Or un–the male/female thing escapes me. If people can be non-binary, then language certainly should be.

But, I digress, as usual.

Bonjour! I have returned from France with baggage laden with wine, chocolate, fridge magnets and COVID. Yes, Corey and I had COVID upon our return and I was forced to cancel my traditional friends and family Thanksgiving, which was extra sad since Erin, Kate and Oliver had flown in from Oregon, and I couldn’t even see them.

But, I digress, again!

I want to tell you about the fabulous France saga, which was everything I had hoped for and more! We journeyed to Avignon, in the very south of France, by way of London and Marseille, to discover upon arriving that Adam’s luggage had been left in Dallas. For anyone on a dream vacation, this is not good news, for it to happen to Adam was a disaster. But to his credit– and credit card– he rallied quickly and bought an outfit in the well-appointed village of Avignon in time for dinner on the ship. The hardship of shopping in France escaped him!

Speaking of Adam . . .having him as part of our traveling entourage was an experience. Pattern-mixing, blazers and brooches are de rigueur, but the shoes! The shoes attracted the attention of all the women on the ship, who were of a certain age–mine. They loved Adam and he was a source of lots of oohs and ahs and photo ops. It was like traveling with a celebrity.

The ship was a Viking Longship, designed for river cruising, and she was beautiful, comfortable and run very efficiently. The staff was mostly Eastern European, friendly, warm, helpful and patient. Our cruise was actually the last of the season, but we were still treated like royalty at every turn.

The first night we were required to have a Muster Drill, where everyone gets their life jacket from their room and gathers in an assigned place on the ship to practice what would happen in the event of an emergency evacuation situation. But there were no lifeboats on the ship, and we were amused to learn that in the event of such an emergency, we could leave our lifejackets in our rooms and simply jump into the river and walk to shore!

Winter was settling into the Rhone valley, and we had very cool temperatures and some rainy mornings, but that didn’t stop us from seeing it all. Armed with big red umbrellas, we embarked on long walking tours in the cobblestoned villages, discovering impressive gothic cathedrals, Van Gogh’s stomping grounds, a Pope’s castle, a hidden park, secret passageways used during WWII, and several lovely cafes and restaurants.

Early in the trip, we broke off after a tour and found a charming outdoor café for a drink. One night we fled the ship to have an amazing dinner at a restaurant in the old center of Lyon. Adam and I practiced our (marginal, at best) French on the patient waitstaff and enjoyed gustatory delights including boeuf bourguignon, Julia Child’s signature dish, a beautiful stew.

That part of France is known for several products: lavender, chocolate and wine. We toured two wineries that produced two different wines: Beaujolais and Châteauneuf-du-Pape. As you may or may not know, these wines are named for the area of France where the grapes are grown. Only wines produced in these areas can carry these names. It was fascinating to see the aging process, see how the grapes are pruned, and learn about TERROIR.

Terroir (pronounced TARE-WAHR) is the complete natural environment in which a particular wine is produced, including factors such as the soil, topography, and climate. Taste of wines can vary from the top of a hill to the bottom, or from one year to the next based on rainfall and temperatures. Fascinating. And we enjoyed tasting them as much as learning about them!

One of the highlights of the trip was an old steam train ride through a gorge outside Tournon. The open air journey gave us stunning views and photo opportunities including the chance to watch them spin the engine around and reattach it to the opposite end of the train for the return trip. I always wondered how they did it.

Photo ops abounded, and I came home with hundreds of pictures. My travel partners also took hundreds, and I will share some here, but many have already made an appearance on our Facebook accounts. There were so many incredible moments that I’m glad to have the pictures to spur my memories.

We ended our river cruise in Lyon and that is where Leigh Ann left us to fly home. Adam, Corey and I journeyed on by train to Paris for more stunning adventures, which will be Part Deux.

Au Revoir.