Wine

Day 8 - Beaujolais Wine Tour

Tuesday, June 14th, 2016

Wine

After breakfast we left at 8:30 to take a scenic drive through the rolling hills of Beaujolais, an area rich in wine making traditions. Because the ship was docked in Lyon it took us a bit longer to get to the Macon / Beaujolais region but it was an enjoyable drive.  We went to a lovely winery where we tasted 4 different wines plus a lovely liqueur.  The Chardonnay grape is very popular in this region.  I don’t think that any of us on this trip would claim to know very much about wine but we have learned quite bit on this trip.  First you must experience wine with your eyes and note the color, then your nose as you sniff it twice, once still in the glass and the second time after you have swirled it; only then do you experience wine with your mouth.  

 On our drive back we saw the legendary Moulin-à-Vent, the windmill that gives its name to one of the most prestigious wines of the region.  

 Everywhere we looked today we saw acres of vineyards and have come to understand just how important wine is to the South of France.

This afternoon we had free time to explore more of the city of Lyon. I was quite taken with this flower tree sculpture.

Lyon is a lovely city currently filled with soccer fans cheering on their favourite teams. 

  We also spent time this afternoon packing our suitcases as tomorrow we will leave this ship and head for a new home away from home in Paris. Our plan is to travel by high speed train to Paris if they are not on strike and if that they are, we will go by bus. The first half of our trip has gone very well and everyone seems to be doing well.  I hope that the second half goes equally smoothly. 

Beauty

Day 7 - Lyon

Monday, June 13th, 2016

Beauty

Everywhere we have been on this trip we have been surrounded by beauty – the incredible beauty of the scenery, flowers, valleys, vineyards and vistas to the art that you find everywhere.  Some of the art is a bit modern and I’m not really sure what to make of it – but I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  

We arrived in Lyon early this morning and enjoyed a great half day tour of this 2^nd largest city in France. We began with a drive to the top of Fourvière Hill for marvelous views.  It is said there are two hills in Lyon, one that prays and one that works.  This is the praying hill because on the top of it sit the Basilica of Notre Dame with its lovely golden statue of the Virgin Mary.  She is much loved in this city and the story is told that in the time of the plague the people prayed to the virgin to protect them from the plague and as it happened the plague did not besiege the city.

The basilica is beautiful, almost overwhelming as you don’t know where to look.

We continued our tour with a drive through town past the magnificent St. Jean Cathedral and the Palace of Justice. We stopped at the “Painted Wall” and were mesmerized by what artists had done with the blank wall of this building.

 

 Next we took a walking tour through the cobbled streets of Vieux Lyon (Old Town), where we had free time to shop for souvenirs, eat ice cream or buy delicious French pastries. 

We arrived back on board for a special lunch called “A taste of Provence” As usual, it was fabulous.  The afternoon is free for folks to do whatever they like.  It is a cloudy and drizzly day so most folks seem to be taking the chance to just enjoy a bit of down time.  Paul and I went for a walk and got caught in the rain.

 

The other thing happening in Lyon today is a game between Brazil and Italy in the European Soccer championships.  There are already hundreds of fans congregating in a local park with a big screen where the match will be televised tonight.  It will be a raucous evening I’m sure.

Our itinerary has been changed on the trip due to high water levels on the Sone River so we are not going to be able to visit Macon although they assure us that our trip to Beaujolais will still happen tomorrow.

Welcome

Day 6 - Tournon - Vienne

Sunday, June 12th, 2016

Welcome

Everywhere we have traveled we have been met by warm welcomes and the atmosphere on board the ship is one of welcome and hospitality.  The entire crew and all the local guides go out of their way to make us feel welcome. Every time we sit with new people at dinner we discover a lovely sense of welcome and hospitality. Paul and I had a great dinner with two people from England while Sally and Margi were making new friends with folks from San Jose, California.

The ship was docked in Tournon last night and for those who wished to start the day a bit early we had an opportunity to go on a guided walking tour of this quaint little riverside town.  Since it was Sunday the shops were closed and families get to enjoy a day of rest and recreation.

At 9:30 the buses left to take us to the train station where we boarded the open air steam Train de l’Ardèche for a short locomotive ride through the deep gorges of the Ardèche plateau, cut by the Doux River.  The views were incredible as we traveled deeper and deeper into the wilderness. We returned to our ship and we were greeted by the crew welcoming us back on board. ( I had a great picture but the internet will not load it for me - I will try and load it to my facebook page and you can see it there)

We enjoyed lunch as we cruised to Vienne - a beautiful town with an ancient Roman past.

You know you are coming closer to the end of your voyage when the program director starts talking about disembarkation and that is what we heard about after lunch before we arrived in Vienne.  Of course for our group this will just mark the midway point of the trip as we will travel by high speed train to Paris and board our next ship if the train is not shut down by a strike which is a possibility.

On our walking tour of Vienne we visited the Temple of Augustus and Livia, the Roman amphitheater and the Gothic Cathedral of St. Maurice and then we took a little trolly ride to the top of the hill to see the most beautiful view of the city and the surrounding countryside.

All in all we had a fabulous day.