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.