Canadian World Traveller Fallr 2016 issue Canadian World Traveller Fall 2016 issue | Page 52

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Touring France with Viking River Cruises
Article & Photography by Michael Morcos & Natalie Ayotte

V

iking River Cruises have taken all
the guess work and hassles out
of cruising and they create a
comfortable, new way of travelling for many
North Americans, and it is a truly perfect
way to travel. From the pick-up at the airport
to destination debarkation, the trip is seamless.
We enjoyed the first leg of our trip and after
two wonderful days of visiting Lyon, we continued sailing along the mighty Rhone and
enjoyed a short trip to Macon and then
southwards towards Provence and the beautiful Mediterranean region. This would bring
us to Vienne, Tournon & Viviers, Arles and
finally Avignon!

Set in the beautiful Burgundy region, Macon
is surrounded by chestnut forests and pine
trees, with rolling Beaujolais vineyards,
renowned for its fruity red wines and its soil,
ideal to grow the Gamay grapes, which produces the lighter, fruitier wine found in
Beaujolais. There are many breathtaking
views, and the Viking tour visits many wonderful locales. The renowned Chateau des
Ravatys was one such location, and there we
got to see some spectacular wine cellars and
got a few wine tasting lessons with the
chateau’s famous burgundy wines.
Sadly, there were days where we had to
choose between multiple options. On this
occasion, it was a choice between the Abbey
of Cluny, known for its magnificent medieval

abbey ruin, and a Truffle and Goat cheese
Farm. We chose the latter tour as we are
fans of all such irresistible French Delicacies!
Our knowledgeable guide explained how
France has become a major exporter of
Goat cheese while we enjoyed the scenery
driving to the farm. Once there, it was a
pleasure to taste some of the prized cheese
from a local farm. We then headed to a
nearby truffle orchard for some amazing
treats and were personally greeted by the
current proprietor of this century-old familyowned property.
The experience was
topped off when our host took us through
his prized truffle orchard!