Did you ever arrive at a destination and say to yourself-I’m going to like it here? This is how I felt about Lyon. I had never been here but when I started touring, I felt a sense of familiarity…was it because it reminded me of Paris? I felt so connected!

Lyon straddles the Rhone and Saone Rivers. After Paris, Lyon is considered “the country’s most significant cultural center”. The city scape! The rich architecture! The tree-lined boulevards! The cobblestone streets in Old Lyon! The unique passageways through buildings that connect adjacent streets! The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourviere! And the SHOPS!!!!!

We toured the Basilica and then Old Lyon where I did some really good shopping. Lyon is known for silk printing and I brought two beautiful scarfs home with me as well as a statement necklace made by a Lyon artist. I returned to our bus to go back to the ship to recharge before more shopping in the afternoon. I walked by a man sitting with his wife and he looked at me and said “you are glowing”-I was so stunned…I told him that that was exactly what my husband used to say when I was having a really good shop (often at Nordstroms). I felt like somehow Tom was along for the ride with me on this trip and that made me feel happy. Between that and the beautiful clouds in the Lyon sky I really felt Tom’s presence. That afternoon two new friends and I walked back across the river to explore another neighborhood and see more shops. (I will also have a blog on street fashion for this trip)

The second day in Lyon was spent in Beaujolais Wine Country. The winery was beautiful and a great contrast to being in the city. The winery was owned by a woman named Isabella Brossard who was the first woman to buy the property for and operate a winery. She had been a city planner in Paris so this was quite a change. She started organic wine making and has been successful. On the way to the winery, we stopped in the small town of St Nicolas De Beaujeu. Excellent day! The wines were fabulous!

St Nicolas De Beaujeu

An angel in the clouds!

I hope that you have enjoyed traveling with me. It was a great trip that took me to really beautiful places. The hotel in Aix-en-Provence was The Grand Hotel Roi Rene. I would recommend it to anyone traveling there. The Viking ship I was on was the Hermod. The accommodations were fine. My friend and I each had our own cabin. Unfortunately, Viking does not give much consideration to solo travelers. One has to pay just about double the rate for one person based on double accommodations pricing. The service on the cruise was really great. The servers and housekeeping couldn’t do enough for you! The entire staff had very positive attitudes. The excursions were well planned and very interesting. The wines were sensational…but the food left a lot to be desired. All in all, the experience with Viking was positive. River cruises do get you where you want to go but I think I prefer ocean cruising.

A lot of ground was covered on this trip. I recorded my steps each day and by the end of the trip I had walked 40+ miles. So grateful to have eyes to see all of this and legs that could keep me going!