When Mother Nature opens her floodgates, all you can do is go with the flow. Pre-Covid, my husband and I were on a Viking European River cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam, but because of high water levels, we ended up being bussed more than we were boated. Although it had been disappointing, the company did everything they could to make sure the trip was memorable and gave us a partial refund to be used on a future booking. We are back in Europe on this cruise to Southern France.
“The Saône River is too high,” the pony-tailed cruise rep explained after we entered the train station at Chalon-Sur-Saône. “So, we’ll be shuttling you to Lyon, the second stop on your itinerary.” It was impossible to hide our shell-shocked faces. “Are you kidding?” It felt like instant déjà vu. “Not to be concerned,” she said, nonchalantly. “It will all work out.”
Clearly these unplanned occurrences happen more often than we realized. And it was not boldly outlined when we booked both pricey holidays. But there was no point shedding tears over it – no need to add more water around us!
The bus trip to Lyon took an hour and a half, during which time we quickly made new friends with a couple from Baltimore and another from Vancouver. The six of us soon became inseparable travelling buds.
When we arrived, the cruise staff seemed laissez-faire about the situation, brushing it off with cordial service. Check-in was organized, and within short order, we were introduced to our stateroom, our floating (hopefully) oasis for the next eight days.
Every night, prior to dinner, the ship’s director gave us the following day’s itinerary and an outline of tour options for us to choose.
Because they didn’t want to veer off promised plans, all original tours were a-go. We could get on another bus for a two-hour ride back to Beaune, in Burgundy, where we’d partake in a wine tasting tour. Or we could go to Cluny, which was even further, for a paid optional tour. Lastly, our choice, was a leisurely day on board with shopping in nearby Lyon. No bustle, no busyness and NO busses!
Even though we would rather be cruising, there was plenty to do over the next three days in France’s third largest city. We wandered the crooked streets that veered away from large courtyard squares where the likes of Louis XIV and other historians were immortalized in bronze.
Trendy shops and boutiques bordered these pedestrian pathways and nearly two thousand restaurants offered gastronomical delights. As well as luring the gourmands, Lyon is known for its textiles and silk production. I walked away after our first day with three colourful scarves.
With so many historical and architectural wonders (some dating back to Roman Times), it’s no surprise that Lyon has been deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On our second day, we toured the oldest area, Vieux Lyon, that snuggled up to the right side of the Saône River.
A labyrinth of ancient streets led us away from the epicentre where the Roman-Gothic cathedral of St. Jean still proudly stands. And connecting these laneways are over 300 passageways, known as traboules. “These were used to transport looms during the era of silk production,” our tour guide tells us. “They also came in handy during the Second World War as escape routes.”
Speaking of escaping, on the third day we finally cast off and were soon breezing by villages, scooting beneath bridges and dipping down into concrete locks. Over a dozen of these engineered marvels were lodged along our route, making the river levels passable.
Despite the hiccups, Viking maintained their reputation for cuisine excellence throughout our voyage, from breakfast buffets to full-course meals, topped off with complementary wine and beer. They were even able to accommodate my special dietary requests with delicious and beautifully presented meals.
Although we were finally cruising, a lot of water travel on this route was done at night, so there was little opportunity to enjoy that iconic river cruise experience. And even when we were coasting, because of the higher water levels, the top-viewing deck never opened while we were on the move.
We had three ports of call over the next three days and all the land tours were great. In Vienne, we explored its ancient roots by checking out the amazing Roman museum. In the town of Tournon-sur-Rhône, we boarded a steam train and got postcard views of lush valleys and flourishing gorges. And in Viviers, we wandered the twisted lamplit streets and learned about life in this community that dated back to the Middle Ages.
While spending the final two days docked in Avignon, we were bussed to Arles, the place of inspiration for Vincent Van Gogh. And as a grand finale, we ended up cruising one more time up the Rhône, to the famous Avignon bridge.
Lights illuminated the four surviving arches on this structure that was built in 1345. It was a perfect backdrop for one last group photo and a final au revoir to new-found friends. Though there were glitches along the way, some wonderful memories and friendships were made. And over the past eight days, while voyaging Southern France, we all managed to go with the flow.
IF YOU GO: https://www.vikingcruisescanada.com/
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