River Tours
Fell Walking in England
Every traveler knows there are varied ways to experience a place. You might wander its backroads or follow ancient pilgrim trails, absorbing the land with every step. You might catch only a fleeting glimpse through the window of a tour bus, or observe it from 30,000 feet above, where towns become specks and rivers turn to ribbons. Or perhaps you'll view it from the gentle rhythm of a nearby waterway, seeing it from a vantage point few ever do. Each approach reflects a balance—between comfort and curiosity, between the ease of travel and the desire to truly understand a place and its people.
I always thought that I would leave the river boat touring to a time when I would be too physically challenged to travel in the explorer style. But no! When tempted with a smokin' deal, one does not look the gift boat in the mouth!
The benefit of touring by river boat, as the tour companies are repeatedly reminding us, is that you can unpack once and be waited on hand and foot while experiencing the history, culture, food, and folks of the charming habitations along the way. Traveling in semi-luxury is not a habit I would want to cultivate, being more of an intrepid make-my-own-way type, but once in a while it feels great!
Southern
France
In June, I found myself aboard the MS River Chanson in southern France, courtesy of the Grand Circle Cruise Line. In two weeks we covered 350 kilometers of river and 720 on land, (from Toulouse to Arles, along the Rhone and Saone rivers to Macon, terminating in Paris) as well as thousands of steps each day, traipsing through picturesque villages and cities at port calls along the way.
Background
French is a language I studied in grade school, in high school, and as an adult, but as I wandered the medieval streets of Toulouse, surrounded by locals speaking French in that guttural Midi accent, I was dismayed to find that I could not follow the conversations. Nevertheless, it was a romantic idyll that really only Americans can relate to since, unlike Europeans, we are rarely called upon to speak a language other than American English.
Europeans have the enviable benefit of living in the past and the present every day, with vestiges of their history embedded in quotidian activities - from the ancient stones forming the walls of the green grocer, to the cobbles in the street that the mail carrier bicycles upon. One need only look up to see intricate details carved in building facades, reminding the observer that these edifices were built to stand the test of time and the elements, from an age when people cared about the durability and visual appeal of their architecture. Amidst all these old stones are assorted mod-cons, such as parking meters, EV charging units, and electronically controlled traffic barriers. It is a potpourri of the ages.
How to book:
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Many river boat companies ply the waters of Europe these days. Viking is a household name and an excellent company.Grand Circle is the tour company I booked with because they often have smokin' deals and they treat you well (return customers are VIPs). To get a great deal on a two week river cruise it is important to be flexible (or retired), willing to book an immediate holiday, and happy to go wherever the deeply discounted tour takes you.
Weather
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The weather in Europe (and increasingly all over the globe) is changeable and unpredictable. Is it trite to say it is hot in the summer and cold in the winter? Yes, but sometimes it can be extremely so - check your weather app the day before you leave and repack if necessary. It was 100 degrees every day we were in le Midi in June.
Currency
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River cruises are generally all-in affairs, with 3 meals each day and on-board entertainment provided. You can spend your entire holiday in an idyll on the deck or in the lounge viewing the landscape slipping past, and never once reach into your pocket.
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Off-board, most businesses will accept your credit card and you will be enticed to purchase some items (like chocolate!) from a local shop. Street vendors, selling crepes or vintage books or postcards, will want your paper Euros so have a supply on hand for those delightful, ad-hoc must-haves. We managed to spend several hundred dollars worth of paper Euros in two weeks.
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It is common practice to tip the entire cruise staff, which usually must be done in a single envelope with actual hard currency. Dollars are acceptable.
To help you make decisions about your trip
Recommendations
On the Boat
Southern France, like much of Europe, is layered with thousands of years of human history—visible in the ruins beneath your feet and the architecture lining every street. The rivers that wind through this landscape, long used as vital arteries of transport and commerce, continue to shape the prosperity of the towns and cities along their banks. From a riverboat, one glimpses both sides of this legacy: the rough-hewn working edges of town and the stately waterfront homes of the well-heeled.
I sailed with Grand Circle Cruise Lines along the Rhone and Saone rivers from Arles to Macon, in the luxurious style and comfort that river cruises afford the traveler. Seventy peple on board enjoyed the benefit of morning and evening maid service, five-course meals three times each day, and entertainment every evening. Each port call includes a guided tour of the most fascinating areas, UNESCO sites abounding.
Toulouse
You are thinking "Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec" and you are correct - the famous painter had the misfortune of being born into the aristocracy, to the Count of Toulouse, in this department in southern France, although he spent most of his adult life in Paris.
The city of Toulouse, founded by the Romans and acting as provincial capitol through the middle ages, has much to recommend it to visitors. The river Garonne and the Canal du Midi run through it, providing scenic spots for evening idylls, and it hosts UNESCO World Heritage sites. In the picturesque old town you will accrue hours of delight wandering the streets to ogle at ancient and renaissance buildings, and stopping in at quaint as well as chic shops or the Victor Hugo market.
Victor Hugo Market
Le Camargue
At the mouth of the Rhone river sprawls le Camargue. Being a river delta, the area is swampy and flat. The French actually grow rice there, and raise white horses and big black bulls for the regional sport called La Course Camarguaise, in which the bull always wins the contest. Puny humans try to pull ribbons off the horns of the bull in question without being gored in the process. The wily bull evades these men dressed in white and is showered in glory (of course puny humans are also placing bets on the outcome).
Check it out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDLd1rRqcUk
Arles
Famously the short term home of Vincent Van Gogh, whence he cut his ear and spent some time in an assylum (why do we know these things more readily than the fact that he completed 184 paintings in the short time he lived there?), Arles is a beautiful little town with a medieval walled old city. Perched on the shores of the Rhone river, the sunshine and light of le Midi bathe the yellow stones of the ancient buildings with the warmth of inspiration.
A Roman arena, similar to the Colloseum in Rome, is the site of the famous aforementioned Course Camarguaise. Close proximity to the Pyrenees mountains and Spanish border shapes the local's devotion to this bull-centric sport.
Avignon
Once upon a time, Avignon was the abode of the Pope. In this fairytale, there are political maneuverings, infighting, and instability in Rome, and French royal "influence" in the elections of Popes. Due to these pressures, the whole Papal retinue relocated from Italy to a castle in Avignon and reigned from there for 70 years in the 14th century (all French Popes, of course). This grandiose masonry pile is now a UNESCO World Heritage site attracting tourists by the thousands every day who traipse through the largely empty cavernous edifice seeking the romance of ancient history inscribed on the stone walls.
The old defensive medieval city walls still stand intact, protecting the ville vieux these days from the onslaught of exessive vehicular traffic, and contain within them the usual charm found in ancient places that have retained their heritage while embracing the present.
Luberon
Purple—the most regal of colors—takes on an almost supernatural quality when it stretches across the lavender fields of the Luberon. The eye is drawn to that vibrant, endless carpet, longing to linger among the bees and butterflies, soaking in the pulse of violet hues against the emerald fields and azure sky.
Lavender fields, a tourist attraction unlike any other, bloom for only a few weeks of the year so one must have serendipitous timing to catch a glimpse of the waves of royal velvet.
Luberon has other eye candy to offer the visitor, too, if one can tear one's eyes from the lavender, such as quaint adorable hill towns with stone houses stacked up along the slopes, and one of the world's largest deposits of ochre.
In this region, consumer goods made from lavender can be purchased at any tourist shop or green grocer. On a sweltering June afternoon, I enjoyed a cup of lavender ice cream purchased from one of those local corner grocers.
Tournon sur Rhone
and
Tain l'Hermitage
Tucked into a bend in the river, at the foot of grapevine covered slopes, is the town of Tournon. It boasts a lovely 13th century stone church, alluring narrow streets, and the world-famous Valrhona chocolate shop (!). There is a campground by the river and folks play Petanque in the park.
Meanwhile, on the east side of the river, connected by the Pont routier Gustave Toursier, lies hundreds of hectares of grapevines basking in the Midi sun above the town of Tain l'Hermitage. One can catch a rubber tire "little train" to chug up the slopes and through the vineyards (in the 100 degree F heat of the afternoon, this is a welcome amenity) for a magnificent view of the river valley receding in the haze.
Lyon
Cities find their fortune built around a river—a timeless conduit for transportation, commerce, and human connection. Water has always drawn people, serving as both a practical resource and a source of recreation. Lyon, notably, is graced with not one but two rivers: the Rhône and the Saône, which meet within the heart of the city.
With a history spanning over two millennia, Lyon began as the capital of Roman Gaul and later flourished as a vibrant hub of trade during the Renaissance. Today, it is a dynamic metropolis that seamlessly blends the old with the new. Within easy reach of its riverbanks lie several UNESCO World Heritage sites, making Lyon not only a vital economic center but also a tourist magnet for culture and history.
Secret passages known as traboules, enabled people to escape Gestapo raids during WWII
Notre Dame de Fourvier
Parc Tete d'Or
Paris
The City of Lights, wound around the river Seine, has been the longing of romantic hearts throughout the world. "I love Paris every moment," a sentiment expressed even by those who have never been to France, accurately describes the feeling that pulses through one's being strolling along the broad boulevards - all visitors become lovers when imbued with the spirit of Paris.
With vistas that stretch far along the tree-lined avenues and over bridges spanning the Seine, spires and domes spring up above the seven-story rooftops, punctuating an otherwise orderly phalanx of late renaissance facades.
When in Paris, one must do the requisite visits: Musee Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triumph, Tuileries, Notre Dame, etc. but it is also a perfect activity to casually ramble around the narrow cobbled streets of the Marais on a splendid sun-drenched day, discovering unique shops, hidden courtyards, and cool historic architectural details.
le Marais
Musee Louvre
Musee D'Orsay
Featuring Impressionist and Post-impressionist works by many well known artists.
Notre Dame de Paris
Tour Eiffel
Video credit: Cam Erdmann
Food
What can be said about French cuisine that hasn't already been said?
Making Croissants
Making Crepes
Doorways
