This morning we had several hours of free time in Lyon
before sail away at noon. Fully refreshed
after our leisurely afternoon we set out right after breakfast to enjoy a warm
walk about. We stopped at a Pharmacie to
see about buying some Zinc. Ruth had
caught a cold and I had given her my Cold ease that I always travel with but
now she had given it to me. We couldn’t
find exactly what we were looking for and it turned out Ruth still had some
left so we skipped it and continued on our way.
Our destination was the Resistance Museum which was only two
blocks from our ship. We were there
before the 10:00 a.m. opening so were the first ones to enter. The small wing of the University focused on
Klaus Barbie, ‘the butcher of Lyon.’
Some 4,000 Lyonaise were murdered and another 7,500 deported to work or
death camps. The displays featured audio
visual recordings of survivors telling their stories. Another area had family photos and school
pictures or group pictures of wedding celebrations. At the bottom would be a close up of the only
survivors of these photos and a little of what happened to them. It was quite moving and really put a personal
perspective on a larger world picture.
We wandered back to the ship, stopping in a hardware store
to see the displays and see what might be different than what we have at
home. One thing we have is very much
larger stores! We talked with a young
woman who was pushing a stroller with two lovely, chubby cheeked babies in it
and a little girl walking beside. We were able to understand that they came to
her home for day – care and she had taken them to the grocery store. An electric, two car, trolley runs on tracks
down the main streets. People are
everywhere on bicycles carrying home baguettes and parcels of cheeses.
Lyon is a lovely city.
I was thinking that if I were to spend time living in France this would
be the place. A beautiful vineyard
dotted countryside surrounds a peaceful, clean, urban lifestyle. Ruth suddenly said the same thing. If you are coming to France you must see
Paris because that is where all the ‘good stuff’ is; but once you have seen it,
spend time in Lyon!
As we were having lunch in the warm sun on the forward terrace
we set sail. The lunches are leisurely but the time passes
quickly. This was especially delicious
as it was a Taste of Provence. Fresh
sausages, cheeses, and flowing wines of the region were accompanied by truly
fresh salad greens purchased by the chef when he had guest accompany him to the
market this morning.
The scenery scrolls past and as we move further and further
South the shoreline becomes greener and more trees have blooms. The towns and villages are quaint and the farmlands
lush. We are passing through several
locks and under a variety of bridges.
Before we knew it we were in Vienne.
Here we were met on the quay by a mini train. A little white ‘choo – choo’ rolled us
through the city streets to the highest point, Mount Peipi, pronounce “pee pee.” From this vantage point we could see the
directly below us the Theater Romain that once seated over 13,000 to watch
plays with moral lessons. It also now
hosts concerts. Below that the twisting
streets led to the river valley and the busy traffic of a holiday week. The children have the whole of Easter week as
a holiday. On the main street, right
where we had docked, was a traveling carnival.
Children whooped and hollered in delight as they were swung high in the
air to spin back to earth. Although we
could still see them from up here they were as though in a silent movie. On either side of us was a tower or rampart
of a ruin fortifications and behind us was a lovely, little church dedicated,
of course, to Mary.
We drove down past the Jardin Archeologique de Cybele that had
been unearthed during ongoing excavations.
The entire city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our walk began at the Hotel de Ville. Despite having been told in every city that
this is the City Hall, there is always someone in the group that comments to
their travel partner, “Oh, there is a hotel.
That would be a nice place to stay.”
Our assigned guide could not get her Whisperer to work
correctly and didn’t seem much to care.
Ruth tipped me off that we could switch groups and we did but the guides
never noticed. As we walked over the cobbled
streets we noticed how many well - mannered all the local dogs are. Seldom is one leashed. They sit quietly by their masters in the
sidewalk cafes, and just like at home, wait for some morsel to fall to their
feet.
We stopped at the Temple d’Auguste which is extremely well
preserved. Dan pointed out how they were
able to tell the name of it and any changes to that name by the holes above the
entrance. Metal letters were attached by
nail like pieces hammered into the stones.
By the placement of where these had been they can tell what the letters
must have been.
Across from this is a plaque honoring Thomas Jefferson. When Jefferson was Ambassador to France he
had visited Vienne. Perhaps not his only
reason for being there, but a personal one, was that he collected grapevines to
take home to Monticello!
Further along in the tour we stopped at the Cathedral de St.
Maurice. This is the most important of the medieval monuments in the city. The hybrid style represents architecture
between the 12th and 16th centuries. The original Romanesque style was a large
church but when the Bishop was assigned there, he felt it was not befitting the
magnitude of a Cathedral and so expanded its size by almost double. These additions took about two hundred years
and incorporated the new Gothic styling.
This is where I got ‘lost.’
I was listening and walking around taking pictures while everyone was
attentively seated before the tour guide.
At one point a woman began to tell me the whole, interesting story of
Padre Pio. I tried several times to
politely disengage and even told her I had to join my group but she insisted on
relating how to complete a Novena, and where to touch the relic, and a short
repeat of the whole story over a few times.
I could hear Don but had lost site and finally pulled loose. Looking around I had seen a group outside the
front doors and so went that way. Meanwhile,
they had all exited the side doors where we had entered. I could hear them for a little while and
looked to either side of the Cathedral but did not see them. I later learned that the guide had even gone
back inside to call my name. The reason
I couldn’t see them is that instead of coming forward to the street, they went
around another building and then to the street.
I saw another of our groups but they were heading the
reverse route so I decide to just walk down hill to the river. It isn’t hard to find a river. I returned to the cabin about 15 minutes
before Ruth and by then had changed for the Welcome Back Cocktail Party and
dinner. Much nicer party than on the
previous leg of the trip. Not only the
typical champagne but I took advantage of a Rum and Coke, or two. On the sunny, open lounge deck it was quite
pleasant to salute our return as the ancient Roman walls sailed into our
personal history!
At dinner we sat with Canadians and I enjoyed halibut. That was Ruth’s choice as well although the
others all had Coq au Vin. They were quite interesting and the topics of
conversation are quite different when visiting with our neighbors to the north.
We had long explanations of who did what
and are reminded that many of our fellow passengers are entrepreneurs and consultants. One gentleman is not only both of those but
beginning his fifth or sixth term as mayor of his city.
We finished up quickly and made our way to the evening
entertainment. Ruth and I do not like to miss out on the games. We were joined by four couples who have been
on this whole journey with us. They
couldn’t wait to partner with us for the Music and Dancing Game. The questions were different, except for the
names of the Beatles, and were more tailored for our itinerary. Questions were about operas, waltzes, and
classical composers as well as about Edith Piaf and Andrew Lloyd Weber. We won!
Need I say more? No? But I will.
Before long the Hotel Manager came and spent time with us, showing us
pictures of his children and his stunning Swedish wife. He shared many things about his life on the
boats and at home. By the time we
finished the prize champagne we were all so giddy that we sang and danced for
another hour or more. Before the night was over it was us and the
piano player and the bartender. Once again,
we closed the place down!
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