12 July: Friday
The 14 hour flight on Emirates Sydney to Dubai was terrific,
on time, great food and service. We then
had a 3 hour stopover in Dubai before catching the flight to Lyon. We left the terminal on time and were moving
to the main runway. Suddenly the pilot
announced we had to return to the terminal and unload several pieces of luggage
wrongly loaded onto the plane. Ten
minutes later he announced that the luggage had been unloaded. 90 minutes later we finally started to
move.
One of the great benefits of flying Emirates is the
unbelievable network they have developed to the various European destinations. It is simply staggering the number of flights
departing Dubai listed on the departure board.
However there is a downside. Miss
your takeover slot and you have to wait, and wait, and wait for a free slot.
13 July Saturday
We made it to Lyon and the Villa Maia which was recommended by a friend, Gary Tilsley, and now highly recommended by me. The hotel is located about 100 metres below the Basilica at Fourviere and overlooks Lyon.
Again we followed his recommended restaurants. Our first dinner was Daniel & Denise, in
Vieux-Lyon. We were jet-lagged and
walked down the hill to the restaurant.
It was the only time we did it and after that it was a return trip on
either of the two funiculars serving Fourviere.
The restaurant was simple and non-pretentious; the meal was terrific.
14 July Bastille Day Sunday.
We climbed up the hill to the Basilic, went inside where
about 1000 people were attending a French Mass and singing away
beautifully. It was terrific to see a
thousand people practicing their religion and not hearing chants of Allahu
Ackbar.
We caught the down to Vieux-Lyon and a light lunch where we
saw and talked to the French doppelganger of our younger daughter, Laura.
That night we ate at Tetedoie, one of top restaurants in
Lyon, the gastronomic capital of France.
It was an amazing meal.
Vivienne had a deconstructed ratatouille. I had a veal chop served with grapes and
miniature mushrooms. At 400 Euros not
the cheapest meal I have ever eaten but then again it describes itself as the
most refined restaurant in Lyon. That
night there was a massive fireworks display fired from the top of the Basilica
that Vivienne saw while I watched Spain deservedly defeating England in the
Euro 2024 final.
15 July Monday
We decided to walk across the Bonapart Bridge to the Place
Bellecour. It is a massive
pedestrianized public square. Actually,it
is not that attractive. In the centre is a massive statue of Louis
XIV on horseback.
That night we ate at The Rooftop Tetedoie. Half the price and less pretentions than its
sister I actually thought the food was better.
16 July Tuesday
We travel to Chalon-Sur-Saone by train & taxi which cost
us 86 Euros in total including taxis while we been quoted 200 Euros to go by
car.
We were on Avalon P0etry 2.
First impressions were a well-designed boat and a mostly East European
Crew who were very friendly. We were
joined on the boat by my sister Wendy and our good friend Antony Mayer. 92 passengers (max 130) and 30+ staff.
17 July Wednesday
Our first stop was Tournus, rightfully describing itself as
the Pearl of Southern Burgundy. It is a
very attractive village of 7000 people; especially the medieval centre, with
its narrow alleys, old stone houses, artsy shops and restaurants. The highlight
is the 10th century benedictine Abbey of Saint-Philibert de Tournus, the oldest
surviving church from the 10th Century with some beautiful mosaics.
In the afternoon we did a tour of the Macon region on the
southern border of burgundy and famous for its Pouilly Fuisse which was
famously introduced into the White House by Jacquiline Kennedy. We went to a tasting in the cellar of Chateau
de Pierreclos
18 July Thursday
Morning we cruise down the Saone to Lyon for lunch. No question the Saone is more attractive the
Rhine and Danube rivers except the Wachau Valley.
In the afternoon we did an excursion to the Basilica at
Fourbreve. The guide pointed out the
Pencil, the Eraser and the Box. These
are the Lyonnais nick names for the 3 towers puncturing the skyline of Lyon.
Then we had a 30 minute tour of Vieux-Lyon. Really only 3 streets. We went through several traboules which are
secret passages linking the streets.
19 July Friday
We are still in Lyon.
I had a rest morning while the other 3 in our group (Vivienne, my sister
Wendy and our good friend Antony Mayer) all went to Les Halles de Paul
Bocuse. They came back raving about it
an convinced me to go in the afternoon.
It was very impressive but I must confess I not a window shopper. The food was very impressive and puts
Mosman’s Fourth Village in the shade.
20 July Saturday
We go to Tournon, one
of France’s oldest medieval towns. Our
guide George was from Lyon and we spent most of our time talking about
Lyon. We then went downstream to
Viviers, another French village. I gave
this tour a miss having had a good walk in the morning.
21 July Sunday
Avignon known in Italy as the city
of the False popes and the home of the Palace of the Popes. If you visit the Palace, (and if you are in
Avignon it is almost mandatory,) it does require climbing and descending a lot
of steps. There were only 3 of us in the
‘White Walkers’ or slow group so we had the equivalent of a private tour. In the afternoon there was a tour to the
Chateau du Pape Winery but I gave it a miss.
Wendy toured the famous Pont de Gard (Roman Aqueduct) in the morning.
22 July Monday
Arles: Anthony Mayer had arranged a tour and lunch
managed by a former work colleague Bill Hennesy and his partner, Zoe. First stop was the famous Amphitheatre and
site of many a Roman Gladiatorial Circus and now used as an occasional
bull-fighting ring. Very impressive and
well used movie and TV set. We had lunch
at Le Galoubet. Highly recommended and excellent food.
23 July Tuesday
We transfer to Nice via Aix. We do the Tour of Aix and learn about Le Roi
Renȇ who is seen as the
founder of Aix which becomes the capital of Provence. There are around 100
fountains in Aix. And the architecture
is quite stunning. It is a university
town comprising 30,000 students in a population of 150,000. We arrive in Nice around 4:30pm staying at Le
Meridian hotel. That night we host our
Cruise Director Amilie for dinner at the roof top restaurant located in the
hotel. The view of Nice Harbour as the
sun set was sensational; Amilie has been terrifically efficient and has a delightful
sense of humour,
24 July Wednesday
On Antony Mayer’s recommendation we
go to lunch at the Villa Ephrussi, a mansion and gardens set o Cap Ferrrat overlooking
the harbour of VilleFranche. The
restaurant is beautiful and the salads are highly recommended. The mansion overlooks a long rectangular pool
containing fountains that rise and fall to the sound of opera.
25 July Thursday
We fly to London Heathrow to stay
with Vivienne’s sister and family in Chiswick.
At this point I will finish the blog.
If you enjoy river cruises (and at
our age what’s not to like) the trip down the Rhone is probably the best in
Europe. Every stop has an interesting
history; the scenery is delightful. Similar
to the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Olympics you are immersed in a journey
through French culture and values. No
matter how you slice it what the French have created in so many fields: Opera,
Dance, Music, Food, Architecture, Fashion, etc France is the best epitome of
style. Unlike Paris in this case the
weather was so much better.
BBC Best Bits of the Opening Ceremony
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/articles/cw4yepmknkpo
