Where In The World Is Josh?: France - Days 6

Time for another update!

Friday, July 27, 2012 – Viviers, France

Today we started off with a relaxing morning sailing alone the Rhone from Avignon to our next destination, Viviers. In the afternoon, I took the included tour and explored the quiet town of Viviers while Dad relaxed on the ship. Here we had great views of the French countryside and visited the smallest cathedral in France. At the cathedral, we were treated to a private organ recital by a local musician.

After returning to the ship, we were treated to a tasting of local sausages, cheeses, and other treats from the town of Viviers. In the evening we had a great dinner and then enjoyed a variety show put on by the crew of the Avalon Scenery.

Town of Viviers

Saint Michael statue on the hill above Viviers

Me in Viviers

Saturday, July 28, 2012 – Tournon – Vienne, France

This morning we arrived into the town of Tournon, where we strolled in the rain through the local food and flower markets and visited their 16^th century castle. Then we returned to the ship for a leisurely cruising and sightseeing on our way to Vienne. Along the way, we saw some beautiful vineyards on the hillsides and a beautiful “modern” chateau. I also took a quick tour of the ship galley (kitchen). It’s amazing to see the small and simple spaces from which the Chefs creates such wonderful meals. Also this afternoon, our cruise director Jean Loup treated us to a delicious gourmet chocolate tasting.

In the late afternoon we arrived into the sizable town of Vienne where we took a quick city tour and visited another beautiful cathedral, did some window shopping and took a train up to the hilltop to check out the view of the city from above.

Tonight was movie night and as I guessed, the featured film was Chocolat. I have seen the movie a number of time so we instead enjoyed 2 for 1 happy hour and then relaxed for the rest of the night.

Modern Chateau

Tournon

Cathedral in Vienne

Vienne, France

Sunday, July 29, 2012 – Lyon, France

Today was a busy day! In the morning we arrived into the large city of Lyon where we took a city tour highlighting must see Lyon. Our tour included a visit to the hill of Fourviere and it’s beautiful Notre Dame de la Fourviere church and a stroll through the Old Town with its variety of shops and “Traboules” (hidden passageways between blocks).

After lunch we joined an option tour took a short drive to the Beaujolais region for a vineyard tour and wine tasting. Afterward, our tour made a quick stop in the town of Oingt. This was my favorite town on the entire trip as it was extremely clean with beautiful cobblestone streets and wonderful countryside views.

As we sailed away from Lyon, we left the Rhone river and turned on the Saone for the rest of our journey. On our way out of Lyon we say some interesting modern buildings and enjoyed the experience of going under our lowest bridge. This was quite a sight! Everything on the sundeck had to be taken down and the wheelhouse (the bridge) had to be lowered to its limit. This left us with about 6 inches of clearance. Check out the pics! This evening we enjoyed happy hour again as well as a wonderful dinner on the ship and then crashed for the evening.

Notre Dame de la Fourviere

Me in Oingt, France

Lowest Bridge - Note the water bottle, it gets knocked over

Monday, July 30, 2012 – Macon – Tournus, France

It’s a magical day today! We were in Macon this morning and joined an option excursion to visit the Chateau Cormatin. The chateau is like something from a fairytale with majestic gardens, a moat and extravagantly appointed rooms. It is an all-around perfect setting aside from the moody caretakers that were breathing down our necks.

While we visited the Chateau, our ship continued on to the town of Tournus where we met up with them after our tour. We had some free time in the afternoon to explore Tournus but we instead elected to relax on the ship and enjoy a peaceful afternoon without any walking.

This evening, as sailed toward our final cruise destination of Chalon we got dressed up and enjoyed the Captain’s Cocktail reception and our Farewell dinner. Toward the end up dinner, we enjoyed a Baked Alaska parade through the dining room and we had the opportunity to meet all of our service staff and thank them for a great cruise!

Chateau Cormatin

Gardens at Cormatin

Inside Chateau Cormatin

Tuesday, July 31, 2012 – Chalon-sur-Saone - Beaune – Paris, France

Well, we left the ship in Chalon early this morning. We had a long bus ride today to Paris, but along the way we did make a stop in the wonderful town of Beaune in the Burgundy region. Here we visited the fortified old town and took a tour of the Hotel Dieu, a late-medieval charity hospital. Afterward we had some free time to explore the town on our own and a nice alfresco lunch at a local brasserie.

After another 4 hours or so on the bus we arrived in the Paris, the City of Light! We checked-in and got comfortable at our hotel, the Pullman Montparnasse.

This evening we explored the Montparnasse neighborhood and a nice dinner at a local restaurant.