Today, I’m sharing the final part of our Viking Rhône river cruise trip that we did in October/November. What an unforgettable trip. I took so many photos that it was hard to narrow it down to just a few, so I went overboard again, but that’s what vacations are for, right? I hope you enjoy these recent trips we took. We finished the trip in Lyon, with excursions in the area. All of them were great as you will see below! Come with us as we explore more of the countryside surrounding Lyon, France.
Leon
The city of Lyon is the third largest city in France and is located on the Rhone and Saone rivers. It is sometimes compared to Paris in terms of culture and appearance, while it is much smaller. This is actually fine with me. I’ve been to Paris and it’s beautiful, but it’s also very big and spacious. Lyon was beautiful in its own way with its red-roofed buildings, tree-lined streets and riverside promenades. We really enjoyed our tour of Lyon as we walked the cobblestone streets on a short walking tour.
There are many silk vendors here and I bought a silk scarf for myself and one for my sister for her birthday.
The grand church, Fasilica of Notre-Dame de Fourviere, is located on top of Fourvierre Hill and we had a wonderful tour inside.
It was amazing, inside and out.
Small Eiffel Tower
Piroges
Next on our stop is the medieval city of Perouge, built in the 12th century. It was something to see!
We took a walking tour here with a guide and she told us all about the walled city as well as who lives there. There are 80 people living within the walls and 1,200 people in the town. Looks like a movie set!
Inside Pirog Church.
These cobblestone streets are a thing!
We discovered that one of this city’s specialties is sugar bread, galette, which is similar to sugar pizza. We got a tasting at the end of the tour.
This small town is full of charm.
Galit.
Selfie time.
We finally got to taste the galette and it was so delicious. A galette is a thin brioche dough with lemon zest, butter and sugar that caramelizes as it cooks.
We sat in this restaurant for a bit and got something to drink until it was time to go back.
They had these beautiful new arrangements on the table.
Visit a goat farm
We also got to visit a goat farm and hear all about making the goat cheese we love. Goat cheese is very good in salads, dips, and just for eating.
The goats were especially cute.
There was a nice taste of the goat cheese available in the store. It was so delicious and fresh!
Beaujolais and truffles
Another fun day of the trip was the day we did a truffle farm. After visiting the goat farm, we headed out for lunch on this truffle tour.
The owner with his dog Truffle. He was very nice and would hang out with us at lunch.
He has a spacious room in the lower part of his house, and we all get to enjoy the delicious soup that has been prepared for us.
Hearty stews seem to be very popular in France and this was delicious too.
The truffle dog moved from table to table hoping to catch the fallen crumbs. I’m sure he’s used to all the people coming off the cruise ships.
Then we headed into the forest where the dog showed how to dig for truffles. It was so great. I’m not sure I really get the hype about truffles. I’ve had them in food and flavorings (like truffle fries, which are amazing!) Truffles are big business in the food industry.
He would urge the dog on and focus it on finding spots on the tree roots to dig and dig as he did, and he always came up with truffles.
They’re blobs that look like dirt, but are worth a lot of dollars.
We picked them up to see them up close and surprisingly they are world famous. I love the taste of truffles in food, but again, it’s definitely a big business, because they’re so hard to get.
Back in the countryside. We had another winery to visit.
These were very beautiful in Flore Ponce.
We took a little tour of the vineyard and then headed inside for a wine tasting.
I loved the bark of these sycamore trees.
Extensive vineyards in southern France.
Wine tasting time.
And more beauty on the way back to the ship. These vineyards go on forever.
With a surprising windmill discovered along the way.
I hope you enjoyed this trip through southern France on the Viking Rhone River Cruise. We definitely had the time of our lives and I can’t imagine a better trip. We are so grateful that Viking invited us to go on this cruise and we of course recommend these cruises and would take another one in a minute. The experience on board Viking cruise ships is amazing, the food is amazing, and we saw some of the most amazing sights we could ever imagine.
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