Today is our transfer day to Barcelona. Approximately 1/2 of the passengers will be going there while the rest head for home or on their own to other places. AmaWaterways did a nice job of arranging for cabs for those who needed them and handling the logistics of getting those of us bound for Barcelona. Because of our size (~ 60) we need to stay in two different hotels so we will be using two separate buses as we make our way to Barcelona. The first phase of the transfer requires us to go to Nimes where we will catch the train to Barcelona. Arles does not have a big enough train station for longer distance travel.
The agenda for the next three days as we head to Barcelona.
We were asked to have luggage out of our room by 7 AM and to vacate our rooms by 9 AM so the staff can prepare the rooms for the new guests who will be arriving by mid afternoon. I have always been impressed by the cruise industry and their ability to turn a ship around in such a short time frame. We were able to have a normal full service breakfast on the ship before our planned 9 AM departure. Travel to Nimes took about an hour where we were taken on a short walking tour of its major sight- their 24,000 seat Roman amphitheater, followed by a visit to their indoor food market, before going to the train station.
They had a good system to make sure our lugggage ended on the bus we were riding on.
A former mansion in Nimes.
A plaza in Nimes.
The modern art museum in Nîmes, across from the amphitheater.
View of the amphitheater from the roof of the modern art museum.
Looking in a different direction.
Another view of the amphitheater. We did not go inside this one.
One of the events held in the amphitheater.
Group picture in front of the Nimes 24,000 capacity amphitheater which is still used today.
One of the bulls that did not make the cut!
Of course there are loads of outdoor cafes in the city.
A clock tower near the amphitheater.
The ruins of the Roman maison carrée temple that dates to 4-7CE. It is considered to be one of the best preserved temples in existence.
You cannot beat the hot chocolate served in France.
The alligator is the symbol of Nimes. Supposedly if you rub its nose it brings good luck!
I was surprised at how many different varieties of potatoes were being sold.
Olives of all colors!
Cheese, cheese and more cheese. Supposedly France makes 1200 different kinds.
It’s spring so it is time for asparagus!
A door in Nimes.
Our train was about 15 minutes late in arrival but it posed no problem. We were all in one coach which was quiet, with comfortable seating. The time passed quickly as we passed through the countryside, eventually leaving France and entering Spain. By the time we reached Barcelona we were about 45 minutes late, but the transfer to the hotel went smoothly. The good news was our luggage had been trucked to Barcelona rather than being on the train with us and it was already in our rooms when we arrived-a nice touch!
Inside the Nimes rail station.
Here comes our train, which was 15 minutes late at this point.
Very comfortable, reserved seats in a very quiet coach.
Updated information presented on this screen.
Farm fields ready for spring planting.
Lunch was eating baguette sandwiches purchased on the street.
Yvonne bought some nougat in Les Baux.
Those are flamingos at the edge of the mediterranean Sea.
Arriving late but it posed no problems for us.
Yes, they have the same traffic problems we have. They do have dedicated lanes for only buses and taxis.
Riding to our hotel on the beautiful tree lined boulevards of Barcelona.
Some 19th century buildings we passed on the way to the hotel.
When you see a crowd looking at a building you can. Be certain it is a Gaudi designed apartment building!
The view from the room lacked any charm!
Our hotel room was big and spacious.
We were on our own for dinner and after some consultation with the hotel concierge our foursome voted for an Italian restaurant (Luigi’s) located a 5 minute walk from the hotel. It turned out to be a good choice. If case you did not know Spaniards tend to eat LATE- 10 PM is a common time for them to have dinner! Most restaurants do not even open until 7:30 PM so we never had a problem getting into a restaurant when we wanted to eat.
A bruschetta appetizer..
My seafood pasta. I forgot to take a picture of the two pizzas shared by everyone else!
A very good panna cotta completed our meal.
A very crowded Luigi’s Italian restaurant near our hotel.
Tomorrow we will have an escorted morning tour of Barcelona with the afternoon free.
April 17, 2024: The Roman City of Arles and Vincent Van Gogh!
We quickly learned that Arles is pronounced without the “s”. It is famous because Van Gogh moved to Arles in February 1888 where he lived for about 14 months and created some of his now famous paintings. He also lived in nearby St Remy de Provence when he was in an asylum. And we soon learned Arles also has several marvelous Roman ruins.
We again selected a two hour walking tour of Arles, leaving at the decent hour of 9AM. We soon found ourselves viewing a 1st century CE Roman amphitheater that is still in use today. What is held in it is called a “Camargue bullfight (known as la course Camarguaise)” . The goal of the Camargue matador, or raseteur, is to pluck a ribbon from between the bull’s horns. The bull always survives and hopefully so does the matador! We also walked to several locations that had been immortalized by Van Gogh in some of his famous paintings.
Our local guide in Arles. They all carried these colored signs which we called “lollipops”. The color identified the tour you were on.
The remnants of the 1868 railroad bridge, Pont aux Lions’, destroyed in WWII.
Remnants of the 1868 railroad bridge destroyed during WWII.
This is the area where Van Gogh painted one of his famous paintings, Starry Night Over the Rhone.
Picture of the painting: Starry Night Over the Rhone, painted by Van Gogh in 1888.
Some of our fellow travelers taking the bike tour.
The old protective walls of Arles.
A decorative building in Arles.
I love these old buildings.
A door in Arles.
A very old vine growing outside this home.
The Roman amphitheater in Arles.
The neighborhood outside the amphitheater.
Inside the amphitheater.
This amphitheater was used for gladiator battles.
Inside the amphitheater walkway.
The Arles amphitheater seated over 20,000 people. It was completed in 90CE and is still used today.
Explaining the “Bull Games” that are played here.
Our local tour guide explains how people often built homes in abandoned amphitheaters after the Romans left.
The Van Gogh painting showing people in the Arles amphitheater.
An interesting Arles home.
Another door in Arles.
Interesting gargoyle over the shuttered window.
The remains of a Roman theater.
A quiet small square in Arles.
More ancient shutters.
The Obélisque d’Arles (“Arles Obelisk”) is a 4th-century Roman obelisk, erected in the center of the Place de la République, in front of the Arles town hall.
Inside the city hall.
The Church of St. Trophime, formerly the Arles cathedral.
Inside the Church of St. Trophime. It seems larger than when viewed from the outside.
Many women of Provence favor bright red hair!
This is the garden in the hospital Dieu in Arles, where Van Gogh stayed.
The Van Gogh painting called “Garden of the hospital in Arles”.
How to carry more than one child when using a bicycle.
Unique door knocker.
Another famous Van Gogh painting, called “Cafe Terrace at Night”.
Van Gogh 188 painting entitled “Cafe Terrace at Night”.
Cafe La Nuit, which Van Gogh frequented and painted.
Sadly the cafe is currently closed for lack of payment by the owner.
I liked the rounded tower of this building.
Statue of Frederic Mistral, the winner of 1904 Nobel Prize for Literature.
It was chilly but coffee drinkers were enjoying the sun outside of this cafe.
That vine has been here a very long time!
Another old door.
Many street corners have religious statues.
I could not resist buying (3 euros) some fresh strawberries at the local market while walking back to the boat.
After lunch we took an optional four hour tour to visit two small towns: Les Baux and St. Remy de Provence. As we approached the entrance of Les Baux, Yvonne said “we have been here before” to which I initially said “no way”, but as we walked further into the mountain top town I had to quickly admit we, indeed, had been there. Thinking back we visited this area as part of a Regent cruise in 2022 and obviously this delightful town was on the tour from the ship. It is a beautiful mountain village with spectacular views and delightful shops so a “revisit” was certainly welcome.
Olive trees along the roadside.
Scenery near the mountain village of Les Baux.
An abandoned fortress on a nearby hill.
The area near Les Baux.
Walking to the entrance of the town. Les Baux has a population of 289 and is considered one the the prettiest towns in southern France.
Rockery at the entrance to Les Baux.
There was originally a fortress on the top of the mountain here.
The cobblestone streets of Les Baux. It is uphill most of the way.
Another street in Les Baux.
One of many shops selling food and snacks in Les Baux.
The 12th century Romanesque chapel of St. Blaise.
The fortress ruins here.
The view overlooking the valley below.
This was a great place for a fortress as you had a commanding view of what lied below.
Another view of the valley.
The overlook in Les Baux.
The village is loaded with shops and restaurants.
A view of the volley from the other side of the village.
12th century of St. Vincent in Les Baux.
Inside St. Vincent church.
1960 era stain glass windows by Max Ingrand and paid for by Prince Rainier of Monaco.
A local popular dessert called calisson, served at the holidays. It is made of a paste of candied fruit and ground almonds.
1974 murals by Yves Brayer inside the 17th century chapel of St. Blaise.
Ow there is a good idea on how to get fresh popcorn.
The visit to St. Remy was not as much fun as it was a larger city lacking the charm of Les Baux. It is famous because Van Gogh painted over 150 canvases while living one year at the St. Paul asylum, including the famous “Starry Night”. We all agreed we would have liked more time in Les Baux and less time in St. Remy.
More olive trees along to road to St. Remy de Provence.
Ancient Roman built in 10 BCE is all that remains of an original Greek town located here, called Glanum.
A very old Citroen. I am surprised it still runs!
A street in St. Remy.
Tempting but would not fit our decor!
Another tree lined plaza.
Views in the city.
Colorful building wall.
City square and landmark in St. Remy.
St. Remy is where the 16th century Nostradamus was born.
The birthplace of Nostradamus in St. Remy.
A mural of Nostradamus, the favored son of St. Remy.
The 1814 fountain built to honor Nostradamus.
A shuttered window that caught my eye.
Tempting treats at a local patisserie.
These are popular, fairly expensive collectible figurines popular with people here.
Inside the St. Remy cathedral.
Treating ourselves to a crepe!
Had I seen this ahead of time I would have been tempted to have it rather than the crepe!
One last cocktail hour with Roberto entertaining us with his singing and piano playing, followed by our “last supper” on the ship, then by repacking our suitcases as we will be leaving the ship in the morning. The Rhône River cruise is about to end!
The evening dinner menu.
The small portion of pork tenderloin, pretty but would have liked more.
“Gâteau aux Noisettes”
Hazelnut and Caramel Cake, Chocolate Sauce. Tasty!
April 16, 2024: The Famous Papal Palace in Avignon and Pont Du Gard!
Last night we were told that around 3 AM we would be going through the biggest lock (Bollene) of the cruise with a 75 foot drop, so if you wanted to experience it you should set your clock! Needless to say we did not!
Each day we received a list of today’s activities.
We awoke at our regular time to yet another bright and sunny day. We have been very lucky so far as the weather has been marvelous except for wind the last few days. It is called a “mistral” wind which occurs this time of the year in this region of France. It has been quite breezy! A bit about Avignon. The current population is 90,330 with about 13,000 living within the old walls of the city. It is most remembered as being the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church (rather than Rome) from 1309-1376
We all chose the walking tour of of Avignon which included the main attraction in this area- the Papal Palace! We could see it from the ship as it was only a short walking distance away.
Thanks to Google I learned this is a gum rockrose, common in this area of the Mediterranean.
The medieval walls of Avignon.
Another view of the walls which extended 4.3 km to protect the city.
One of the towers of the Avignon walls.
Walking on the cobblestone streets of Avignon on my way to the Papal Palace.
Early morning in the walled city of Avignon.
A tree lined pedestrian street, lined with shops and outdoor restaurants.
The menu of the day.
The seal of Avignon.
The city hall of Avignon.
The 1847 opera house in old town Avignon.
Time out for a bit of religious history about the Papal Palace. It all started with King Phillip IV of France (1285-1314) who got into a fight with Pope Boniface VIII over wanting to tax and exert control over the Catholic Church. He even captured and held hostage the Pope in Rome. This action ultimately led to the selection of a French Pope, Clement V, and movement of the papacy from Rome to Avignon in 1309 until 1377. Six different popes ruled the church from here during that period. In fact, even after the papacy moved back to Rome there was a period of time, known as the “Great Schism of the West, 1378-1417” when there were competing popes in both locations.
There are actually two palaces here-the old palace (the Palais Vieux ), built by Benedict XII from 1335-1342, and Palais Neuf (New Palace) which was added under the rule of Clement VI from 1342-1352. In total the palace occupies 11,000 sq. meters (118,000 sq ft)! It is immense! After seeing it one can easily say “It was good to be a Pope”!
Entering the square where the Papal Palace is located.
The Papal Palace in Avignon.
The Papal Palace.
The Avignon Cathedral next to the Papal Palace.
A lovely building on the same square as the papal palace, likely destined to be a 5 star hotel.
Inside the courtyard of the palace. It is now used for concerts.
The window of the popes’ main chambers.
An ancient door.
The very tall vaulted ceilings. The ceiling height was enormous.
Another courtyard showing the guest wing of the palace.
The uniform of the Swiss Guards who protect the popes.
17th century paintings.
Restored ceilings in the room where cardinals met with the pope.
Picture of what the room looked like where the pope met with cardinals.
More paintings.
The popes who first came to Avignon.
An area that has not been restored. You get an appreciation for how big a job restoration really is.
The money and valuables were hidden under thick blocks of stone in the palace.
Dice from that era.
The grand “tinsel” where banquets were held. It is an immense room!
The fireplace area of the grand tinsel was used to keep the food warm during dinner
Where the cardinals and others ate in the main dining hall on special occasions.
The way the kitchen looked back in medieval times.
Another ancient door in the palace.
The primary residence of the popes with painted walls depicting birds and wildlife.
A fireplace in the pope’s chambers.
Painting in the pope’s study.
The Great Clementine Chapel, built in 1352
The north sacristy that links the pope’s apartment to the chapel.
The Great Audience Chamber where the Court of Audience was housed, a judicial body that ruled on ecclesiastical cases. What amazed me the most was the immense size of the rooms in the Papal Palace.
Of course there is a gift shop in the papal palace.
View of the entry courtyard from the second level.
Another accordion player, a dying breed!
Ancient Roman walls.
The 14th century clock tower in Avignon.
We were back to the ship in time for a quick lunch and then on to the the afternoon tour to visit the highest and most well-preserved remaining Roman aqueduct in the world- Pont du Gard. (We chose it over another tour option to visit a local truffle farm). For me it turned out to be an OMG sight! It was built by the Romans sometime between 40-60 CE to carry water some 50 km from the mountains to the now modern city of Nimes. What shocked me was its size and the fact that is built with a gradient of 1 inch per square 1,200 feet. It was an unbelievable engineering challenge! It likely remained in use for 4-6 centuries. At its highest point the arch stands 49 meter (160 ft) high. It is marvelous! I simply stood in awe at its beauty.
Today’s luncheon appetizers-minus a few wings that were rapidly consumed!
Croque monsieur sandwich was the featured luncheon sandwich.
Vineyards on the route to the the Pont du Gard.
A museum at the Pont du Gard shows how the Romans managed to build such a structure.
How the arches were fabricated, using wooden forms.
A Roman location to collect water delivered by the aqueduct.
Not much privacy in Roman bathrooms!
Nothing is new in the world! The Roman women wore bikinis as shown in the mosaic.
Our first glimpse of the Pont du Gard.
The mammoth size of the aqueduct can be appreciated when you see the size of people walking beneath it.
Each block was especially constructed and had a special location in the aqueduct.
Proof we were there.
There were a lot of bicyclers in the area.
Look at the size of the arche compared to people. A recent flood almost covered the entire lower arch!
What an engineering masterpiece!
Look at the intricate blending of stones in the aqueduct.
My Kodak moment.
Looking up the Garron River, where people canoe.
Looking down river from the aqueduct. People often swim from the beach there.
An ancient inscription on a rock at the Pont du Gard.
A grove of manicured trees at the Pont du Gard visitor center.
Our bus driver, complete with high heels!
We returned in time for our mandatory disembarkation lecture and evening farewell champagne cocktail hour where the Captain and Senior Staff introduced the rest of the support team who made our journey as pleasant as it was and wished us “A Bientot (See you soon)” before our gala farewell dinner.
The Pont d’Avignon bridge, dating back to the 13th century. It kept being destroyed by the river and was finally abandoned in the 17th century. It is a tourist attraction today.
Post cruise briefing reminder for those going to Barcelona.
It’s cocktail hour again!
Hot appetizers offered at the evening cocktail hour.
Our ship staff thanking us for sailing with them.
The captain and cruise manager offering us a toast.
Our young French captain interacting with some passengers.
Lowering all the equipment on the sun deck because of an upcoming low bridge clearance.
Our dinner menu for the evening.
Artistic presentation of the tenderloin.
A fairly decent crème brûlée.
Our evening entertainment provided by Paolo Nassi.
Watching the delicate operation as our ship docked next to another ship.
The ship set sail for our last stop, Arles, promptly at 5:45 PM with an expected arrival time of 9PM. Distances here are not very long.
April 15, 2024: A Train Ride in the Countryside and a Ghost Walk at Night!
We stayed in Tournon overnight and this morning’s tour that attracted all four of us was a 9:30-12:00 steam train ride along the Doux River. The train is known as “Train de l’Ardèche” or Le Mastrou. The train line, which uses Mallet articulated locomotives, ran from 1891 until 1968 when it was later made into a private tourist attraction. The 1.5 hour trip runs along the Doux River and through the canyons surrounding it. The cars and engines are from a by-gone era. It turned out to be a delightful way to spend the morning.
Crossing the river to get to the train station.
The train excursion we are taking this morning.
The departing train station.
Blooming tree at the train station.
Our train.
Our 19th century rail car.
There was a bathroom at one time in this coach.
A mural near the train station.
One of several old bridges we crossed.
Watching the world go by.
A small power plant on the River.
We are on a narrow gauge rail.
A station used when the train was in use. Abandoned these days.
Someone’s hideaway.
Following the Doux River.
Another power plant.
A small waterfall near the tracks.
One of three bridges we crossed.
German prisoners during WWII were used to build an aqueduct(seen on the right) to carry water to the villages.
The small station (Colombier le Vieux), where we turned around. To go all the way on this track would have taken two hours .
Our 1920’s steam engine with a VERY loud whistle!
Getting ready to turn the engine around.
Man power to turn the turntable.
Rotating the engine on the hand powered turntable!
The engine backing up to link to our carriage for the return trip.
Looks pretty secure to me!
Note the coal used to fuel the boiler.
Ready for the return trip.
Watching the rails ahead as we return to the starting point.
The area around the canyon is pristine.
Old fruit orchard
A terraced vineyard.
Part of the collection of memorabilia on display in their museum.
A very old train car on display.
The lounging area in the vintage rail car.
The commode in the upscale train car.
One of their old engines.
I had a “castagnou”, a local popular drink made with wine and chestnut liqueur.
The afternoon was spent “eating” – first with an ice cream buffet followed by a cooking lesson on making crepes. And, as expected, both were heavily attended!
Today’s lunch menu.
A different appetizer selection each day. The ham was awesome.
I opted for the mussels for lunch-very French!
The ice cream buffet held after lunch.
The recipe for crepes. What was surprising is that it calls for sparkling water!
Our pastry chef explaining how to make fabulous crepes.
Jane volunteered to make one.
Folding it properly turned out to be harder than it looks.
Jane’s creation.
I chose a berry sauce, Jane and Yvonne split a caramel/chocolate mixture.
The ship set sail at 1:30 as we finished lunch. Later that afternoon there was a presentation for those of us who would be taking the post cruise extension to Barcelona. John and Jane had never been to Barcelona and although we have been there three times there were still several things we have not seen so I was eager to go there again. It turns out about 60 people are going. We will travel by train from Nimes, France to Barcelona where we will spend three nights, with tours scheduled for two days.
A lounging area on the sun deck. Never did sit there!
Bridge clearance required lowering the ship’s bridge.
We are sailing past the area where the famous Hermitage wine is made. Unfortunately we did not get to taste any of this very expensive wine!
More terraced vineyards.
Vineyards behind Tournon-sur-Rhone.
Approaching another lock with a large power plant at Printegarde.
A castle near Printegarde.
There was a presentation for those of us (about 60) who were taking the post-cruise trip to Barcelona.
Our river route and distance from Barcelona where we will go by train.
This region of Spain is known at Catalonia, where there are discussions of a desire to secede from Spain.
Timing for our transfer to Barcelona.
Our scheduled sightseeing in Barcelona the first day.
Visiting Montserrat, which we have never seen.
There was the usual cocktail hour followed by dinner.
Drink of the day: Blue River: gin, tonic, curaçao.
Dinner menu for tonight.
A description of the wine offerings for dinner.
Truffle stuffed, corn fed chicken breast!
“Ile Flottante”
With Crème Anglaise, French Meringue, Fruits, Caramel Sauce
After dinner this evening there was an optional Ghost Walk in the small (population of 3700) 18th century village of Viviers, where we had arrived about 8:30PM. Of course we were intrigued and had to go! It turned out to be a fun experience, made somewhat spooky by the darkness of the village we walked through. The ghost story was loosely based on the history of some of the early occupants of the village.
Our local tour guide for the evening ghost walk.
Another of the local guides. We were broken up into several groups for the tour.
The third costumed guide.
An eerie start to the tour, as it would soon be dark.
The streets were lite but there was no one walking around.
Our first encounter with a ghost from an earlier century..
She was looking for her “lover”. Unfortunately this gentleman resembled him.
Streets were deserted, giving the location a spooky look.
A town square.
The home where her former lover lived.
We learned a bit of history about homes in that era.
Never saw another human during the two hour walk, only a couple of fighting cats!
What’s this-a light! Who is there?
Some local entertainment of music from that era.
The church steeple.
The door to the local church.
Our ghost returns!
Using a ship’s guest to complete the storyline.
After we re-boarded the ship around 10:30PM we immediately left for our next destination, the famous city of Avignon.
April 14, 2024: Touring Vienne; Then On to Tournon.
Vienne is 35 km south of Lyon and its claim to fame is that it was a major center during Roman times after being captured by Caesar’s armies in 47 BCE. It was important because of its presence on the Rhone River. As a result it had a Roman Temple dedicated to Augustus and Livia, a large Roman Theater and several important medieval churches, which remain to this day.
Vienne is also famous for the 1311 Council of Vienne when the Catholic Church withdrew papal support for the Knights of the Templars, which led to their demise. In 1800 the population of Vienne was 10,362; today it is 30,059.
Morning in Vienne. There is commercial traffic on the river, not just river cruises.
AmaWaterways wisely has created three types of tours that cover the same activity: Regular, Active ( who want to do walk more) and gentle ( who walk less). Our tour today was entitled: Footsteps of Ancient Romans. There were two others: a 3km hike up to Mont Pipet for views and a 17km bike ride along the Rhone River. We chose the 2.5 hour “regular” walking tour of Vienne which left at the reasonable hour of 9AM, our kind of time. It turned out to be a bit of a “wow” tour when we saw the Roman ruins.
We get to ride the “train “ to the top of Mount Pipet. The active group was going to walk.
Description of the mountain we are on.
The Roman theater was built in 40-50CE and could hold 13,000 people, making it one of the largest in the empire. It is still used today. There is a famous jazz festival held here in the summer.
Looking down at Vienne and the Rhone River.
The ruins of an old fort overlooking the river.
Looking the the other direction.
The center of town as seen from Mt. Pipet.
That is our boat anchored in the heart of downtown.
Still have not mastered taking selfies.
The chapel dedicated to Notre-Dame de-la-Salette.
The doors on the chapel on Mt. Piper.
Inside the church.
City hall of Vienne.
A door in Vienne.
A mosaic from the days of the Romans.
A very old door in Vienne.
The Roman temple dedicated to Augustus and his wife, Livia. It was built in the 1st century CE. After the fall of the empire it became a church, a jail, a library, a court and a museum before being restored in 1852 to its original form.
After the Romans left a church was made out of the temple.
What Vienne looked like during the Roman times.
Modern art next to the Roman temple. I think it is a cow.
Thomas Jefferson was here! He liked French wines.
A very old door in Vienne.
We were back on board by lunch. By 12:15 PM the ship weighed anchor and continued it trip down the Rhone River.
Gifts we received from AmaWaterways left in our cabin while we were gone.
Today’s lunch menu.
The appetizers for the day. Each day was different.
Each day at lunch there was a tray of three new cheeses available.
During lunch we started passing these vineyards on very steep hillsides. I had never seen such steepness. There is no way you can use machinery to tend to them; it had to be hand labor.
More steep hillsides.
I cannot imagine the effort need to make these terraces with brick walls.
One of many bridges we sailed under. We had to lower the awnings on the sun deck and even the radar mast and the wheel house to have enough clearance. There had been a lot of rain before we came which caused the river to be higher than normal, requiring these actions to be taken.
Typically we dropped 30-35 feet in each lock we passed.
Seagulls were building nests on the walls of the locks.
Later in the afternoon we had the option of participating in a on-board lecture by a local wine sommelier about the wines from the Cotes-du-Rhone region near here.
The local sommelier explaining wines and challenging us with wine tidbits.
Preparing for the wine tasting.
The wines we tasted. All were priced below 25 Euros.
As former passengers on a AmaWaterways cruise we were invited to a “pre” normal cocktail hour where champagne or other libations were offered as we were thanked for our business. About 30 people were in attendance. Then there was the usual 6PM cocktail hour with Roberto entertaining us with song, followed at 6:45 by a short presentation by Helene about tomorrow’s activities, followed by dinner at 7 PM. A big surprise before we left the cocktail hour was when Roberto indicated he was a trained baritone opera singer and he treated us to a famous aria in Italian before we left. I am not an opera fan but I sure enjoyed his song.
Appetizers served at the reunion party for previous AMA travelers.
Helene, our cruise manager with Yvonne and Jane.
Roberto singing an opera aria.
Today’s dinner menu.
A good salad with a poached egg.
Salmon entree.
The beef brisket with a great sauce.
At 7PM we were already docked in Tournon where we will stay for two nights. We had sailed all of 60 km today! It was still light after dinner so we briefly went ashore because we saw a carnival that had been operating earlier in the day. It turns out Jane has a fondness for cotton candy and we thought that certainly a carnival would offer it. Sadly we saw that the rides were now shut down and the carnival was obviously getting ready to leave. We were about to return to the ship when we saw a food booth that was still open and we wandered over. Well, the rest of the story can be seen in the pictures below!
Docked in Tournon.
Sunset in Vienne.
We ordered a large one. As we watched her making it we got concerned that we may over ordered!
That is one humongous cotton candy!
Two minutes later it looked like this!
Eight minutes after it was made it was all gone!
The chefs busy at work in the kitchen. At least they have a view while working.
The after dinner entertainment tonight was by the La Dulce France trio playing semi-classical French music. We stayed a bit before retiring for the night.
The La Dulce France Trio providing the evening entertainment.
April 13, 2024: Exploring the Beaujolais Wine Region of France
We are still in Lyon but will be exploring the Beaujolais region, known as the “Pays d’Or – the land of golden stones”, named for the color of limestone used for its homes and castles this morning. Later we set sail on the Rhone River, heading south.
The breakfast buffet on board is excellent-lots of choices, the fruit is fresh and sweet, the bacon is always crispy and they put a small pot of hot coffee on each table. It is a good way to start the day.
Each morning brought three new “sweets” to the breakfast buffet.
There was a made to order egg/omelet station besides the usual breakfast buffet items.
The only tour offered today was a visit to a winery in the Beaujolais area which is located a few kilometers from Lyon. Yvonne chose to not go because she had an opportunity to get a massage on board the ship later this morning. Hint: We have learned that if you want to use the spa services your ship might offer you must book them as soon as you board the ship in order to get a time that does not conflict with other ship activities. I have my massage scheduled for later this afternoon when we set sail and there are no other conflicting activities. Another pleasant surprise was that AmaWaterways schedules their tours to leave at a decent hour. Today we were slated to leave at 9:30AM with a return by 12:30, just in time for lunch!
The countryside is lovely- green rolling hills, idyllic small villages, and many small vineyards, which surprised me as we are used to the very large vineyards we see in the US. The other surprising thing was that the vines are very short (1-2 feet) high, compared to the 3-4 foot height we see in the US.
The buses used for touring were first class!
Supposedly this was a real fossil.
All the buildings in this region of France have this “golden color” because of the limestone used in their construction.
This is the Château de Châtillon-d’Azergues, a castle that dates back to the 13th and 15th century. It is privately owned.
Château de Chessy, dating back to the 12th century, is nearby.
A smaller chateau in the area.
French road signs.
I was told houses have these shutters to keep out the cold in the winter and the heat in the summer.
A small building is commonly seen in the middle of fields, used to store farming equipment and provide a place for the worker to nap while working the vineyards.
A villa with its vineyards in Moire, France,
A small village church in Moire.
Each village has a cross to mark its entrance. It was used to let people know it was a religious community. There is also a cross at the exit of a village. These date back centuries.
The countryside in the Beaujolais region of France where we will be visiting a winery.
The village of Oingt.
A rural cemetery.
Another example of a cross marking entrance to a village. We counted over 12 during our journey.
Countryside around Oingt.
More pastoral scenes.
The two brothers now run the winery.
Our local tour guide, Alex , and the spokesperson from the Morel winery, which we were visiting.
Their dog which is named “iPad”!
Fragrant lilacs in bloom.
The rocky soil is the key to the wine’s taste.
A single vine which was surprisingly short, compared to the vines of US wineries.
The view across the valley at the winery.
The chateau where the wine is made.
Their mailbox.
The wine cellar is located under the house, complete with a dirt floor.
A dish of very dry/hard cheese and sausage accompanied the wine tasting.
I was surprised to learn they bottle over 100,000 bottles a year, mostly reds which this area of France is known for.
The three wines we tasted- a white and two reds.
I came alone as Yvonne was busy having a massage on the boat.
An ancient stone fence.
One of their three plots of vines.
The village of Oingt which has a population of 680 people. It is in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France.
I liked the light post.
A home in the large village of Chessy, population 5131.
The whole region is filled with small plots of vines.
Another example of a storage shed in a vineyard.
A former chateau in Bagnols which is now a high end hotel serving people like Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.
A church in the distance.
A chateau in Châtillon.
Returning to Lyon in time for lunch. This is one of many boats that serve as permanent homes on the Rhône River.
Today’s luncheon menu.
Each lunch came with a selection of appetizers of varying types.
But several of us opted for a good, old hamburger with fries!
An eclair for dessert.
We set set sail from Lyon at 12:45PM. There was a presentation on silk painting and printing by a local producer. which, obviously, was of great interest to the women on board. Others simply sat in the lounge or up on the sun deck to watch the world go by. Before long we sent through the first of the many locks we would encounter on this trip.
Our travel itinerary for the week.
Our vessel, the Kristina.
The peaceful Rhône River near Lyon.
The shore was mostly lines with trees at this point. The other shore had hills.
One of several bridges we encountered this afternoon. Many required us to lower the sun deck canopies and even the radar mast on the ship to clear the bridge!
We saw several different groupings of swans during our afternoon voyage.
The ruins of a fort on the hillside.
A presentation on silk weaving and painting.
Some of the silk scarves for sale. The picture was taken before the ladies had a chance to buy them.
Oh, oh! The ladies were on a shopping spree.
We leave Lyon and are sailing down the Rhône River when we encounter the first of many locks.
The captain maneuvering the boat into the narrow lock. There was often less than one foot clearance between the ship’s hull and the walls of the locks.
Yvonne raved about her back and shoulder massage and after I had my whole-body, 60 minute massage this afternoon, I would have to agree. The masseuse was a young lady, born and trained in Bulgaria. I am not an expert on massages but I have to say it was the best of the 4 or 5 massages I have had. And at a price of $80 it seemed a bargain to me.
We arrived at our port (Vienne) for the evening around 4 PM where we would spend the night. As we were docked right in the heart of the town I went for a short walk before the evening cocktail hour.
Arrival in Vienne.We were docked right in the center of town.
The 16th century Cathedral of St. Maurice in Vienne.
Inside the church.
Stained glass windows in the church.
Another stained glass window. I like to take pictures of them!
Ancient door of the church.
Side street in Vienne.
A door in Vienne.
A small park near the waterfront.
One of several blooming flower beds in the park.
Statue in the park.
The evening routine was the same. The “Sip and Sail” cocktail hour is held from 6-7 when the free drink of the day and wine and beer are offered to the guests. We are then entertained by the resident piano player, Roberto. Around 6:45 our cruise manager, Helen, would brief us on the activities for the next day and the dining room opened at 7 PM for the “open seating” dinner. There were several “booths” for parties of four available and we soon found these were a favorite of ours.
Helene made a brief presentation before dinner discussing France. We all laughed at this definition of a Frenchman!
Another laugh as she described what exercise meant to the French!
Lamb chops with a terrific sauce.
Yvonne chose the fish option.
Crepe Suzette was the featured dessert this evening. We all had it.
Enjoying crepe Suzette for dessert.
Entertainment after dinner tonight was provided by a local lady who sang many French tunes.
The bridge was lighted as evening approaches. The tower on the left was used to control the river in ancient times, I.e. collect tolls from people using the river.
Commonly cruises leave the day you board the ship. This cruise started with the ship spending the night in Lyon. We awoke to a beautiful sunny day with a projected temperature of 70 degrees later in the day.
Breakfast cups of varying combinations of yogurt and fruit. There were plenty of other breakfast options available.
River cruises commonly include free excursions; we only had to select which one wanted to go on. AmaWaterways wisely has offered similar sightseeing tours that were geared to your energy level-a regular level, an active level and a late starter level. Today’s sightseeing tour focused on the sights in Lyon. There was an alternative tour that focused on touring the local market (Les Halles) in the city and the last option was a bike tour using the dozen or so bikes that the ship carries on its voyages.
We had all chosen the “regular” four hour city tour which involved a bus ride to some of the sights and a short (45 minutes) walking tour in old town, with some free time in old town. We were all proved “Whisperers” which allowed us to hear what the local tour guide was telling us without having to be standing next to her. These are a marvelous addition to making tours more enjoyable. We first rode to the top of the hill surrounding the city to view the city below and see the marvelous Catholic basilica located there.
A plaza with the ancient Roman well still standing.
Remains of a Roman amphitheater in Lyon.
A larger amphitheater nearby.
Blooming wisteria.
The Lyon Basilica of Notre Dame Fourvière, built from 1872 -1896 at the site of a former Roman forum of Trajan. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
A blind accordion player outside the Basilica.
Separation of church and state? Polticians wanted a political symbol built near the basilica and made sure it is a bit taller than the church!
People would tie ribbons with their prayers to trees located outside the church.
Views of the city below from the Basicila overlook.
Entrance to the basilica. The smooth stone facings on the lower part of the building are the result of running out of money to carve more elaborate figures.
The interior of the beautiful basilica.
Inside the church are 6 very large mosaics.
Another of the very large mosaics.
Part of the ceiling.
One of the few paintings in the basilica. The lion in the painting denotes the French monarchy.
The lower, smaller church dedicated to St. Joseph lies under the basilica.It is surprisingly large.
Statue of St Joseph holding Baby Jesus in the lower church.
It was then back down the hill where we walked through the old town area of the city. Like most old towns this one features narrow cobble stone streets, shops and many small restaurants and coffee shops-a delightful place to wander and experience. Surprisingly we learned that Lyon had/has a flourishing silk industry that dates back to the time of King Louis XI (1466). By the 16th century Lyon was the silk capital of Europe and at one time over 14,000 looms were in use.
The highlight in old town was walking through some secret passageways called “Traboules” that have existed here since the days of the French Revolution. They were established as a means of getting from one street to another without having to walk a longer way on the few streets that existed. At one time there were over 400 in the city; today about 50 still remain in use. The Traboules played an important role during WWII as the French resistance movement used them extensively to hide from the Germans.
College students and workers having lunch while lounging on the river bank. We were told that last week this was three feet under water because of heavy rains.
Church of St George.
Views of the basilica we visited earlier this morning.
Buildings on the waterfront in Old town.
Agatha, our local tour guide in Lyon.
Oh, those French bakeries!!!!
Preparing to enter the famous secret Lyon passages called “Traboules”.
Walking through one of the remaining public Traboules.
A courtyard in the middle of a Traboule offers acess to multiple buildings. That is how French resistance fighters hid from the Germans.
A door of Lyon.
Hand painting a silk piece.
Street sign and symbol.
A medieval door in old town Lyon.
Circular towers were built to show off the wealth of the owners.
A painted silk covering.
Agatha’s scandalous purse!
Signage for a local bistro offering lunch.
Pistachio and chocolate boules being sold in this shop. The smells of baking products made a stop irresistible!
Chefs at work making new boules.
One of many bistros located in old town. They were just beginning to open for the day when we were there.
The river side pub where we stopped for a Coke and an excuse to eat the chocolate boule we just bought!
Our chocolate boule which did not last long!
There is a tree lined promenade on the river.
The AmaKristina.
These river boats are quite long!
We were back to our boat by 1 PM, just in time for a sit down lunch before we retired to our rooms to take a nap, read a book, or like me, to sit on the upper deck and work on this blog and watching the river flow by. Life is tough!
John relaxing on the top deck, working his sudoku.
People relaxing on the river front near our boat.
A boat that had been rafted next to us is leaving.
A bit of trivia: There are 120 passengers on this cruise and the ship capacity is 156. The ship, built in 2017, is 443 ft long, with a beam of 38 feet.
There is a cocktail hour every evening at 6 PM with the briefing on what will happen tomorrow. Tonight we signed up for dinner at the Chef’s Table specialty restaurant, offered to each passenger at least once per cruise and featuring a special 7 course tasting menu. We did not know what to expect but it turned out to be a very pleasant meal as the 7 courses were really bite-sized portions, so the meal was not overwhelming.
Complimentary Cosmopolitans feartured at today’s cocktail hour.
Our flamboyant cruise manager, Helene.
The seven course tasting menu.
Our view as we ate.
Our chef and wait staff at the Chef’s Table, which features a 7 dish fixed tasting menu
A lovely Chardonnay from France.
Shaped tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.
Shrimp appetizer.
Cauliflower soup with a ginger oil splash. Surprisingly it was one of my favorite tastings.
Salmon trout. Yes, there is such a species, from Scandanavia.
A sorbet “cleanser”.
Our dinner at the Chef’s Table.
The final plate- medium rare steak.
The dessert medley
There was an after dinner French singer who entertained us by singing American blues tunes in the lounge. He accompanied himself on guitar and he was very good with it. For a moment I thought we were back in Chicago or Memphis!
Blues singer, Tomek Dziano, entertaining us after dinner.
The museum at night. I wish we had the time to visit it.
A nearby bridge lighted at night.
It is not uncommon to have other ships “raft” up with you when in port. A new one has joined us tonight. You might have to walk across a ship to get to/from shore.
Then it was a bed call for those of us who are not used to staying up to all hours of the night. The ship spends the night here in Lyon and will be here until mid-day tomorrow.
A bright, sunny , brisk ( 47 degrees) morning greeted us after a good night sleep. We are ready to explore! Since we cannot board our ship until 3 PM I had suggested a short one hour boat sightseeing ride on the nearby Saone River that flows through the downtown area of Lyon as a quick overview of the city. Our ship will stay in the city overnight and tomorrow we will be given a city tour of Lyon so I did not want to duplicate the activity.
Lyon is surprisingly large. It is the third largest city in France with a population of 522,000. It is noted for its universities with over 200,000 students (the second largest student population in France) and is noted for its software industry with a specific interest in video gaming. In ancient times Lyon was the capital of the Gauls during the Roman Empire era (5th century BCE-5 th century CE). Trivia: we used to use BC and AD to designate time. These days it is more common to use BCE(Before Common Era) and CE(Common Era).
Our hotel location required a cab ride to the city center where the scenic boat ride was located on the Saône (pronounced “Sone” River, which is smaller than the Rhône River where our river cruise will commence. So Lyon is blessed to have two separate rivers which meet near the city center. It was a pleasant one hour, narrated tour to see the city from the prospective of the river.
The Saone River in downtown Lyon. It converges with the larger Rhône River in Lyon.
Our Saone River boat tour.
The basicila on top of the hill behind old town, Lyon.
John and I started the 1 hour ride outside, but retreated to the warmer inside about half way through the trip.
Buildings of old town Lyon.
The is graffiti everywhere, even on chimneys of homes!
Scenes along the Saone River. Note the graffiti on the chimneys.
The cathedral of Lyon.
Church of St. George,completed in 1848.
Very old remnants of the earlier civilization.
Musée des Confluences is a science centre and anthropology museum. Most people refer to it as the “Millennium Falcon”.
The “Green” building, designed by Jakob and MacFarlane, is the home of Euronews
The “orange” building, also designed by Jakob and MacFarlane, as a complement to the green building.
Sculpture on one of the many bridges crossing the Saone River.
Example of a live abroad vessel on the river.
The iconic University Bridge, opened in 1903.
As the tour ended at 12:15 PM we decided to grab a quick lunch before returning to the hotel, and we found ourselves in an idyllic small restaurant that made crepes on a small side street, thanks to google maps. It was a classic French bistro that we all enjoyed.
The funky crepe shop on a small side street where we had lunch.
Inside the crepe restaurant.
Jambon, egg and cheese crepe. We also had a bowl of vegetable soup
I learned that Lyon did have Uber so I called one up using the app rather than calling for a cab to take us back to our hotel. It was significantly less expensive and I was delighted to find our driver was a young college student who spoke marvelous English so we learned a bit about the city and university life as we returned to the hotel.
Because of my status with Marriott we were allowed to have a late 2:30 PM checkout which simplified our lives. The hotel had arranged for us to be picked up and we were promptly taken to our ship, AMAKristina, docked on the Rhône River near the downtown area. Checkin was quick and efficient and we were soon in our rooms where we unpacked and stored our clothes before setting out to explore our new surroundings. I was surprised at how long and modern the ship is.
At 6PM we gathered in the lounge for the mandatory safety briefing followed by meeting some of the ship’s staff. Drinks are reasonable priced-my Hendricks gin and tonic was 8 Euros and soft drinks are free. There was a quick briefing about tomorrow’s activities before we were excused to head to the dining room for a 7 PM dinner.
Appetizers served during the welcome cocktail hour.
Our cruise manager, Helene Bihari, from France.
The chef and hotel staff.
Our young captain, Danny Boucher of France.
Tonight’s dinner menu. Wine is served with dinner.
Mushroom soup.
The short rib entree.
Interesting dessert.
There were no other activities this evening so we all retired to our rooms to get a good night’s sleep.
We are currently sitting in the Lufthansa Business lounge in Frankfurt waiting for our connecting flight to Lyon, where our river cruise begins. The flight from Seattle was pleasant and unexciting- which is what one hopes when flying! It was 9.5 hours long and we arrived in Frankfurt on time at 9 AM local time. Neither of us slept much as the flight left Seattle at 2PM, not a conducive time to fall asleep, but we are not fatigued at this point. The flight to Lyon is only about one hour long and I imagine we will catnap on the way.
View of the growing skyline of Bellevue as we flew out of Seattle.
Our flight details.
Interesting display of flight data.
Our luncheon menu on Lufthansa.
White wines offered during lunch. I drank the German riesling.
Thumbs up for the riesling.
For red wine lovers.
I had the sea bass lunch option.
Yvonne had the short ribs and she raved about the sauce.
Cheesecake for dessert.
An interesting breakfast option( buckwheat pudding with watermelon). Unfortunately I began to eat it before taking this picture. It was really good.
Got to love the German attention to detail and order.
View of downtown Frankfurt as we were landing.
As it turned out the Lyon flight was only 50 minutes so we did not get much of a nap! Sunny and windy when we arrived with a temperature of 57 degrees. The taxi ride from the airport was a bit pricey ($75) but it was in a fancy Mercedes sedan so I cannot complain. There were fields of yellow plants we saw from the air (still trying to find out what they are), flowers blooming along the roadside and the trees already leafed out. Spring has definitely arrived in Provence.
Because we are near Dijon we think these are fields of mustard seed.
We had to laugh as when we checked into our hotel there was another couple at the reception desk who happened to be our travel companions, John and Jane Seifert, who had traveled from Bonita Springs, FL to Paris and then taken the train to Lyon. Amazing that we arrived exactly at the same time. We all felt we needed a nap and shower before meeting for dinner tonight at the hotel.
An ultramodern Marriott hotel, amidst a conference center in Lyon. It is the most modern, alternative design Marriott than I have ever seen.
Our travel companions, Jane and John Seifert , old friends from Wisconsin.
Can’t eat at a French restaurant without some of their marvelous breads.
A Croque Monsieur
The beginning of our Provence visit has gone flawlessly. Hopefully the rest of the trip will follow suit!
“April in Paris”is a common enticing invitation. April in Provence hopefully will be as enticing as that is where we are headed today. It all began with a call in 2023 from long-time Wisconsin friends (John and Jane Seifert, who live in Florida these days) asking if we would be interested in a river cruise in Europe sometime in 2024. Not one to pass up an opportunity to travel with friends I quickly agreed, and when asked what might I suggest I suggested a river cruise in southern France, an area we had not explored before. When I found a cruise that also offered a three day extension to Barcelona, Spain, John and Jane quickly agreed as they have never been to Barcelona, which is one of those magical cities in Europe. Although we have been to Barcelona several times this trip would offer us the opportunity to visit the beautiful Benedictine Monastery at Montserrat, located in the mountains outside of Barcelona, something we have never managed to do while in Barcelona. And I added an extra day so we can visit the country of Andorra, located about three hours from Barcelona. Doing so will add country #104 to my list of UN countries visited.
We enjoy river cruising, having done most of the rivers in Europe as well as rivers in Egypt, China and the US in the past twenty years. This river cruise will be our 11th. We like them because the ships are smaller (~130-150 passengers) and you sail through idyllic vistas, stopping in small towns and villages along the way. When in port excursions are made to nearby points of interest. It is a more laid back mode of travel and is very different than cruising on ocean vessels, which seem to be getting larger and larger over time.
This trip (Colors of Provence) will be with AmaWaterways on the Rhône River in southern France. We have sailed with AmaWaterways before. Surprisingly our previous trip with them was with John and Jane in April, 2007, when we explored Holland and its tulip fields. You can see the specifics of this trip on:
We fly today from Seattle to Lyon, via Frankfurt. It turns out this was much cheaper than flying into Paris and taking a train to Lyon where we will board our ship. We are doing our usual itinerary: fly in a day early so we can readjust our time zone clock and hopefully avoid any issues with travel interruptions. We will meet John and Jane at our Lyon hotel and do a bit of sightseeing before boarding our ship on Thursday, April 11. You are welcome to follow us on our latest venture.
