LYON

We finally set sail (or whatever you call it, when it's a boat without a sail) on Monday, around 6:00 pm, then went into dinner around 7:00.  Dinner is served in several courses: you choose from several different starters;  there's always a soup if you wish; there's two or three main courses to choose from (or if you have a hearty appetite, like our new friend Jack, you can order one of each!); there is a cheese plate; and last but not least, there are a couple of desserts to choose from, with coffee or tea.  Oh yeah, and wine is included at no extra charge (which is a recent development, I'm told).  The portions are European sized, not American super-sized, and the meals always take at least two hours, which is really nice if you are sharing a table with interesting people.  However, by the time we finished dinner that first night, it was too late to really see anything outside.

We docked somewhere around midnight, then took off again the next morning.  Everyone went up on the sun deck after breakfast, and I just don't have the words to describe the beauty and serenity of river travel.  The water is smooth as glass, and since most towns had their beginnings close to water, there is much to see along the way!  They shooed us off after a while though, because some of the bridges we were to pass under are so low that there is only a few inches clearance, and they didn't want anyone to be decapitated.  I was worried about the captain's wheelhouse, but found out he can lower the whole thing below deck when necessary.  Later they let us come up again,  so we could watch as they maneuvered through one of the twelve locks we would pass through before reaching the Mediterranean.  And now, we are in Lyon!

Roman theatres, secret passageways, wonderful food, two rivers coming together in the heart of town, a gorgeous basilica perched atop a hill that overlooks it all, a hilarious local guide who helped us to understand the French psyche ("it's complicated")...what's not to love?  This morning we have an early presentation about the silk industry here in Lyon, then I'm off to the covered market for a bit of fromage- and saucisson-tasting with our chef!

One of many hidden passageways connecting one street to another,  which were quite an asset to the resistance during the war.

Lyon, where the Soane and the Rhone come together.

The final stage of a  silk-screened scarf depicting Lyon.