Jim Kelly-Evans
Senior Insider
Dan and I are enjoying our riverboat voyage through Burgundy and Provence. Our vessel first travelled north out of Lyon to Macon, where we enjoyed a wine tasting in the Beaujolais region. We also visited Cluny Abbey, once the largest Romanesque church ever built, of which only a small percentage of the original structure remains. Our ship then headed south to Avingnon, the walled city where the popes were once in exile in a large papal palace. There are no water level issues on the Rhone and the weather has been sunny and warm. Today we are in Arles, where the cafe painted by Van Gogh still exists.
Cluny Abbey
Beaujolais vineyards
View of Lyon
Amadeus Provence
A lock on the Rhone
Avignon
We dined off the ship Monday evening in Avignon. Our restaurant selection was a small Provencal-style venue with outdoor seating in a small courtyard. This part of Avingnon is off the beaten tourist path. We started with a tasty full-bodied Cotes du Rhone. Our three courses include an ocean salad and a chevre salad, main plates of gambas and scallops, and for desert the wonderful "Fondant," or molten lava cake. It was a fantastic finish to our day in Avingnon.
Cluny Abbey
Beaujolais vineyards
View of Lyon
Amadeus Provence
A lock on the Rhone
Avignon
We dined off the ship Monday evening in Avignon. Our restaurant selection was a small Provencal-style venue with outdoor seating in a small courtyard. This part of Avingnon is off the beaten tourist path. We started with a tasty full-bodied Cotes du Rhone. Our three courses include an ocean salad and a chevre salad, main plates of gambas and scallops, and for desert the wonderful "Fondant," or molten lava cake. It was a fantastic finish to our day in Avingnon.