April 13, 2024: Exploring the Beaujolais Wine Region of France

April 13, 2024 cjbishop@yahoo.com

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.

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.

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,

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.

Our local tour guide, Alex , and the spokesperson from the Morel winery, which we were visiting.

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 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.

The village of Oingt which has a population of 680 people. It is in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France.

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.

Returning to Lyon in time for lunch. This is one of many boats that serve as permanent homes on the Rhône River.

Each lunch came with a selection of appetizers of varying types.

But several of us opted for a good, old hamburger with fries!

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.

The shore was mostly lines with trees at this point. The other shore had hills.

We saw several different groupings of swans during our afternoon voyage.

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.

One of several blooming flower beds 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.