A Cruise On The Rhone...

ms River Discovery II

France

May 23-June 3

May 24-25

Chalon-sur-Saône

A lovely ten day cruise sampling the delights of the Burgundy and Beaujolais regions of France with a bit of Provence at the end…the ship was perfect, the scenery delightful, the sights fully historical, and the food and wine so very French and wonderful. We boarded the boat at Chalon-sur-Saône, just the right spot to take a short walk after a long flight and enough time to get back to our cabins and clean up before dinner. The next day brought a morning tour of the 15th century Hospices de Beaune or Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune, a former charity hospital for the poor founded in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, the chancellor of Burgundy, and considered to be one of the best examples of French architecture of that period.  And since this was our first day of touring, the visit had to be followed by a tasting of Burgundy reds...our introduction to one of France’s most famous wine regions was fully underway!

                                                       

May 26

Tournus

Ever since I first studied French in Junior High, I have wanted to visit Cluny Abbey, but somehow never got there even after living in France for two years and traveling back to visit friends on many occasions. So, when given the opportunity to visit the ruins of this Benedictine monastery founded in 910 and once the site of Europe’s most respected library, I knew that it would be memorable.There is very little left of the the abbey, although the sheer size of the place is a small clue to its bygone splendor and the important role it played in clerical history. Once considered to be the most prestigious and grandest monastery in Europe, (Cluny had the largest church in the world until the 17th century and the building of St. Peter’s Basilica) most of the abbey was destroyed during the French Revolution in 1790.

No trip to France would be complete without visiting a local farm and sampling fresh goat cheese, always my favorite, and the tasting did not disappoint! There is something about fresh cheese and wine that awakens the epicurean senses and I would have been content to stay at the farm for a while and keep eating. It was, however, time to return to the boat as we were scheduled to depart for Lyon; the countryside, dotted with picturesque villages and chateaux, delighted us on the ride back.