updates - the weekend

Friday was a holiday - called Armistice Day here, Veterans Day in the US. We didn't do much during the day, didn't even go out since the weather has turned much colder. But we left the apartment around 6:15 pm and as we stepped out onto the sidewalk in the dark, there was a very distinctive smell of burnt plastic. We wondered if we were smelling burning cars.

On Saturday we decided to get some Christmas shopping done early so that the kids could take the gifts back with them after their Thanksgiving visit and mail them from the states. We walked from our place over the river, passed by place Bellcour, and then shopped down the main pedestrian strip. We didn't find everything we wanted so we then walked over the the mall. I was amazed at how many policemen were walking the halls of the mall. I wondered, at first, if shoplifting was an issue, but then it dawned on me... 'oh... maybe the riots... maybe they suspect trouble...' We bought a few things and headed home around 3:00pm. This morning, as I was checking the news (in English) I came upon these items:

Washington post
Nov. 12 -- Dozens of youths threw trash cans at police and attacked sidewalk shops in a main square of Lyon on Saturday night in the first clash between rioters and police in a city center after more than two weeks of violence in France, according to news reports.
Youths stormed through the historic Place Bellecour in Lyon, France's third-largest city, located in the southeastern Rhone Valley region, even though the city had imposed a nighttime curfew on minors not accompanied by parents. Police fired tear gas to disperse the youths, and 10 people were arrested, officials said.


And
Trouble began at around 5pm as 50 youths attacked the market stalls in the Place Bellecour and continued as shoppers fled and police moved in.

...we got home in time...