Here’s my first surviving post, June 2006.
An obituary.
But no matter, it’s been fun; and I’ve been neglectful. I plan to do better! Maybe start with once a week, every Friday? Let’s start now!
The most fun activity of the year so far was our trip to France in March and April. It was our fourth in what’s looking like an annual event. This one started out in Provence, worked its way up the Rhone River to Lyon, and from there a fast train to Paris. Here are some highlights.
Avignon
Home of the pope in exile in the 14th century. The palace is there.
The big room on the right served the purpose that the Sistine Chapel does now. One of the purposes, at least. This is where the Conclaves happened.
Arles
Home, for a while, to Vincent. This is the hospital where he stayed.
No self-respecting town in this part of the world is complete without some Roman ruins. Here’s a rather large amphitheater – slash – arena.
By the way, don’t believe the rumors. In location after location our guides made it a point to debunk the myth that gladiators were sent in to fight to the death. Gladiators were highly trained professionals, brought up at great expense. They were stars who put butts in seats. You’d no sooner send a gladiator out to die than you would send Aaron Judge.
eArles is also a modern city. We had some time to explorer, have a cafe and a pastry, and check out this Frank Gehry building.
Viviers
A rare, even unique town, that never suffered war damage. And that’s saying something because you had not just the two world wars, and the Franco-Prussian, and the French Revolution, and the Religious Wars, and goodness knows what else. But the town is intact. Coming up from the river, be prepared for an uphill climb.
Did I mention the wind? That’s why I’m squinting. We were there just in time for the Mistral, a serious long-lasting weather phenomenon where cold air blows down from the Alps along the river valley. Near constant 30 mph wind with higher gusts. We actually had to take a bus between some stops because the river wasn’t safe for cruise ships like ours. It was like this all the way to Lyon.
And people actually get to live here. I mean, parking is tough but still. And when you finally get to the top, the view is as good as they promised. But this Mistral, oh my it was fierce. I almost lost my hat a couple of times.
And so back to the river…
Talk about remote.
Talk about remote.Our featured runout tour was a scenic train ride along a hard-to-get to river in the mountains. The steam train followed an out-and-back course, with donkeys.
Côtes du Rhône
Means, slopes of the Rhône river.
Vienne
Roman ruins. A modern bull. Street life. Cool town.
Lyon
The high point of the tour for us. We both would choose Lyon over Paris if we had to move the France. If we absolutely had to. You know. Like “OK, we’ll move to France.” It’s a beautiful human-scaled city. Check out this cathedral at the top of the hill. The wall art comes across as paintings, but they’re mosaics. Incredibly detailed. I’ve never seen anything like them, and I’ve seen a lot.
Frites
We were looking forward to this ever since Antwerp last year.
Wine Country
A fun and informative winery tour and tasting in Beaujolais. We were hesitant because we went on an ill-advised wine tour on the Rhine trips a couple of years ago, and it was a tourist trap. If you go on one of these voyages, be wary of the out-trips they offer, because half of them are just that. Places where you don’t really see anything other than a bunch of crappy and expensive souvenirs (am I really going to buy a cuckoo clock for 800 euros to bring home?). But this isn’t that.
And so back to Lyon
We had a free day to explore, and that’s just what we did. Criss-crossing the two rivers, climbing back up the hill to where the basilica is, enjoying the views of the Alps and the Roman ruins. I love how I could stand in one spot and see the distant snow-capped Alps, turn around and see a 2,000 year old amphitheater. Where they still do concerts, by the way.
And yes, people live here too. Hanging out, having a picnic with the family, looking at the mountains, waiting for the concert to start.
One fast train ride later, we hit Paris…
More tomorrow.