River Cruise Diary – Lyon, France – Day 1

The Symbol of Lyon (25 April 2006)

In ‘Vieux Lyon’, the Old Quarter, one can find one of many

lion statues. This one is in front of the House of Counselors,

now the Museum of Miniatures and Cinema Décor.

On Tuesday, 25 April, we sailed to Kilometer 0, the end of the navigable Rhone River and its confluence with the Saône River, where we would sail further the following evening. We had covered 282 km (169 river miles) in four days.

We boarded a bus for a tour around the city and to a neighborhood that dates back 2000 years when the Roman settlement called Lugdunum became the capital of Gaul. After the Empire collapsed, the city continued to thrive, given its location on two rivers that were the main trading routes of the day. The connection to the sea, Italy and the east enabled Lyon to weather the Dark Ages and attract diverse talent that contributed to the Renaissance and modern development. The city that was the hub of French resistance during WW II is now the country’s third largest and the center of French cuisine.

Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière,

Lyon, France (25 April 2006)

Our first stop was the 19th century Fourvière Basilica. After the solid, dark and ancient Romanesque churches and a few threadbare Gothic chapels, it was the first grand, gaudy church we saw on the trip.

Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière,

Lyon, France (25 April 2006)

A blend of Romanesque and Byzantine architecture, the building has four towers that earned it a nickname - the upside-down elephant, because it can be likened to the beast with four legs pointed upward.

Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière,

Lyon, France (25 April 2006)

Completed in 1884 with private funds, the grateful faithful wanted an edifice dedicated to the Virgin Mary, who they credit with saving the city from the Black Plague in 1643, a cholera epidemic in 1832, and the invading Prussians in 1870.

The Wall of Weavers

Lyon, France (25 April 2006)

Lyon is also known for its outdoor murals. Here is ‘Les Mur des Canuts’, the largest mural in Europe. ‘Canut‘ means ‘weaver.’ It depicts ordinary life in this neighborhood in the 19th century, when half of Lyon’s working population was employed by the silk industry.

This Old House,

Lyon, France (25 April 2006)

A building of no particular significance has this sculpture.

It essentially says the house dates to 1684…pretty cool

since nothing around my neighborhood is older than 1975.

The lion statue at the top and this decorative installation are in the old quarter of Lyon. ‘Vieux Lyon’ is at the foot of Fourviére Hill and dates to the Renaissance period. In the 1950’s, the neighborhood was in poor shape and the yay-hoo mayor at the time wanted to demolish it all to build an expressway. Fortunately, saner minds prevailed, restoration progressed, and it is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Nightfall on the Rhone

Lyon, France (25 April 2006)

The French like to light up their monumental buildings and bridges at night. The city is known for its Festival of Lights, a four-day December celebration of all the times the Blessed Virgin saved the populace. The upside-down elephant Fourviére Basilica is in the distance.

The next day will bring more touring and free time to wander Lyon on our own.

River Cruise Diary – Scenes on the Rhone River

Old Suspension Bridge on the Rhone (24 April 2006)

Now that we’ve returned to presenting this trip, I want to see it through to the end…no more gaps in the posting. At the time, my transition to digital photography was barely a year old and this trip produced some favorite images. Before we arrive in Lyon, here are some impressions of the river between the ports of call.

One thing that has changed with Grand Circle in nineteen years…our itinerary is no longer offered. The cruise line replaced the ‘Chardonnay’ (43 passengers; see below) with a larger vessel, which I suspect cannot navigate the smaller Soane River. The current tour sails to/from Lyon in the north and Arles in the south and flies people into Lyon and Toulouse (not Nice). When we took the trip, after Lyon, we sailed another day up the Soane and ended with three nights in Paris…much better.

The ‘Chardonnay’ Docked in Lyon (25 April 2006)

Our charming old boat was first built as a commercial river boat in 1956 and converted to a passenger vessel in 2000. Designed for the river and its locks, it is 262 feet long, just 28 feet wide, and sits less than six feet underwater.

 

One Way to Enjoy the South of France,

Rhone River (23 April 2006)

Isn’t this so much better than being on a floating city with 4000

strangers out at sea with nothing to see but water and the horizon?

It was so delightful to sit in the Jacuzzi, soak in the sun, adult

beverage in hand and watch the beautiful French countryside scroll by.

There are two decks of cabins. Under this sun deck, the upper deck cabins have large windows while the lower deck cabins have round port hole views. Looking ducks in the eye confirms that much of you is below the water line.

A Porthole to the Rhone (27 April 2005)

The replacement boat accommodates twice as many passengers, is 76 feet longer, but has the same width…remember that all vessels can be no wider than the locks they must navigate.

We were fortunate to have warm, sunny days the entire week. They said that the week before, there was so much rain that the high water levels required the passengers to be bused to each town on the route. Passengers ate and slept on the moored boat, but there was none of the wonderful, leisurely, scenic travel. Major bummer. Some river cruise they paid for...

Dawn in the Nuclear Age, Saint-Alban Nuclear

Power Plant, Rhone River, France (25 April 2006)

With respect to flow, the Rhone is France’s largest river. This makes it a favorable location for power generating stations. Four nuclear power plants with a total of fourteen generating units were built along its banks.

Cooling Towers at the Cruas Nuclear Power Plant,

Rhone River, France (24 April 2006)

Completed in 2005, this mural project added an

environmentally themed image to the cooling tower.

France should get some props. Twenty-five years ago, in the eyes of some, they were pariahs…all in on nuclear power. Now that global climate is the next existential crisis, fossil fuels, even natural gas, are the bogey men. Importing Russian oil and gas is also problematic. It’s not so bad that the nation generates two thirds of its electricity this way.

Into the Mouth of the Beast,

Bollène Lock, Rhone River, France (23 April 2006)

On this leg of the trip, we passed through the highest

lock and dam on the Rhone. The boat was raised 75 feet.

Inside the Bollène Lock (23 April 2006)

Some locks accommodated our boat with inches to spare on either side.

Chateau D’Ampuis, Rhone River, France (25 April 2006)

While there are industrial sites and communities on the Rhone, there are also farms, vineyards and forested stretches that make the journey feel remote and wild. Among the magnificent historic properties on the river is Chateau D’Ampuis. Dating to the 12th century, the complex was home to aristocratic families until it fell into disrepair in the 20th century. An eleven-year renovation has restored the chateau which is now the headquarters of the Guigal wine label.

In our next post, we feature Lyon.