Rhone River Travel Journal—Day 8

Ruins of 1st church in Lyons
Ruins of 1st church in Lyon

In a fallen world, things do not always go as planned.

Such is the case of the Viking cruise ship, Buri.

We were supposed to sail last night north toward our final destination of Chalon-sur-Saone.

However, because of the amount of rain and the rise of the river, we were not going to fit under an upstream bridge. I guess 500 years ago the builders of that bridge did not have the foresight to imagine a cruise ship the size of ours powering up the river.

Regardless, we can go no further north and stayed another day anchored in Lyon. Everyone’s plans changed as a result. The girls headed to a medieval walled city in Perouges, France. I went back to Lyon. As I told The Wife, “You’ve seen one walled medieval city in France, you’ve seen them all”—similar to my philosophy on chocolate.

I went to the Gallo-Roman Museum, which was impressive but disappointing at the same time. It had a conspicuous lack of Christian artifacts—so conspicuous it had to be intentional. After that I went to the ruins of the first church in Lyon (pictured above), where Ireneaus, Blandina and others mentioned in yesterday’s post probably worshipped.

Upon their return, The Wife and Ann confirmed my opinion about walled medieval towns in France. They enjoyed it but was convinced I would not have enjoyed it or the two hours on the bus.

Since it was our last day on the cruise, and we were in the lounge trying to get the most out of Premium Liquor Package add on, I asked the following questions.

What was your favorite part of the cruise?

The Wife: The Baths of Constantine in Avignon.

Ann: Discovery of the Rhone Valley.

Me: The amphitheater at Lyon.

What was your least favorite part of the cruise?

The Wife: The Palace of the Popes.

Ann: “Our crappy guide in Avignon.”

Me: The ship’s internet.

Now, to prepare for the transition to the second half of our trip. We will fast-forward 1400 years to the time of the Reformation. GS

 

Leave a Reply