Olive Route: A bicycle and bipedal journey

The inaugural Olive Route cycling tour is done with Italy, has cycled over some classical Tour de France climbs and terrain, and has arrived in France’s third largest city Lyon. What I like to do, what I do every day when we arrive in our destination for the night – or two when we have a rest day – I like to go for a ‘shpatzir’. You may ask what is shpatzir? It simply means “to walk or stroll aimlessly”. And shpatziring on this trip has simply been exceptional. Every city and town we stay usually in the old part of city, but also in the new parts, there are large and long pedestrian only malls (cyclists are allowed, cars only with permission) with plenty of attractions from great old and new architecture to restaurants, cafes, bars, etc., not to forget gelaterias and shopping.

I am not the only one who likes to stroll around. Other riders simply walk a bit to some great open plaza, find a spot where they can have a wonderful view of a cathedral or public art, then order a ‘nash’ (a snack of some sort), a glass of beer or wine and enjoy the late afternoon without trucks, cars or motorcycles disturbing the peace and polluting the air. And of course, watch the parade of people walking around.

This pedestrian and cycling friendly city concept didn’t happen by itself or by some miracle. It happened because local and national governments believe that a walking and cycling city makes a healthier city, creates a better quality of life, enhances people’s interactions among other things. And according to a 2024 study published in Nature Magazine out of the ten most walkable cities in the world, three out of the top five just happened to be the cities we have visited since the start of this section of the Olive Route. Here is the ranking: top walkable city is Milan, third walkable city is Turin, and fifth ranked walkable city is where I am writing this blog from – Lyon.

For me the best part of walking about aimlessly is the sudden unexpected discovery, which then leads to something new, stimulating and exciting. Take for instance my walkabout in Milan. As I was entering the striking Galeria Vittorio Emanuel shopping plaza, I noticed a sign for Leonardo3 (da Vinci) museum. Inside I saw Leonardo’s sketches for a variety of inventions from flying machines, military devices, to walking lion, built life size. The exposition and the range of Leonardo’s work or rather his genius simply mesmerized me. There was a whole room dedicated to Leonardo Last Supper painting including a video of the colours of the painting when Leonardo painted it.

Today in Lyon, I came upon a huge mural of what Wikipedia calls: “the pope of gastronomy”. I had no idea who was on the mural, I took a picture and decided to look him up. And I learned that for the biennial world chef championship, the Bocuse d’Or is named after him. And if you love good food and there is plenty of it in Lyon, you will appreciate that Paul Bocuse held a 3-star Michelin Guide rating for 55 years. One of the most popular things to do when you are in Lyon is to visit ‘Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse’ otherwise marketed by ‘Visit Lyon’ as “the culinary treasure in the heart of Lyon”. Here is a quote from their website: “Les Halles Paul Bocuse, a name that resonates like a gourmet melody in the ears of food lovers around the world. Nestled in the heart of Lyon, this iconic indoor market is much more than just a place to sell food products; it is a true temple dedicated to gastronomy.” And so, I entered and had my lunch.

By the way, one of the riders from the Olive Route was so inspired with a dinner some of them had in Lyon last night, that this morning he pitched me a new cycling tour, cycling across Europe from one Michelin ranked restaurant to another. It may have some merit, what do you think?

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Olive Route

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