Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/823773
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 14 MAY 2017 49 gant interiors and the Museum of Sacred Art. You can also gain ac- cess to the north tower and take in the best views of the city. Fête de Lumières Every year in early December, on the day of the Immaculate Con- ception, Lyon thanks the Virgin Mary for deliverance from the Black Death by lighting candles throughout the city at the Festival of Lights. For three nights a variety of artists light up buildings, streets and parks all over the city. Over 70 light installations create a magical atmosphere just before Christmas and attracts visitors, not only from all over France but the rest of the world. Watch a show at the ancient theatre of Fourvière This ancient monument lies on the left bank of the Saone River on Fourvière hill. Though primarily a tourist site, the ancient Roman theatre, which was built 2,000 years ago, is still a performance venue during the Nuits de Four- vière drama festival in June and July. Eat like you're from Lyon Lyon is considered the gastro- nomic capital of France and for very good reason. Lyon is home to nose-to-tail cuisine with many tra- ditional dishes made from ingredi- ents that others may discard; think pig heads, tripe and andouillette - sausages made from coarsely cut tripe. Classic Lyonnaise cuisine is calorific and hearty and best en- joyed at a bouchon – a restaurant serving traditional dishes that is known equally for its convivial at- mosphere and phenomenal homey food. Paul Bocuse, one of France's most prominent chefs associated with nouvelle cuisine, makes his home in Lyon and is considered as more than a mere mortal in his hometown. So much so that Lyon's largest food market, Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse is named after him. This is a food lover's dream. An assortment of hand-picked items from the region's best mer- chants selling everything from charcuterie, cheese, meat fruit and vegetables. Quai Saint-Antoine on a Sun- day morning offers a food market that is a little more casual and to- tally outdoors. On the bank of the Saône River on the Presqu'ile side you can take in the views of pass- ing boats, pastel buildings and a backdrop of Fouvière Hill and the Basilica whilst stocking up on some of Lyon's best gastronomic items. It is best to turn up with an empty stomach as there is plenty of opportunity for tasting as well as feasting on a variety of prepared dishes. Wine tasting in Beaujolais When in Rome, do like the Ro- mans, but when in France you have to go wine tasting and just 30km from the city of Lyon lie the vineyards of Beaujolais. If you plan to travel in November, the launch of the Beaujolais nouveau is a fren- zy celebrated the world over, more so in Beaujolais itself. Visit the home of the cinema Lyon is home of the cinema, where the Lumière brothers, held as the fathers of movie-making, helped invent the first cinemato- graph and the first motion picture camera and projector. Villa Lumi- ère, an art nouveau mansion built by the brothers' father in 1899, is the spot any movie-buff would ap- preciate settling in to view some of the thousands of movies the brothers made together. Visit the survival garden in the heart of Lyon Jardin Rosa Mir is the creation of Jules Senis. Sick in bed with cancer, Senis bargained with the powers that be, promising to build a magnificent garden in the heart of Lyon should he survive. Though his survival was unlikely, he beat the odds and filled this incred- ible courtyard with planted flow- ers and other foliage as well as a variety of structures to frame his botanical work. Splattered with mosaics, pillars and tiers of gar- dens, Jardin Rosa Mir is an almost overwhelming maze of gardens, featuring lemon trees, roses and even a fair amount of weeds. Yet despite the chaos, it has inspired and awed since its creation in the early 1950s. Senis died 30 years later leaving behind an association to maintain and protect his life's work. Getting there Air Malta currently operates three times a week to Lyon. Cur- rently one-way prices start from EUR59.73 including taxes and charges. Visit www.airmalta.com for more info. Travel Two readers have the chance to win a complimentary return ticket each for travel on any scheduled Air Malta flights (excluding taxes and charges). All you have to do is answer the question below and send in your name, mobile number and email address to: Maltatoday competition, Air Malta plc, Sky Parks, Malta International Airport, Luqa, LQA 4000. The closing date is 19 May. calorific and hearty and best en- joyed at a bouchon – a restaurant serving traditional dishes that is known equally for its convivial at- day morning offers a food market that is a little more casual and to- tally outdoors. On the bank of the Saône River on the Presqu'ile side you can take in the views of pass- ing boats, pastel buildings and of Lyon should he survive. Though his survival was unlikely, he beat the odds and filled this incred- ible courtyard with planted flow- ers and other foliage as well as a variety of structures to frame his have to do is answer the question below and send in your name, mobile number and email address to: Question: How often does Air Malta fly to Lyon this summer? a) Once a week b) Two times a week c) Three times a week ✂ Mobile Number Name Email Vieux-Lyon: The enchanting Renaissance-era houses, leaning onto each other like old friends, are Lyon's most charming attraction Bouchon: Lyon is considered the gastronomic capital of France, with traditional bouchons serving classic Lyonnaise cuisine Notre Dame basilica: The Basilica of Notre-Dame dominates the Lyon skyline from its optimal location on the top of Fourvière hill Roman theatre: Though the Roman theatre on Fourvière hill serves mostly as a tourist attraction it becomes a performance venue during the Nuits de Fourvière drama festival in June and July Traboules: The traboules of Lyon are underground passageways that gave the silk merchants the opportunity to transport their wares to market without marking from the elements