Foire Internationale de Lyon, France

My husband and I have a thing for French foires. A foire is sort of like an American fair, but without the rides, cooking competitions and livestock. A French foire has exhibitors showing and selling their products—food, wine, clothing, furniture, etcetera—with restaurants and food stalls offering you an energetic boost should you get tired. You can see the Rochexpo Foire de la Haute-Savoie Mont-Blanc we attended last year here.

Our recent visit to Lyon coincided with the last day of the Foire Inernationale de Lyon. It's held in a large exhibition space on the outskirts of Lyon; it took us a bus, a metro and two tram rides to get there, but it was worth it.

This vendor had a colorful stall. The olives looked delicious.

The foire's name is certainly correct—it is international; there were exhibitors from all over the world.

There were some very interesting cocktails on offer at this stand. Hmmm...I admit I was tempted to ask what the punch was like, but just couldn't bring myself to do it.

This gentleman was making small pieces of pottery that he gave away for free. Larger items were for sale.

Say cheese! Wine and cheese vendors are a must at every foire. This one was no exception. This Beaufort cheese is very good, by the way.

An then there's foire food...those things I'd never eat at home. For some reason, a sausage sandwich and a cold beer just hits the spot at a foire,