A friend in Boston reminded me that I never finished blogging about our trip to France! I got distracted. So sorry!

Day 8! We got up early ate quickly and were all on the bus by 8:30am. So much for sleeping in on vacation! We drove through a town named Orange to Chateauneuf-du-pape. On the way we stopped at a Triumph gate and an old theater that were built by the Romans.

When we arrived in Chateauneuf-du-pape, we went to a winery for a wine and chocolate tasting. We had dark chocolate with thyme and another with rosemary. Paired with crisp white wine and smooth reds, oh my gosh SO good! It was the best wine tasting I have ever been to.

We went from there to a castle ruin that the pope built a long time ago. It was beautiful. So awesome to see things that were built so long ago. We found an olive tree with olives so we picked some.
We left the castle and the bus took us to a huge vineyard. French vineyards are so interesting. The ground is covered with rocks that came from the Rhone river. The plants are kept very small and short which is so different from American vineyards. The smaller vines allow them produce less quantity, better a much better quality grape.

We picked some grapes that had been left on the vines. Yummy!

The boat was stuck in a lock so we came back to the boat and had lunch and waited to get through. We napped all afternoon as we sallied to Avignon. Avignon is a walled city. It looks so medieval. I expected there to be a moat. After dinner we wandered the city for a little while. Nothing was open. The French towns are all so deserted at night. Barely anything open. No people wandering around. It was so odd. But we explored for a while and then went back to the boat. Ready for a new day of adventures!

Today we took a bus to Vienne. It was about 35 minutes from Lyon. Spent the morning with a tour guide leading us through Roman remains. There were old roman roads and a temple. It was so unexpected. I don’t know why I didn’t think about Roman rule in France, but I just didn’t.

We also visited an exquisite church with stained glass and gothic carving and decorations. Amazing. I love seeing all the architecture that you learn about in Art History.

There were so many different time periods of architectural history in this one small town. Sometimes all in one building. It was beautiful.

We had free time to wander Vienne. We went to a book store. I browsed books in French that I couldn’t read. The cook books were beautiful. We stopped in a cafe for espresso then went to the Christmas village. We purchased macaroons and madelines and a crepe filled with nutella.

YUM. I definitely fell in love with macaroons on this trip. They are the most amazing tiny cookies. Crisp colorful outsides and gooey chewy centers. When we returned to the boat we had to wait for a very long time.

 The dishwasher was broken so it had to be repaired. But eventually we were sailing again. Sailing to the south of France! The scenery is changing and is more mountainous and warmer! Olive trees began filling the landscape. The colors changed. It was no longer foggy and icy. The warmth slowly crept into our surroundings adding deep colors of browns, golds, and greens.

We landed in Tain-l’Hermatige, a little deserted town to spend the night. It was completely empty.

No one wandering the streets and no shops or restaurants open. When it was safe to disembark, most of us got off the boat to stretch our legs. Walking the streets of that ghost town it was amusing to only run into other Americans from the ship.

No rest for the weary! After crawling into bed after dinner last night, a voice over the loud-speaker woke me up at 8am reminding us that there would be a tour leaving for Beaune. As much as I wanted to roll over and go back to sleep, I reminded myself that I might never be here again, and I didn’t want to miss any opportunities. So it was up, a quick breakfast and back to the horrid bus on which it felt like we had just crawled out of after a six-hour journey from Paris. (The busses weren’t really horrid, they were actually quite posh) The frost was still clinging thick to all the trees and plants. Everything seriously looked like a work of art.

Beaune. Our first city to explore. As we drove out of Macon I got excited. The buildings were so old, and so beautiful! I could not wait to see all the quaint towns we would be visiting. When we arrived in Beaune, we walked the uneven cobblestone streets to the city center. Cobblestone streets and a leg brace that keeps your foot at a right angle are not exactly friends. I had a hard time. But Rebekah, on crutches, had an even harder time. We started off with a guided tour of the Hotel Dieu. An exquisite example of 15th century French architecture, this building was actually a hospital built for poor people in 1443.

When we left the Hotel Dieu we had free time to explore the town. We went into several bakeries and shops before it was tine for lunch. We met with the group again and headed over to a local restaurant to our very first real French meal. In the true style of Julia Child we had Boeuf Bourguignon. I was so excited. Fresh and crisp French rolls with chewy soft centers,

chilled French red wine that was smooth and rich, Boeuf Bourguignon with tender meat, creamy sauce and cheesy potatoes

and the finishing touch a French Apple Tart that just melted in your mouth.

We washed it down with sweet and creamy espresso. Everything was perfect and delicious!

After a perfect lunch. We walked over to a wine shop for a wine tasting. The shop was small and we actually went downstairs into the cellar. Completely made of stone with arches and old wine barrels it was like stepping back into time. We sat on benches and tasted reds and whites while instructed by our tour guide. It was so well explained and I really felt like I learned a lot about smelling, tasting, and experiencing new wines.

After the wine tasting we had a little more free time before heading back to the ship. We went to an antique shop which probably had antiques older than the United States. It was crazy. The shop owner followed us around the whole time. We poked into a few more shops and ended up in another patisserie. I bought a bag of macaroons. People. French Macaroons are to die for. I love them. I couldn’t get enough. YUM! 

Back at the ship we gathered in the lounge for a French lesson. I am by no means any more gluten than I was before, but it was fun to learn better pronunciation and some other etiquette tips. Still tired from the time change, I barely could keep my eyes open through the two-hour four-course dinner.

Dinner and bed was the third day.