Rivers, Romans and Rhône Reflections: A Journey Through Southern France

When asked to explain the difference between ocean and river cruising, the renowned writer Douglas Ward said that with ocean cruising the ship is the destination, but with river cruising the destination is the destination – something that became especially clear while cruising the River Rhône and its tributary the Saône on Riviera Travel’s MS William Shakespeare.

I chose a Heathrow departure and, using my tried and trusted Holiday Extras for airport parking, I was soon on my afternoon flight to Marseille. A short transfer took me to Avignon, where I boarded the ship in time for drinks and dinner.

My cabin was well equipped, with good wardrobe space and tea and coffee making facilities. The floor-to-ceiling sliding window offered plenty of air and light, and there was individually controlled air conditioning. Cabins were positioned to the rear of reception, whilst to the front, the upper deck housed a comfortable bar and lounge, which also served light lunches and housed a 24-hour tea and coffee station; the dining room was on the deck below.

Next day, before leaving Avignon, we were treated to a guided tour. Much of the old city wall remains, and the Popes’ Palace, one of the largest medieval Gothic buildings in Europe, is in its centre. The large and impressive exterior is better than the interior, which is almost bare, with just a few visible wall paintings.

However, the best-known structure is the Pont d’Avignon, a stone bridge built in 1234. Regular flooding washed away a number of arches so that today less than half of it remains. The bridge is the inspiration for the traditional 15th-century French song Sur le Pont d’Avignon.

Ear, Ear

The following morning found us in Arles. There is a well-preserved Roman amphitheatre which stages concerts, and it was here in December 1888 that Van Gogh famously cut off his left ear and allegedly sent it to a local prostitute. He painted two self-portraits after the event, but they showed a bandaged right ear. Puzzled experts finally realised that the reason for this discrepancy was that he was looking in a mirror.

Arles was also the starting point for a trip to the Pont du Gard, part of a two-thousand-year-old aqueduct built to take water from a spring near Uzès to the Roman settlement in Nîmes. Although only twelve miles separate the two, the nature of the terrain meant that the aqueduct stretched for 31 miles with a barely noticeable drop of 1:3,000. How on earth did the Romans do that?

Nîmes itself effortlessly blends 2,000-year-old Roman architecture with modern buildings, but it has a bigger claim to fame. It was renowned for the manufacture of strong cloth, serge de Nîmes, used for making tarpaulin and ships’ sails. In the late 19th century, a textile importer in San Francisco brought in this strong cloth for tailors to make durable trousers for the pioneers of the west. The cloth known as de Nîmes is now known as denim – and the textile importer was Levi Strauss.

A coach tour of the Ardèche Gorges, France’s answer to the Grand Canyon, was a highlight of the next day and the following morning I arrived in Vienne. A walk around town was followed by a train ride to Mont Pipet Hill, from where there were excellent views of the town, countryside and winding river.

Smile Please

Sailing through Lyon in the evening was a memorable experience as we joined the river Saône heading north to Chalon-sur-Saône. In the heart of Burgundy country, it’s a delightful town, stylish and full of characterful buildings. Take your credit card as there are many unique items in the delightfully individual shops. It was also here in 1822 that Nicéphore Niépce invented what we now know as photography, and there is a statue of him by the river.

Then it was back to Lyon, a large historic city at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône, dominated by Notre-Dame de Fourvière on a hill overlooking the centre. Another claim to fame is the Place Bellecour, a large open central space and the third biggest square in France.

In complete contrast to the historic buildings we had seen so far, that evening the ship moved to Quai Rambaud. A new development, it consisted of a few small stylish apartment blocks in different colours overlooking a river inlet. Shops, bars and restaurants completed the attractive development, whilst a lovely riverside walk revealed more unique accommodation and boats moored along the bank, a number of which appeared to be boutique restaurants. Lyon is generally recognised as the gastronomic capital of France, so eating out is a national pastime.

Back on board, a celebratory dinner rounded off the day and the cruise; next morning I headed off to the airport and my flight home.

For more stories like this and insight into life beyond the capital, visit EyeOnLondon. We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

[Image Credits | Mike Pickup]

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