Our first full day in France took us to ancient ruins and historic sites. We visited the top of the Pont Du Gard, ~150 feet above ground level, where we climbed hundreds of steps to walk through the water channel (above the 2nd set of arches) in this ancient Roman aqueduct. We had to hunch over as we scurried through the narrow channel, lined with mineral deposits. It was quite dark for most of the journey, with occasional openings from which we could see the river on both sides far below.
Pont Du Gard is a UNESCO heritage site, a designation rightly deserved for this astonishing engineering feat that has survived for over 2,000 years.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pont_du_Gard
Tags: Pont du Gard Provence France Avignon River Aqueduct UNESCO World Heritage Site 4B4A5236 4B4A5237 4B4A5238 4B4A5239 4B4A5240 arches Explore Explored
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Time stands still in this quiet village of 4,000 inhabitants. It was raining steadily during our walking tour, so we saw very few people on the street other than the mailman and a street sweeper. The cobblestone streets were running with small streams of water, and we experienced an eerie sense of having stepped back in time. There are architectural controls in place to preserve the ambiance of this timeless village on the Rhone River.
Though there were many photogenic scenes, I had to keep the camera under the umbrella and in a rain sleeve, so composing pictures while holding the umbrella in one hand and operating the controls through plastic was a bit awkward !
Tags: 4B4A5584 Viviers France Rhone River Vantage Travel cruise ancient medeival village abandoned rain rainy dark cobblestones
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The hike up the hill to view the Roman Amphitheater from above was long and steep, but the view from the top over the ruins and city roofs to the river, far distant below, was well worth it ! The ancient amphitheater has been restored and concerts are still held there.
Tags: 4B4A5787 Rhone River Vienne Roman Theater red roofs ruins city amphitheater France Rue Pipet Isère Gallo-Roman
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Lyon is the 3rd largest city in France, and our ship was docked between two bridges with an excellent vantage point of the old town.
Tags: 4B4A6251 Lyon France Rhone River Universitie Bridge night reflections calm Vantage Discovery II riverboat cruiseship
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We visited a goat farm in the Burgundy region in France that specializes in making goat cheese. The baby goats (chevrette) were absolutely adorable, and the goat cheese was divine !
Tags: France Lys Chevre Ferme farm goat cheese baby chevrette élevage de chèvres 4B4A7315
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