birth of Venus or historical battles. But to Mikie if not Jody, these affiches represented the ancestors of the billboard, devices to increase sales to the masses, and not their art. Is a McDonald’s ad “people’s art?” Is the famous Apple iconoclastic ad for the people in some noncommercial way?
A charcuterie shop
A cheese shop
A bakery
apple tarts 
quiches For the chess bar, we took no photos so I can only direct you to https://blitzsociety.fr
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New York
Smoked Fish and Chess
While Jody was in Philadelphia, Mikie visited Russ and Daughters, Mahmoun’s Falafel, and he played a bit of chess.
Mahmoun’s Falafel. I once spent a thanksgiving meal there.
Marshall Chess Club Blitz tournament, 3 minutes with 2-second increment. I got moidered.
| Arrive | Leave | Where |
| May 5 | May 10 | NYC & Philadelphia |
| May 12 | May 14 | Paris |
| May 14 | May 22 | Lyon |
| May 22 | June 7 | Marseille |
| June 7 | June 9 | Ile Sur la Sorgue |
| June 9 | June 11 | Arles |
| June 11 | June 14 | Carcassonne |
| June 14 | June 16 | St Emilion |
| June 16 | June 18 | Bordeaux |
| June 18 | June 20 | San Sebastian |
| June 20 | June 23 | Paris |
| June 23 | June 28 | Arrive in LA |