Another Cold Day in Lyon

It was Thursday, so it was time to head down to the Place Bellecour to meet Mary Robinson Hubert for the weekly AVF Club meeting. We always meet at 10:30 a.m. at the famous Louis XIV statue smack dab in the middle of Lyon's huge open square. Besides King Louis XIV on horseback, it also features a majestic Neptune statue.

The old Sea King himself!

Someone did Neptune's toe nails

Neptune loves seafood

The first e-mail that I opened this morning was from our son Michael. He had sent me a disturbing link to a newspaper with a story about tonight's Europa League game in Lyon between the home team Olympic Lyonnais and England's Tottenham Spurs.

Apparently last night several visiting Tottenham fans met at as Vieux Lyon English pub known as the Smoking Dog. A group of about 50 masked hooligans giving Nazi salutes entered the pub and attempted to attack the people inside.

It seems that Tottenham has a long standing tradition of both Jewish ownership and a Jewish fan base, thus the hooligans.

After leaving the scene, about ten minutes later about 25 of the hooligans returned to break some windows and unfortunately injure some of the patrons in the Smoking Dog. Three Spurs fans were hospitalized and arrests were made.

Window on the left broken.

window on the right severely damaged

The Smoking Dog will not be open

to show the game tonight

For more on this disgusting story, click on: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2281881/Tottenham-fans-attacked-Lyon-bar.html

Our couch in The Villa is starting

to look like this chair

Bugnes
French Lenten Treat

These were being served today at the AVF Club meeting.

In a major upset, I only had two of these today!

Part of the reason for my unusual eating stamina is my now almost year long ritual of weighing in every morning. Laurie says that this is a big NO-NO in the world of weight control.

I really like doing this because I can stop myself from going too crazy for too long and thus allow my weight to get way out of control.

When I first started this ritual on February 25, 2012, I weighed in at a robust 131.0 kilos (288.3 lbs.). Today, just four days short of a year since I started daily weigh-ins I tipped the Toledos at 118.3 kilos (260.3 lbs.).

After all of the Swiss chocolate and French pastries, I've lost 12.7 kilos (28 lbs.). Although I could stand to lose another 28 lbs. in the coming year, I am still very excited about how far and steady I've dropped the weight this year!

Peaceful Vieux Lyon

Tie up your Saône River boat here

Steps into the Saône River

Saône River Foot Bridge

I saw it last week for the first time

Open Since 1928

Falcon Strong Safety Fred "Papi" Bastiand said that this was one of Lyon's best lunch spots, so I had to try it today!

Abel was cozy inside

The sausage was delicious

The sauce that bathed this
chicken dish was other worldly

Abel's has great atmosphere

It also has a flan that might be the best I've ever eaten!

Still praying for the Sun to shine

Church Door

Broken Tree

Geometric Church Pattern

OLD Carving

Our Senior practice tonight, the last one of the week, was both good and bad.

The good part was the great effort given by each and every Falcon in attendance.

The bad part was the attendance. We only had about 20 players at the workout. If this becomes a pattern, the road to Division II in the 2013-14 season will become very steep and slippery indeed.