Friday, April 1, 2011

Chocolate, Wine, and Unbelievable Views

Yesterday we cruised all morning, a beautiful journey up the Rhone. One of the interesting sights was this nuclear power plant, especially with Japan’s Fukushima plant being in the news.

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Our destination was Tournon, a small town where we visited the retail outlet of a chocolate factory where we had plenty of tasty samples. Their Easter candy was beautifully crafted, but after I took this photo I was admonished that no photos were allowed inside the store!

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Next up was a walking tour through the town including a pedestrian/cycling bridge.

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Our final stop was a small winery where we toured the cellars then had a wine tasting. Cheers!

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We sailed last night for Vienne. This morning we awoke to clouds and noticed that it had rained during the night. Our tour today was comprised of two parts: walking tour first, then a tram which took us up the hill. Fortunately the rain held off during the walking portion. One of the most interesting sights we saw was this Roman temple, built in 4 B.C. ---- yes, 4 years before Christ! We are still amazed at the age of so many of the buildings we’re seeing here.

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side view of temple                                                          front of temple

There is a blend of old and new throughout the town. Such interesting architecture!

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typical narrow alley in Vienne                          newer buildings beyond Roman arch

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This Roman tower is surrounded by new buildings.

By the time we climbed onto the tram to go to the top of the hill, it had begun to rain. Still, the view was unbelievable.

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Look what else we spotted on a nearby hilltop --- see what I mean about the view?

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1 comment:

Romios Family said...

Funny that you got in trouble for taking pictures - I got in trouble for taking pictures of the kids at BAY STREET in Emeryville because it is a "private property and they don't want the pictures to show up on facebook." God forbid they attract people to the shopping area!