Vienne

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Day 7

The riverboat silently pulled away from its dock in Lyon on the afternoon of day 6 and we gently floated down the Rhone River towards Vienne where we arrived just a few short hours later. We remained on board for the evening knowing that at 9:00AM we would gather our guided tour equipment and wind our way through the streets to learn about this city and its secrets.
Vienne is the first city of this trip that is new to Tom and I. The guided tours can be slow and tedious at times, however, we are committed to them because these local guides provide us with a window into the past of these towns along the Rhone. We actually learned a lot more about Lyon by just going on the guided tour to places we passed on our own but couldn't imagine the history.

In ancient times Vienne was settled by a Celtic Tribe but was conquered by the Roman Empire in 121BC. Here we saw a town rich with Roman temples and buildings. Parts of houses of the rich as well as poor. Roman baths, theaters, churches and more are well preserved and easy to access. As usual to French towns the streets are narrow and cobbled. As we were led down a small alley we entered into a small square that housed the 2,000 year old Temple d'Auguste et de Livie (his third wife). Newer buildings (by that I mean built anywhere from 1600's forward.) were built right along side. Around another corner is an 11th century cathedral Saint Maurice which took 500 years to build and it is also sandwiched between other buildings. The residents of Vienne believe there is kind of a peaceful co-existence of styles from almost every period in history, I believe there is an unbelievable surprise around every corner. There is also a 50 foot tall stone roman obelisk known as La Pyramide on the southern edge of the city. (I didn't get a picture of it) Some people believe it to mark the tomb of Pontius Pilate and other believe it was a turning point for chariot races.

To add to the charm of the town there was an open air market going on today and booths selling everything imaginable were lined up from one end of town to the other. Our guide told us it is the biggest market of its kind in France. We crossed through the market multiple times in various parts of the city during our tour so I had no reason to doubt her claim was true. At one point during our tour I did hear Catherine say, "I think I could easily live in Vienne."

By far Vienne holds many secrets and surprises for the tourists. I don't think Tom and I would ever have been lucky enough to see this amazing historical town had we not been on this planned river trip and rather plan one of our usual drive through France to different cities. Mind Blown!!!

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