Our Arrival In Paris

We were first told our hotel would be in the Montmarte area of Paris so we booked three additional days in the Left Bank.  As it turned out, our hotel was changed to the Left Bank so we spent our entire time housed in the same area.  It was a bit disappointing but there is so much to see and do that it didn't matter much.  Also, the Metro can take you to Montmarte in a matter of minutes.  But we never made it there so we'll just have go back again!  This was the view from our hotel window.  Everyone else was on the opposite side so we considered ourselves fortunate.

The next day we had a motorcoach tour to acquaint us with the city, our location, the metro, restaurants, etc.  These are shots from the bus. 



En Route to Paris

We left our ship and the friendly crew in Macon and traveled by motorcoach to Beaune to visit the Musee de L'Hotel Dieu and to have lunch on our own.  Beaune remains the center of the Burgundy wine trade and we passed many vineyards in the countryside.

Upon arrival, we learned that after the Hundred Years War, in 1440, the Chancellor of the Duke of Bourgogne used his tremendous wealth to have a hospital constructed for the sick and deprived.  The institution is a masterwork of Gothic art.  I could tell you more if I hadn't picked up a pamphlet in French so I'll do my best here from what I remember and using the photos.

The multi-colored roofs constructed of colored glazed-tiles have become the symbol of the city.

This unique social organization rapidly gained a wide response well beyond the borders of the dukedom.

A surviving, original stained glass window.

We walked through town and saw many of our traveling companions enjoying the sunshine and their lunch.  We left with our next stop Paris.

Taking A Look At The Folks

I haven't posted pictures of people yet so today I'm just going to use photos of some of our traveling companions throughout the two weeks.

Ted in our hotel lobby in Nice.

Three veterans in our group that we honored at the American cemetery on the way to Arles.

Jeanne, Tom, Dan and I listening to a description of the arena in Arles.  We have receivers so all 40 of us can hear our guide easily.

Lorraine, Bob and I still in Arles (Ted must have had the camera!).

Tour Director Francis giving his talk on cheeses aboard the ship.

Overlooking Viviers

Back on board, ready to sail

Jeanne's birthday celebration and Tom

Lorraine ready for the weather.

Terry's birthday cake

Tommy, Chris, Laura, Dan, Lorraine and Bob

Tom and Jeanne with Lorraine in the background

Ted, Donna, Carol, Tom, Terry, Jeanne

Tom's birthday (we really weren't making these up!)

Ted, Donna, Terry, Tom, Jeanne, Carol

Sara, Stephanie, Suzana (our servers)

Donna, Ted and the Grande Dame of Paris

At Versailles, a cute little summer house

Bob, Lorraine, Tom, Jeanne at Giverny

Tom and Terry with their Elder High School umbrella

Ted, Carol and Terry in the Paris Metro Station

Tommy, Chris, Bob, Laura, Dan, Lorraine at our farewell dinner in Paris

Moi, windblown, on the 7th floor terrace of Lafayette Galleries overlooking Paris and the Eiffel Tower.

Carol, Terry, Jeanne and Tom on the train to Caen.

Terry, Ted and Tom at the American Cemetery at Normandy



Jeanne, Carol, Donna at the American Cemetery at Normandy

Day 9 - Macon, Last Riverboat Stop before Disembarking

We took a walking tour of Macon, passing through the city gates which are over 800 years old and encountered the oldest house, a wooden structure still in use.  And I couldn't resist taking a photo of the sign telling us Macon, GA, USA was approximately 4400 miles away.

 

I need to add a little more info today to explain the "bread run."  Grand Circle Tours prides itself on their "discovery tours" where we experience the locale, the food, the people, the customs.  Most days while we are sailing, there are Discovery Series offered in the lounge.

We were introduced to pastis, a licorice flavored drink considered France's national drink.  It is much like the Greek's ouzo.  While enjoying our drinks we were introduced to the Herbs of Provence and their importance in French cooking.

Another day we had a gourmet cheese tasting accompanied by wine.  Our chef gave us a cooking demo and Francis our tour director gave us a French lesson.  Foie gras was the subject of another talk and tasting.  Even the practice of force feeding geese to fatten them up was discussed.   Ted and I passed on the tasting, however.  We were taught how to make crepes and given the recipe.  Now that was a taste test I could get into.

Atelier de la Soie, a local silk manufacturer, came aboard and showed us the art of hand painting on silk. Of course I bought a scarf created and signed by "Ann." I even have a photo of her painting scarves at the factory. Which brings me to our assignment in Macon.

We were asked to pick up one Euro at the front desk and make a "bread run" in Macon.  We had to find "la boulangerie" and purchase a loaf of some kind of bread.  The beautiful basket of all the breads were used for our dinner that evening.

From here we would board a bus en route to Paris with a stop along the way.

Beaujolais Wine Region

In the afternoon we rode through the French countryside in the Beaujolais region, an historical province and wine producing region north of the Rhone-Alpes area and south of Burgundy.  Our destination was the family owned winery Domaine Des Averlys Estate owned by Mireille and Etienne Blanc.  We were welcomed to the 18th century wine cellar and given a talk on the caring of the vineyards.  This was followed by wine tasting four different kinds of wine.  I'm a riesling/piesporter, white German wine, person myself and wasn't too fond of the samples but the wine connoisseurs in our group were suitably impressed.  My only purchase was a jar of strawberry preserves which then begged the question "Is this a liquid when I'm packing my carry-on to go home?"

The scenery was spectacular and the weather delightful this day.

We sailed on to Macon, our last riverboat stop before boarding a bus for Paris.

Day 7 and 8 - Lyon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

The "green apple two-step bug" chose this port to come visit.  Three of us in the group were laid low and I missed the bus tour into Lyon (pronounced Lee-Own).  So I'll spare you the historical details and jump to the second day's walking tour that I participated in.

The basilica sits atop the city and is visible from most anywhere in town. I was told of its beauty but never got to see it for myself. I did, however, encounter a statue of Louis XIV in Bellecour Square. The square sits between the Soane and Rhone Rivers and forms the focal center point of the city. It also links the major shopping streets. Louis's statue is sporting a large red shopping bag now. I suppose it is to attest to Lyon's modern face which includes the continued production and weaving of silk.

On our walk we encountered "the market" where we again observed flowers, meat, cheeses and wines all for sale.  Food is very expensive here and beef is almost non-existent.  There is lots of pork, fish, chicken, goat, rabbit and sausage.  The cheeses are too numerous to even think of learning their names.  The line "A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread, - and Thou" rings true throughout France (with a bottle of red wine thrown in).  The instance of heart problems is very low compared to the U.S.  Of course the French, as well as most of all Europe, walk everywhere and with no "fast food" for the most part, they stay healthy.  Here is a cheese stall, a chicken with its head and feet still attached and a flower stall.

Next stop - Macon (pronounced Ma-Cone).  Looks a lot like Macon (Make-in) to me!!