DAY 24 26 June Avignon

Today it was going to be 40-43 degrees when we visited the Pont du Gard which was very impressive. Its museum was very modern and effective.

The museum seemed to have a special 3D presentation.

This olive tree is 1000 years old.

 We also spent an hour or so with a walking tour of the little hill top village of Uzès. 

The Duke's palace.

Cathedral of Saint-Theodorit.

A natty little street cleaner operating in one of the charming little streets.

After lunch we walked back into the old walled town of Avignon and visited the Petit Palais Museum.

The Popes Palace.

The Petit Palace Museum.

Their collection concentrates on 12-15^th Century Italian religious art and is very good – the air-conditioning was excellent, given it was such a hot day with Europe still experiencing a significant heatwave.   

The prize in their collection is this painting of Madonna and Child by Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510).  His more famous work is The Birth of Venus, which is in the Uffizi in Florence.

 The Pont du Guard. Essentially half a bridge.

A view of Avignon.

Tonight we had an experience at the prestigious Popes’ Palace of Avignon. After the doors closed to the general public, we had an exclusive gala dinner and classical concert inside – the food was very good but it was still quite hot inside.  We sat with the tour directors. I took the opportunity to ask them what would happen in an emergency if the coffee machine on our boat broke down. Apparently there is only one coffee machine on-board, but three defibrillators. I really think that Scenic has misplaced priorities.

They organised transport for us to and from the dinner with mini trains which was a great idea, considering the demographics of the participants and the heat.  It was an interesting ride over the cobblestones.

DAY 23 25 June Châteauneuf-du-Pape-Avignon

Today we sampled the celebrated wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape at a Côtes du Rhône vineyard. Apparently this village has one bakery and 200 wineries. This was for us an ordinary experience, but we did learn the secrets to wine tasting, but holding the glass almost horizontally was just an accident waiting to happen. 

On top of the hill were the remnants of a castle commissioned by Pope John XXII, but it was eventually abandoned by the Popes, and was moreover, too expensive to be maintained by the Archbishop of Avignon. Consequently it was largely sold off and demolished, only the castle keep remaining, and only half of that after the Germans tried to demolish it. 

On our cruise southwards.

We arrived this afternoon into Avignon and our walking tour included the city’s architectural jewel, the Popes’ Palace. It was a very hot day, however the temperature inside the palace was quite bearable. 

 Part of the walled city of Avignon.

The Pope's Palace.

 This is where we are going to have dinner tonight,

It was very interesting.

DAY 22 24 June Viviers - Châteauneuf-du-Pape

We did enjoy a very SLOW walking tour of Viviers that included a lovely organ recital in the town’s cathedral.  Unfortunately a number of people in our group should have been in the actual slow walking group.

Elizabeth on the parapet of the Belvedere Chateauxvieux. It was an easy climb up from the fountain given the speed of the group..

We had a lovely organ recital in the Cathedral of St. Vincent who is the patron saint of wine. It is the smallest cathedral in France still in operation and was founded in the 12th Century. They usually have French Gobelin tapestries from the end of the 18th Century up on the walls, but they are currently being restored. In 1974 the four tapestries were stolen; three have been recovered, while the fourth is in private hands.

We visited a lavender museum and then drove through the Ardèche National Park and saw the canyon that canoeists and kayakers used; we had a good view of Viviers as a hilltop medieval village.

Below, fields of lavender zooming past from the bus.

Inside the lavender museum they explained and demonstrated how the lavender oil is distilled. The sheep is less of a sheep and more of a seat.

 Apparently you do not water lavender at all and it seems to grow in very shallow soils. They also were infested with unwanted moths from Africa but they don't eat the lavender.  It used to be once a very labour intensive industry, but mechanisation has replaced the need for harvesting with sickles and children. They had child-sized sickles on display. Our host seemed to be disappointed that they were no longer used. Elizabeth tried the lavender ice-cream which was a little like cinnamon, with overtones of honey. Our host listed the numerous benefits of lavender, so many that it made lavender seem like the next "Windex".

The image below was downloaded as we could not get a view from the bus.

Our cabin steward Lusisa made the best towel animal we have ever seen, she used several items from our room to decorate it with Elizabeth's book and sun visor, complete with wineglass and do not disturb sign.

DAY 21 23 June Tournon - Viviers

Today we had a tour of Tournon Castle that explained that this little place established the first school in France. Afterwards there was a wine tasting in what might be described as Hogwarts inside Tournon Castle. 

After lunch there was scenic cruising to Viviers. In the background are the mountains that will eventually lead to the Alps.

DAY 20 22 June Tournon

Today we are cruising from Lyon, taking in the picturesque riverside panoramas¸ of vineyards, fine houses, nuclear power and chemical plants as we glide effortlessly toward Tournon.  The local history is good too, apparently the chemical plant made ammunition and poison gas during World War I; always a comforting thought. Of course, we did wake up at 4.30 AM when the ship was leaving with its engines powering as we changed direction. Thank goodness we are on the top deck and not on the bottom next to the engines.

The Church of St Julian is 14th Century. You can see the Italian influence in the tower.

 The stain glass is probably much later and the colours very intense.

After lunch we went for a walk through the town and saw the resistance memorial. This was part of Vichy France, but after the D-Day landings in 1944, the Germans occupied it and executed some of the locals.

We had a sundowner event overlooking the Rhône from Tournon Castle; an aperitif on the terrace of the castle, accompanied by local musicians.