The Silk Weavers of Lyon

Bon Jour Mes Amies!
Oof I got a work out today going up and down a trillion stairs--and I may be underestimating the number. The weather is still uncertain, so I decided to stay in town and investigate some Lyonnaise History.  The sky is darkening, but I am glad the rain held off until I got home because those stairs were way steep and narrow, and I fear slipping.  A sip of Kir Royale  will recruit my forces.
Lyon was once the center of France's silk industry.  The workers were called Canuts, and while their work could often be skilled, they were poorly paid and labored in appalling conditions.  They revolted frequently and futilely.  The Canuts worked on the looms with the pattern cards invented by the Jacquard Brothers.  A lot of the heartiness of Lyonnaise cuisine is attributed to the appetites of the Canuts.  There's even a cheese--cervelle de Canut, which translates to "silk weavers brains."  I've been looking for it in markets and grocery stores as it sounds good. It's soft and has herbs mixed in.  Maybe it's seasonal or people just make it at home because I can't find it.
The traditional restaurants called Bouchon were originally silk weavers' canteens.  I am under the impression that most of them are now gentrified and touristy.
I began the day with a trip to the big grocery store in the basement of the Monoprix in the Giant Shopping Center.  I needed more bread, wine, and water for one thing, but I like looking around grocery stores as much as I like looking around museums.
Then it was off across the Rhone to the Croix Rousses district of Lyon.  I wanted to wander a picturesque part of town and visit the silk weavers museum.  My side of the Rhone is flat.  This part of the Presqu'ile is not.  It's an older part of the city and was once the district of the Canuts.  Getting there was easy enough.  Finding my way around once there--not so much.  There's a steep hill and a lot of winding roads and stairs. Lots of stairs.  None of the streets I encountered seemed to have anything to do with my map or the google directions.  I had no idea where I was, and the sky turned dark and threatening.  I almost gave up.
Then I saw a sign: "Maison des Canuts."  Somehow I'd found what I was looking for.  The museum is small and not set up for tourists, but there are cards in English to explain the exhibits.  I liked seeing the looms and the Jacquard Cards, and many exquisite examples of the product were displayed.  Wow!  Of course then the Industrial Revolution came along and spinning and weaving were mechanized.
I looked for more stairs that would take me down to the riverside from whence I could make my way home.  A young man asked me for directions.  I explained I was a tourist, but since he was cute, I asked if I could help.  He wanted a grocery store--so no.  And there were a lot of stairs down.  A lot.  So by the time I got home I was weary and footsore, but it had been a good day.
I am having some very nice red wine with my cheese this evening.  I pulled something cheap off the shelves which is my practice, but it's surprisingly smooth and divine with the goat cheese.  They enrich each other.  It's equally divine with the cheddar I'd brought from London.  A sigh of satisfaction.
A demain.