Rhone River Cruise - Arle to Lyon September 2024

On September 1st we flew to Marseilles, where it was 35 degrees and sunny.  Then a short coach trip with fellow passengers to meet our ship, the S.S Catherine, which was moored in Arle. "S.S" stands for "Super Ship", so we were expecting a good standard. We were not disappointed. 

All inclusive included Champagne, so we were off to a good start. 

 

The Masseur was offering a free session in the bar,
so we both took the opportunity.

A safety briefing and crew introduction, then dinner served at 7pm.  Each evening was a 4 course meal, the second course being a small  bowl of soup. Every dish was beautiful presented.  

DAY 1, 2nd September.    ARLE

The ship moored overnight in Arle, where we awoke to a beautiful morning, and after breakfast met a local guide for a walking tour of the city. 

Our mooring, Arle. 

The building material is local limestone, which looks beautiful in the morning light. 

Loved the colours in this building, and had a go at painting it later,
back onboard. 

Bull fighting sadly still takes place a couple of times a year,
inside the Amphitheater. . 

The impressive Amphitheater. 

Like this little dash of orange.....

... But as I stopped to take the above shot,  I then looked up to see the group walking off downhill so of course followed them. After a few hundred yards, my earpiece lost the signal to my "group 4 guide".  I then realised that I was following group 2 😂😂😂. A bit of a panic as I now didnt know if group 4 were well ahead of group 2, or were they still back up the hill?   I had been looking for John in the group, and assumed he had also stopped for a photo. I eventually found them, as my commentary resumed, and John hadn't even missed me! 😕

We also visited the hospital where Vincent Van Gough had been treated, and with a bit of free time, wandered around the beautiful streets, and time for a coffee. 

One of the main squares in Arle. 

We walked passed the famous Yellow cafe, which Van Gough painted, but it was a huge disappointment! It  looked a mess, with the frontage like a storage space. He had painted this on starry night. 

Very difficult to get a decent photo, but I took one anyway
and also sketched this later, back on board. 

And soon, headed back to the ship, walking on the raised pathway alongside the Rhone. 

Our ship moored in Arle. 

A glimpse at a piece of iron sculpture on the roundabout. 

Relaxing on the top deck after lunch. 

And later in the room. 

A very nice dinner, followed by Gypsy music with 2 Flamenco dancers. 

DAY 2, 3rd September.  AVIGNON

The ship had cruised after dark,  and we woke up in Avignon. On the only other river cruise we have done (Douro), we always cruised in the afternoon, so this was a bit different... not to see the riverside.

View from our cabin early morning in Avignon.

Breakfast view, Avignon. This is not THE bridge!

We had signed up for the tour to see the Aqueduct called "Le Pont du Guard".  I wasn't sure how interesting that would be, but it was a great trip. 

"Le Pont du Guard"

Our guide referred to the "sticky out bits" where they built the timber structure first. 
(must be a more technical term, surely!😂 )

We also spent a few minutes at the riverside. 

John (from the  US) went for a more unusual shot.
(my John followed later)

I liked the reflections of these 2 in the water. 

We woz there. 

This little boy played skimming stones with his Nannie. 

Lunch back on the ship, and then we decided to walk to the Popes Palace on our own. Others had done this with a guide in the morning. It was hot, and we got a little lost, but enjoyed a look around, and also a  look at the simple garden space. 

Just a very small section of the Popes Palace, with was ridiculously and unnecessarily lavish. 

A simple garden. (which was had to search for!) 

Although we were hot, and weary by this time, you can't come to Avingnon and NOT visit the unfinished bridge. We got lost again, thanks to a distinct lack of signage (😡), and walked probably a mile more than we had to. You can see the Popes Palace in the photo just behind the bridge..... but try linking the two! It's impossible. 

Sur the Pont, D'Avignon. 

you can just about make out the fact that the bridge only goes 
2/3rd of the way over the river. 

Cocktail hour on the ship. This is John and Hildi,
whom we spoke to most days. 

The ship left Avignon at 6pm, but we were not allowed on top deck
due to several low bridges. 

My camera outside our bedroom window!
The locks are not a lot wider than the ship. 

Duck a l'orange tonight. 

There were many, many (too) many Americans on board, and although we are happy to mix with a few, we were also keen to mix with the 11 Brits on board, and a handful of others.  

So far we have met Pete and Liz (Australia), John and Hildi (Canadians now living in the US), John and Mary (Suffolk), Ian and Mary (Kent), Rick and Jeanette (Michigan, US)

DAY 3, 4th September, VIVIERS (Ardech village tour and hike)

This morning we awoke in Viviers where we had signed up for a "hike", whatever that means. And a mid afternoon trip to a Truffle farm. Others were just walking to the town and back to the ship.

Our mooring in Viviers. 

Aussie Pete chatting to the Restaurant manager.

Our guide did everything possible, more than once, to dissuade us from the "hike", looking at my sandals and my dress, but infact  my sandals have good grips, better than some of the other's shoes I expect.... so we went. (could always turn back?) First we walked through the town of Viviers.

Our fellow hikers. 

The sunflowers peaked about 2 weeks ago, but still a nice foreground to the town. 

We would soon climb to the tower on top, and look down onto 
the bright red roof. 

Most towns here have Plain trees to offer shade. 

Nice dashes of colour from the shutters.

Several doors at a raised height to avoid flooding. 

This old building a sign of wealth with its ornate frontage.
Currently a renovation project for the local community. 

The town of course on a hill, and we climbed to a flat space where these is a car park. (Cars not able to get into the  narrow streets)

View looking back to the sunflower crop. 

I thought at this point, we were hiking to the monument in the far distance,
and was having second thoughts. 

As we left the town, we walked on very narrow gravel, or soil tracks, ducking beneath tree branches, and turning a few hair pin bends. It was steep, but going up was fine. I was not looking forward to coming down. 😕

Gaining some height as we climbed.

Pretty high up now, but still not there. 

At the top, where thankfully  I realised were were NOT walking
to the other monument.

We returned on a much easier loop, and when we reached the town, a visit to a pottery. A one man band. We bought a small bowl and a coffee cup to support him. 

Lunch back on the ship, and at 3pm, we left (in rain) for a coach ride to a truffle farm. An interesting talk by the owner, who was a truffle trader, and sold all over the world. Customers include The French Laundry in Napa. and the Duke of Marlborgh at Blenheim Palace. 

The truffle hunting Labradors who easily sniffed out several truffles.

they find the truffle and the lady comes to retrieve it. 

A truffle tasting followed in their very nice farm house. 

An old Olive tree. 

The coach then dropped us at the village of Grignan. It's uphill!  This trip needed to a certain amount of time, since our ship was currently cruising to a mooring where we would join it. 

Grignan, at bottom level. 

And the mid point. 

Views from the castle entrance. 

Many of us ended up at this cafe. A little cooler today,
but the rain had stopped.

We joined the ship at 6pm, and it immediately headed towards Tain l'Hermitage. Dinner this evening with New Yorkers Steve & Joanne and Mike & Paula.  (Mike sounded exactly like the Godfather.😂)

DAY 4, September 5th - Hermitage & Tournon. 

The view from our cabin at 07.30.  Oh dear. 

Our morning walking tour will cross this footbridge 
into Tournon, before crossing back to Hermitage. 

Uniworld brollies at the ready. 

Tourist information from google.....We were told this was the first suspension bridge, but infact it's a replica.

First suspension bridge over the Rhône river using this technique (wire cables), invented by Annonay's famous inhabitant, Marc Seguin.   This footbridge is an exact replica of that dating from 1825 (further upstream) which was demolished in 1965 as it no longer complied with safety and river navigation standards.

The bark of the Plain trees looks even better when wet. 
The old castle walls run alongside a very busy main road. 

Tournon.

After a stroll through Tournon, we crossed the bridge once more into Hermitage, where we had a wine tasting at the Chapoutier Wine Cellar. No nibbles included, which is unusual. 

A bit of free time to explore, and the majority of us headed to the Valrhona Chocolate shop. The aroma of chocolate was definitely in the air. And a handy shop was next door to the chocolate factory and museum. 

Brightening up a bit as we returned to our ship for lunch.

5  a day! Fruit tart. 

We had also booked a wine tasting on board in the afternoon, when we tasted two bottles of the same wines, the first opened in front of us and the second decanted a few hours earlier. Could we tell the difference?  A bit, but not as much as "the experts".  We tried a Cote du Rhone, and also a Rioja. 

4pm and a demonstration of cooking Crepe Suzette.
I encouraged John to have a go at tossing the pancakes, which he did easily after
so much wine!   Mine missed the pan.😂

We sat on the top deck as we cruised leaving Hermitage, passing some beautiful scenery along the riverside. This was one of only a handful of opportunities to do this, so quite a few photos were taken. 

We sat on the top deck as we cruised leaving Hermitage and
passing some beautiful scenery along the riverside. 

Had a chat with the Captain, Sam, who has been in charge for 10 years
since the ship was launched. He does 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off. The ships's bridge can be
dropped down a long way to ensure the ship gets under the low bridges along the river.

One of several locks we had go through on our journey. I think 11 in total?

leaving another lock behind. 

The top deck is a long area!

Later I spent a few minutes trying to capture the little sunflowers scene
from yesterday at Viviers. 

Another delicious dessert. 

We had dinner with Catherine and Bob (from Glasgow), as we continued our trip North towards Lyon, arriving at 10.30pm.

Our mooring spot in Lyon at 10.30pm. 

DAY 5, September 6th - Lyon

We had prebooked a bike tour of Lyon, and were in a group of 15, with 2 guides.  It was chilly!  John and I set off in teeshirts, whilst most others had at least one extra layer. C'mon weather!!  It was forecast to be warmer, but it took a long time to warm up this morning. 

The ride was very easy, following a good cycle path alongside the Rhone initially, and then into a park called "Park de la Tete d'Or" The Golden Head.  Great cycling and walking paths, and we even passed the edges of the free zoo. 

A few Video screen grabs from my GoPro....

Setting off at 9.45 from the Rhone riverside. 

 Great cycle paths

Our entrance and exit from the Park. 

lol. That was a surprise! We also saw Flamingo and Pelicans
but the rest of zoo is for pedestrians. 

Soon we disappeard into a Loooong tunnel, built quite recently as a "green" tunnel, for an electric bus, and pedestrians and cyclists. I think we were into there for about 5 minutes.  It basically means that you can now cycle at river level under a huge hill to emerge on the other side near the other river which runs through Lyon, The Saone. 

Crossing a bridge over The Saone River.
Shame the light was so poor, since the colours in the buildings were very warm.

We left our bikes here, next to the Law courts, and walked  behind this street into the 
old part of Lyon. 

 Behind many doors are corridors known as Traboul, which connect one street
to the next. These are mostly private these days, but a few are still open to the public. 
They were used during the war for the Resistance to have secret meetings. 

inside one of the Traboul

Our tour continued following the Saone River, where many old industrial
spaces have been converted, and also some amazing modern architecture. 

Passing one of the ultra modern buildings alongside the Saone River. 

Where the Saone meets the Rhone.
(It's important to know there are TWO rivers here, and that you can
get lost if you are following the WRONG river. (as fellow guest Catherine found out!)

And we are back to the start. 15 miles. 

One of the lunch dessert options, with the places we have visited.  
I managed a photo before it was cut into slices.

For lunch, we joined Alan (from Durham), whom we met on the bike ride. He was with his elderly mother, Nancy, and wife Rosemary.   Nancy is very switched on for her age, so a nice chat over lunch.

After lunch, we decided to return to some of the area we had been this morning, with our decent cameras hoping for better light. It still wasn't the best unfortunately. 

SS Catherine docked in Lyon,

An installation of water jets

Main square in the old part of town. 

People watching... a painting?

Exploring another of the secret passages. 

Late afternoon, we sat for a cuppa and at last it got a bit brighter. 

The sun at last showing off the  warm colours of the buildings.

By late afternoon, a much brighter scene than this morning. 

John unfortunately wasn't feeling great, with the start of a cold,
so I went to the evening briefing on my own and joined John and Hildi. 

John appeared in time for dinner, and we joined New Yorkers Rhoda and husband whose name I cant remember... he came from Germany and has a swiss name. And had been following family traditions being in the restaurant business. 

For the penultimate "Captain's" dinner, an extra Amuse Bouche.... as if we needed it!
But it was delicious.

My starter was a Beef Bon Bon.

There was a an entertainer on this evening, but we were both knackered, so missed it. 

DAY 6 September 7th - Macon and Beaune. 

Another overnight cruise, now following the Saone River, brought us into Macon, for our day trip to Beaune. At the end of today, our ship would then turn back to Lyon for our disembarkation the following morning. 

The day began with a mist, and so we got off the boat with our cameras to try to capture the scene. We so rarely get the chance to do this at home.

Misty start to the day in Macon, on the River Saone. 

Today's itinerary was a bus tour of about 1.5 hours to Beaune.  Enroute, we had one stop just for a photo opportunity in the wine area. 

Our guide today was American, but had lived in this area for 34 years.
She is in the wine trade, so very knowledgeably about the terroir. 

The vineyards are owned by many owners, some just owning a few rows of vines. 

We arrived in Beaune around 11ish, in pouring rain!  Oh dear.  The was NOT forecast today, so no one was prepared. So once again, the light for photos not good today but Beaune a very nice town, and the farmers market on today too. (Saturday)

Looking at the first floor windows, Images of a man and womam
who were the founders of the Hosptial in Beaune, in 1443, which we would visit. 
(They preferred NOT to give their wealth to the Catholic church.)

Getting our priorities right, and also sheltering from the rain. 

A look around the market first....

Gyspy Jazz music also playing. Shame not many sitting to listen, but it was cool to hang around. 

One to paint?

We had lunch out today, the only time it was not included on the ship, and met up with our guide at 1.30 for our tour of the old hospital. Which is why most people come here. Stunning architecture. Very difficult to photograph on the outside because of  all the white vans at the market, and difficult inside the courtyard, since the sun suddenly came out and it was such a huge contrast in dark and light!

Inside, where the patients beds are lined up along the sides of the walls. It was used until more recently as a hospice for end life care. 

The  market packed up and gone by the time we were ready to leave, and a chance to SEE the buildings. I photographed these since if I attempt to paint them, the roofs will be wonky... which they are! 😂

A faster route back on the A6 to Macon, and we joined our ship again at 5pm.  

Bob and Catherine had a lazier day in Macon.
 Bob unfortunately also has a cold.  Mine just starting at this point.

Our final dinner with Bob and Catherine.
John and Hildi joined us to say goodbye. They are off to Paris
in the morning for a few days. 

A wonderful holiday, with interesting outings,  great organisation, fabulous food and wine. The mixed weather was not really a problem, and at least we didn't feel exhausted with heat. New found friends, and happy memories.  

One of our guides said that SS Catherine was definitely the superior ship on the Rhone, and apart from the fact that the sunbeds were not particularity comfortable, it was faultless. Many guests had cruised with Uniworld before. We got lucky with a 2 for 1 offer, which was expensive enough!  The bar has just been raised again. 😎😉😂