Canadian World Traveller Fallr 2016 issue Canadian World Traveller Fall 2016 issue | Page 53

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In Vienne, the Viking guides took us to
admire Roman Architecture. About 32 km
south of Lyon, Vienne was a major center of
the Roman Empire, dating back to 47 BC
under Julius Caesar. Still standing are the
old Roman city’s ramparts, the magnificent
Roman Imperial Temple of Augustus and
Livia, remarkably preserved from the 1st
century, and the Plan de l’Aiguille
(Pyramide), a truncated pyramid resting on
a portico with four arches. Finally, our tour
wound up with a lovely ride on a train up a
steep hill to enjoy a view of Mount Pipet and
the beautiful Chapelle of Notre Dame de la
Salette.
Tournon is tranquil and peaceful, but is also
known as the Tain l’hermitage wine-producing region, famous for port-like wine and
stellar whites, and history explains that it
became famous when a Hermit started
planting vines in the region after returning
from the Crusades. After breakfast, our tour
rode the train de l’Ardèche, a meter-gauge
steam train and engine whose route leads
into the Verdant Doux Valley for the most
beautiful panoramic views.
After a wonderful supper, we found ourselves in the quaintest setting of the town of
Viviers. Founded in the 5th century, this little
mountain town will charm you with cobble
stone streets, and middle-ages homes. As
we walked up the hill towards the 12th century St-Vincent Cathedral, we were thrilled
with the view it offers. If you are lucky, you
will enjoy the last vestiges of the sun setting
in the mountains while the city below is illuminated by its nighttime lights. The night
brought its own magic as we set out on our
own and absorbed the quiet of this lovely
historic town.

Arles is known as the «little Rome of Gaul»
and is blessed with a Mediterranean climate. There are many things to see, including an ancient 1st century antique theater
and an amphitheater that seated 20,000
people, still used today for bullfights and
plays. Arles is also recognised through
famous paintings by the impressionist
painter Vincent Van Gogh. While touring
the city with our guide, we walked the Rue
de la République where Van Gogh was
known to have stayed in a local hospital at
the time and has now been replaced by a
cultural center. We saw the square and café
that inspired the painter and shopped in little stores with the Provence-ial flair of olive
oils and lavender!
As before, we had to choose from 2 optional tours. There was a visit to «Les baux &
Carrières de Lumières», a breathtaking art
show set in a charming hilltop village, or
visit the unspoiled Camargue. We opted for
an afternoon in France’s protected Rhône
River Delta Region, the Camargue. Home
to a huge array of birds, including pink
flamingos, it is also known for its wild horses and is one of Europe’s most carefully preserved natural parks. We enjoyed a ride in
a tractor drawn carriage through a cattle
filed then enjoyed a delicious lunch before
heading back to our ship.
Our next adventure on this journey brought
us to Avignon, an incredible city surrounded
by churches, medieval buildings and of
course, its famous “Pont D’Avignon” built in
1177. Avignon is a charming city, and was
the base for the Catholic Church for 70
years, evidenced on our tour by our visit to
the massive church-fortress Palais des Papes

(Palace of the Popes). You can’t help but feel
the magnitude and the influence the
Catholic Church had in those times, and the
riches in the Pope’s private rooms are a
sight to behold. After lunch, we continued
visiting Avignon that afternoon.
The final Viking offer for their passengers is
one of 3 optional tours in this region. The
first one is a « Taste of Provence », where you
will spend the afternoon indulging in tasting
and learning to prepare French specialties
with local produce. The second choice is a
visit of the «Pont du Gard Aqueduct», a
majestic three-tiered structure built without
mortar by Romans 2,000 years ago. And
finally as a last choice, the one that we
selected, was a wine tasting tour in the
famous Chateauneuf-du-Pape region. This
tour began at the Maison Bouachon for
some wine lessons and some exquisite
Chateauneuf-du-Pape wine tasting. Our
host gently guided us to see, smell and taste
the gentle fruits of three different wines, a
once in a lifetime experience. Next stop was
the city of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, where only
wineries of this region are allowed to have a
crown label (Popes label) on their bottles.
We were hypnotised by the hills and vineyards along the Rhone Valley. Unique to the
region, the vineyards grow in an arid climate, quite windy, and the vines are covered
by natural stones to keep them cooler during daytime and warmer at night.
We highly recommend these marvellous
Viking river cruises!

www.vikingrivercruises.com

Canadian World Traveller / Fall 2016