Rhone River – A Traveling Fool

December 12, 2021

Grand France River Cruise – Tournon-sur-Rhône

When we awoke in the morning, we found ourselves docked at Tournon-sur-Rhône, a lovely old town in the Rhône-Alps region of France.

One of the town’s main claims to fame has always been its wines. They have been popular since the days of Charlemagne (he was a fan). The hills above the town were full of terraced vineyards.

We were docked near a small square with a statue of Marc Seguin. He was the engineer and inventor who developed the first suspension bridge in Europe. Completed in 1825, it just happened to be in Tournon-sur- Rhône, connecting it to its sister town (and main rival), Tain l’Hermitage, just across the Rhône.

Entering the town from the quay, we only had a short walk before we found ourselves in front of the 14^th century Church of Saint Julien. It had its original heavy, wooden door. Oddly enough some old houses had been built right into the walls of the church.

The nearby castle was begun in the 10^th century (the oldest part including the round tower) and was expanded in both the 14^th and 16^th centuries. It now contained a museum of the history of the town, including several rooms of period furniture.

From the castle, we walked down to Monsieur Seguin’s suspension bridge. It was now for pedestrians and bicycles. No motor vehicles. There was a good view of the castle, that particular end of town (the tower up the hill in the photo shows where the town originally ended), and some of the terraced vineyards.

Tournon also has the oldest high school in France, the Lycee Gabriel Faure, founded in 1536. Here is what I found on the Internet:

“Anciennement nommé Collège de Tournon, il fut fondé en 1536 par le cardinal François II de Tournon. En 1548, le Collège de Tournon devient une université de Philosophie et des sept Arts Libéraux.”

The Translation:

“Formerly named Collège de Tournon, it was founded in 1536 by Cardinal François II de Tournon. In 1548, the Collège de Tournon became a University of Philosophy and the Seven Liberal Arts.”

In 1562, the cardinal introduced free education at the college and bequeathed his personal library to the establishment. By 1604, both Hebrew and Chaldean were taught. In 1776, the college began teaching history, geography and the Sciences. By 1820, the college passed under secular administration, becoming a high school in 1848. Its current name was acquired after 1870.

After we went by the high school, we continued on to a market. It was Saturday and market day in Tournon. We had some free time to inspect and perhaps buy. I bought deux pain au chocolates, quelques framboises, et une bouteille de jus de poire (two chocolate croissants, some raspberries, and a bottle of pear juice). At the end of the market where we were to meet up, there were some live turkeys, chickens, and ducks for sale.

After the market, we headed back to the ship to set sail for Vienne. We weren’t going to arrive in Vienne until about 5pm. Since the pain in my back had been fluctuating, instead of settling in to stay while at Tournon, I felt optimistic that it might be improving a little. Perhaps it was getting somewhat used to all that walking and standing. But I still chose to forego the walking tour of Vienne and give it a rest – just not push it.

After lunch, I hung out with Roberta & Jeff and Chris & Andy. We watched the world go by as we sailed up the Rhone. We managed to get photos of another castle as we went by. This one was showing up correctly on my phone as Ampuis.

Chateau d’Ampuis originated in the 12^th century as a fortress and was later turned into a Renaissance Chateau. Surrounded by vineyards, the chateau is now the headquarters of the winery Maison Guigal.

At 4:00pm we had a tasting of local specialties, which included cheeses, wines, breads, and jams. One of the reasons why I wasn’t drinking wine with our lunches was that it tends to make me sleepy. Good thing that I had already decided not to go on the walking tour of Vienne. I ended up taking a nap while the others were gone. But I was up in time for Happy Hour and Dinner.

Next time – Lyon

November 28, 2021

Grand France River Cruise – Gignan & Truffles

On the way back down from the Viviers Cathdral, we picked up the local guide for the “Black Diamond” Truffle Experience (Jane) and another person from our group who had apparently done enough walking for the day. It was also raining. Cobblestones can be quite treacherous in the rain.

Since I was the only person who had signed up for the “Black Diamond” Truffle Experience, I was given enough time to take a short break before we headed out. It was just me, Jean Loup, Jane, and the driver.

We had quite a drive around in the countryside of Grignan before reaching the truffle farm. At one point we went by a castle. Jane said that she usually stops at the castle but, as it was raining, we would not be doing so. She had no clue as to how much that hurt my heart as a castle lover. Since it was raining and we were too close to the castle, it wasn’t practical for me to even get a photo of it at that point.

At the truffle farm, the house was large and made of stone (small pieces rather than large blocks). The owner (Gilles) was tall, slender, with unruly, longish, grey hair and the beginnings of a scraggly beard. He was dressed in pink shorts, pink slip-on shoes, and a blue shirt. He also had a fairly thick French accent and was concerned about his command of the English language, but I assured him that I could understand him just fine. He was rather quiet and unassuming. Essentially he was just exactly what I would have pictured.

His great grandfather had begun the truffle business (Aymes Truffe) back in 1850 when a large part of the vineyard was destroyed by an invasion of insects. Gilles explained all about truffles. They are essentially a type of mushroom. They need three conditions in order to develop: 1) a special tree that serves as a host; 2) a particular kind of soil; 3) and a special climate. At his farm, they were constantly planting new trees. The main varieties were oaks and hazelnuts.

Two female yellow labs came out with Gilles’ wife to demonstrate how they find the truffles. Back in the day, pigs were used to find truffles. The problem was that the pigs also loved to eat the truffles. So they had to have the truffles wrestled away from them.

Dogs can be trained to sniff out the truffles without having to fight them for them. These dogs sniffed around and then pawed at the ground when they found something. Giles then dug up what they found and the dogs were rewarded with their favorite treats. The first photo included here shows a couple of truffles fresh out of the ground.

The dogs didn’t pay much attention to the visitors until they were done with the job they were supposed to do. Once they were rewarded and released, they came up to us, wagging their tails and looking for some petting.

Back at the house, Gilles brought out some truffles that had previously been cleaned and were ready to be eaten. He used a mandolin slicer to shave them down to thin slivers which he piled onto baguette slices and topped with olive oil and sea salt. He prepared a whole plate full and offered red, white or rose wine.

The only truffles I had ever had were tiny slivers inside pate and other things. I had never actually tasted any truffles of a decent size. What if I didn’t like them? Either way I really enjoyed the tour. But I didn’t want to be making a face or trying to choke down a mouthful of something that tasted horrible. No problem. They were delicious. Good thing since we had a whole plateful for just me, Jean Loup and Jane to share. I had a rose wine with mine.

I never thought I would ever be able to say that I was full of truffles. But I was full of truffles by the time we left. Gilles had some for sale that were packed in a jar. He also had some truffle oil for sale. I bought some of each. They had a website from which I can order more.

We took a shorter route back to the ship, but stopped briefly so I could take a photo of the castle we had passed earlier from a distance. The ship was supposed to have set sail at 6:00pm, but we didn’t arrive until 6:10pm. Fortunately I was with Jean Loup. They wouldn’t leave without him. They did have to put the gangway back in place so we could get onboard.

At dinner that night, I met the other couple that would be on the entire trip with me in addition to Roberta & Jeff. This new couple was Vicki & Tony.

That night, we had escargot as appetizers. I love escargot and order it whenever possible and feasible. So I know how to handle it – normally. For some reason these snails had burrowed themselves as far into their shells as possible. In order to get them out, it was necessary to wrestle with them. There were a couple people at our table who shot one of theirs across the room, shell and all. I managed to eat five of my six. That last one just wasn’t coming out for anything.

Next time – Tournon

November 15, 2021

Grand France River Cruise – Bollene & Viviers

We had sailed from Avignon at 4:45am and arrived at a lock at Bollene at 9:45am. It was a deep one. Judging by the entries I saw on the Internet when I “googled” it, it is also considered to be quite a tourist site on its own. We gathered on the top deck at the bow to watch, photograph and video what was happening.

At seven stories tall, it is by far the deepest lock on the Rhone. Built in 1952 as part of the Donzère-Mondragon Dam, the lock also produces renewable hydroelectric power. In fact, together with the nearby nuclear power station and adjacent wind farms, this region produces one-third of France’s electrical power.

The captain used a small control panel, located at the starboard side of the ship to navigate his way through without scraping the sides of the ship against the wall of this very long and narrow lock. This was because he was eyeballing it –judging exactly how much room he had.

Once inside, the guillotine gate at the stern closed and the lock began to fill with water. As the ship rose, we found ourselves elevating from the dark, dank depths of the lock towards the sunlight. The first photo I have included with this post was taken from inside the lock. The second is from when we reached the top and were officially on the Canal de Donzere Mondragon.

Later in the morning, we had a cruise briefing on the plans for the day plus some changes that were coming up during the rest of the southern portion of the cruise. The biggest change was in Lyon. We had planned to tour the city in the morning and then have some optional tours in the afternoon. Instead, there would be a bicycle race in the morning, closing down the entire city (it would be a Sunday). So no city tour until the afternoon. Two of the optionals — “Delights of Beaujolais with Wine Discovery” and “Lyon Culinary Journey: Les Halles de Paul Bocuse” (an indoor food market) – were moved to the morning. But the one for which I had signed up – “Medieval Perouges” (a walled medieval town high on a hill) – was canceled. That meant that I would have another morning off on that day.

Our Cruise Director, Jean Loup, also announced that he had arranged for a mini-van that could carry six passengers up to the top of Viviers to the Cathedral. It was a very steep, cobble-stoned hike up from the river. Dennis and one of the Danish couples (we had two couples from Denmark in the midst of 17 Americans) and I rode up with Jean Loup and the driver.

At a couple points on the way up the narrow roads in Viviers, it seemed we were going pretty much straight up vertically. It made me very glad that I had chosen to ride in the mini-van. We left the ship an hour after the main group and beat them to the cathedral. We pulled into a parking area next to the building and had time to explore before the others arrived.

An operatic lyric soprano with a gorgeous voice sang for us. The acoustics were amazing. The tower was built in the 11^th century with the rest of the Cathedral of St Vincent following in the 12^th century. The village itself dates back to the 5^th century although most of the current buildings date from between the 11^th century to the 18^th century. The population at its height was about 30,000. Currently it is below 4,000.

The photos of the village give an idea of how narrow the streets were as well as how steep some were. I thought it was a cool village that still had so much of its authentic medieval atmosphere.

Next – Grignan & Truffles (not the chocolate kind)

October 17, 2021October 17, 2021

Grand France River Cruise – A Castle Along the Rhone Between Arles & Avignon and Pont du Gard

Here and there along the river we would pass a castle. Makes sense to me. If I had the kind of money to build a castle, I would likely want to put it overlooking a river. We saw several castles along the Rhone (and the Saone and the Seine) on the full cruise. Sometimes I had my camera or phone at the ready and sometimes not.

A while after setting sail from Arles for Avignon, we spotted a castle on the port side of the ship. I managed to get a decent photo which I have included here. My phone said it was Beaucaire. But when I looked it up, the photos of the castle on the internet didn’t look like my photo. Then, I found there was another castle across the Rhone from Beaucaire called Tarascon. I looked it up. It matched.

The town of Tarascon has the tradition that Martha of Bethany (sister of Lazarus and Mary) arrived in Tarascon in 49 AD. Apparently there was a problem with a Tarasque (which is a mythological hybrid of a dragon in Provence). Martha tamed the beast. After her death, a church was built in her honor on the site of the house in which she had lived (near both the river and the castle). Her relics are contained there in the 3^rd century crypt.

The castle was built in 1400 and is still in pretty good shape. Although the bridges of the town were destroyed during World War II, the castle wasn’t. Beaucaire across the river was destroyed during the Revolution. It had been a royal castle. Tarascon had been owned by the rulers of Anjou and belonged to the town by the time of the Revolution, so it was spared.

We docked at Avignon during the night. The morning excursion that I had booked was a visit to the Pont du Gard. The highest and one of the best preserved aqueducts built by the Romans, it was built during the 1^st century AD in order to provide water to the town of Nimes.

Maintenance of the aqueduct was being neglected by the 4^th century. But the Pont du Gard survived because it was also being used as a toll bridge. By the 17^th century, the entire structure was having issues. So, in the early 18^th century, it was renovated and reinforced. A bridge was built to the side of the structure, to keep the main aqueduct safe from the wear and tear of the toll bridge.

The Pont du Gard has been a tourist destination for several centuries. That too was having its toll on the structure. In 1985 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Once again, there were just three of us on this excursion. This time my companions were another couple, Dennis & “D”. Dennis was recovering from an ankle replacement back in April. He did fine on the way to the museum, in the museum, and when we went out to the Pont du Gard and onto the bridge. It was when we went to the other side of the structure that he decided to just wait until we came back. The ground was much more uneven on that side. I hung in there until we came to some steep stairs down to a beach. Then I waited at the top of the stairs (sitting on a low wall) for our guide, Aurie, and D to return. It was great to just sit and soak in the scenery.

In the museum, a display was included regarding how the arches were built using wooden scaffolding. There were some examples of tools that were used and how the stone was quarried.

When we were on the bridge, we could see the narrow gap between the bridge and the aqueduct. We could also clearly see the graffiti from many centuries of stone masons and tourists carved into the original walls. The holes where the wooden scaffolding had been inserted and the protruding stone that supported the scaffolding were still there too. I have seen other Roman aqueducts before, but this one was by far the most beautiful and impressive.

France’s COVID protocol included proof of vaccination for pretty much anything. Entrance to attractions or shops or restaurants all required a special card if a French resident or showing the actual vaccination card if from outside of France. It was also necessary to wear masks both inside and outside. You could get away with lowering or removing the mask outside if there weren’t other people nearby (as in people outside of your group).

At Pont du Gard, we were able to remove our masks while doing most of our outdoor walking (when not in the museum). But had to put them back on when we were on the bridge as there were more people there.

Since everyone on the ship was vaccinated (all passengers, crew and staff) we didn’t need masks other than for when we visited the breakfast or lunch buffets. We had our temperatures taken each morning as we arrived for breakfast. There were hand sanitizer stations several places onboard.

Avalon was also going much more green. So we were given glass water bottles in our cabins which were refilled each day with fresh water. The daily activities and schedule, plus menus for all meals were on an app we could download to our phones. I liked that a lot, especially since the entire trip is still on my phone so I can look back at what we did and ate while writing up these posts. Such as, that night, I had a chicken liver pate, French leek and potato soup, grilled vegetables, and a chocolate parfait, washed down with a Chartron et Trebuchet wine. For lunch I had some mussels and Ratatouille with an éclair for dessert.

Next time – Avignon