by John Lane
Lush Gardens of Vienne!
Little did I know that they saved the best until last! Our last day of the cruise was by far the best! The morning started in the charming city of Vienne filled with lovely gardens, shops and sidewalk cafes. I really don’t understand how all the sidewalk cafes stay in business. It seems like there are three to four on each block! Impressive Roman ruins, like the Temple of Augustus and the 13,000-seat theater cut into the hillside, once again are from the days of Julius Caesar’s reign of the area.
Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse
We boarded the motor coach for Lyon and had no idea what would be in store for us. Lyon, the “gastronomy capital” of France has the largest indoor food market in France. There was stall after stall of food vendors offering meats, cheeses, breads, wines, seafood, pastries, candies ….you name it and it was there, you could eat it. A private tasting of meats, cheese, pates, bread and of course wine was enjoyed. I then enjoyed some local favorites of Lyonnaise potatoes, potato cakes, cheeses, bread, wine and topped it off with a macaroon! I was in food heaven. The food was wonderful and Tauck made it such a special time with the private tasting and then giving each guest 20 Euros to sample the food! The last afternoon was spent visiting the old town of Lyon and soaking in the local culture. It was a great day of food and culture that I will always remember.
Note: John was onboard the Swiss Emerald with Tauck River Cruises last week, sailing from Arles to Lyon, France.
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