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| Entrance to Viviers apartment |
We started the day off by walking through the village of
Viviers and up a hill to the smallest cathedral in France. I had forgotten that cathedrals by their
association with a bishop are different from churches, so it came as quite a
shock when we arrived and it was still huge.
Viviers is an interesting old village of 4,000 inhabitants, There have been people living for 2,500 years. It actually consists of two distinct towns, each enclosed within its own ramparts. The lower town was for the craftsmen and labourers and the top of the hill was for nobility and the clergy.
One of the nicest building in Viviers is known as the Maison des Chevaliers or House of Knights. It was built by Noël Albert, a wealthy salt trader and merchant who converted to Protestantism in the late fifteen hundreds. During France's Wars of Religion he led an attack that destroyed the wooden interior of the cathedral. He was ultimately captured and convicted for this attack. For his crimes he was executed by being drawn and quartered and then just to make sure he was dead, he was beheaded.
Viviers is an interesting old village of 4,000 inhabitants, There have been people living for 2,500 years. It actually consists of two distinct towns, each enclosed within its own ramparts. The lower town was for the craftsmen and labourers and the top of the hill was for nobility and the clergy.
One of the nicest building in Viviers is known as the Maison des Chevaliers or House of Knights. It was built by Noël Albert, a wealthy salt trader and merchant who converted to Protestantism in the late fifteen hundreds. During France's Wars of Religion he led an attack that destroyed the wooden interior of the cathedral. He was ultimately captured and convicted for this attack. For his crimes he was executed by being drawn and quartered and then just to make sure he was dead, he was beheaded.
It is unfortunate but of all the medieval villages that we
have visited, I think this one is in the worst shape. A lot of the buildings are vacant and in need
of restoration. I guess the village has
no money or has not received any federal grants for this type of public works.
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| Valery Imbernon recital |
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| View of Viviers from cathedral |
We just got back to the boat in time before the expected heavy rains arrived. We heard that they were expecting floods in some parts of southern France along the Rhone River.
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| Saint Marcel caves |
In the afternoon, I went on a bus tour to the St. Marcel caves
and the Ardeche River Gorge. The caves
are massive underground caverns and colourful water basins that are the result of eroded limestone caused by
the Ardeche River flowing through this grotto more than a million years ago. There are many interestingly shaped stalactites and stalagmites. This is also the site of some of the famous cave
paintings by prehistoric man.
Unfortunately we were not able to see these paintings as they are in a
protected area many kilometers from where the tour takes place.
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| Limestone Arch over Ardeche River |
After we visited the caves we went through the Ardeche
National Park to view the river gorge. Unfortunately it was very foggy and it rained most of the way. We did stop a couple of times to see the
vistas and from what we could see they were spectacular. At one time the gorge was deeper than the Grand
Canyon in the USA. This is a
very popular vacation spot for the French in the summer. Along the road you can see many camping sites and trailer parks. Canoeing is a very popular sport in this area.
Marg stayed on board and attended a French cooking class. She now knows how to make fish soup and ratatouille. The boat’s head chef was the instructor and Marg thought he was very good, but that he used way too much salt. Apparently the secret to a good Bouillabaisse is the addition of all your fresh vegetables and adding spices to your own personal taste.
For dinner we both had lamb with Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine. The theme of the night was the special dishes
of the top French chefs. As good as it
was, we were disappointed that Scenic didn’t recognize Canadian Thanksgiving
with a turkey dinner. After all, Canadians
make up at least twenty percent of the passengers.
After dinner in the lounge we were entertained by Véroniquede Zan, who was a singer who specialized in French songs from the jazz age by
artist such as Edith Piaf. She had a strong voice and a good stage
presence. During one song, she got John
up on stage and sat him down in chair.
She then proceeded to serenade him with a very sexy song and dance.
Needless to say he loved it.
When I went to bed, I fell asleep without looking at the
bed. The maid had put a chocolate square
on my pillow and somehow I missed it. It
slid down on to the mattress so that in the morning when I awoke my back was
covered in the gooey melted chocolate bar.
During the night we sailed to Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
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