Our close to 500 meandering, serpentine miles up and back on the Seine came to an official close this morning. Luggage out at 6:00 followed by a leisurely breakfast followed by a short ride to Gare de Nord at 9:45. Destination: Lyon. All we had to worry about was ourselves since our luggage was being handled by Viking. As they say here, doigt dans le nez.

Thirty folks from the first cruise are joining the four of us for the second cruise.

The high-speed train, TGV, was super! Each reclining seat in our top deck, first class section had a mini-mirror, coat hook, mini-tray, and recharging station. There was a café car and a spacious, clean bathroom. The two hour ride was a tad delayed by two unforeseen situations: a medical emergency and an animal on the track. No worries since all we had on the agenda today was getting to our new vessel, Viking’s Hermod, and unpacking.

I slept through three quarters of the nonstop trip, but Dan and my fellow travelers told me the countryside was gorgeous. Fields, pastures, hedgerows, and a few small villages. The sun came out to cap off the ride. Each day we laugh at our good fortune.

Sidebar about hedgerows: for decades the government discouraged these ancient,
eco-friendly fences preferring instead larger fields and pastures.
The opposite is true now. Hedgerows are encouraged and gaining in popularity
because they help with soil erosion and provide homes for birds, insects, and small animals.

After Paris, Lyon is considered the country’s most significant cultural center. It is situated at the confluence of the Sôane and Rhône Rivers. We’ll be sailing south on the Rhône, one of only three major rivers in all of Europe to empty into the Mediterranean. Looking out at the calm, beautiful river tonight I tried to imagine the coches d’eau (water coaches) that used to take people up and down the river pre-19th century. These vessels were pulled by men, mules, or horses that walked along the river on a towpath. In the 19th century barges were used to transport goods downriver. Fighting the current to get back upriver was apparently quite an ordeal. It took as many as 80 horses to pull a train of seven empty barges back to the starting point. On that interesting note, I’ll sign off for the night.

… French Factoids …

France is roughly four times the size of England.

The population is 68.5 million.

Two-thirds of the country is fertile plains. The other third, mostly in the south, is comprised of
three mountain ranges: the Alps, Pyrenees, and Massif Central.

The prime minister is the head of government.