So this morning we started with a walking tour of the village of Vienne on the Rhone River where the ship had docked earlier. The significance of the town was that it had been established as a Roman colony in 47 BC (and may have been governed by Pontius Pilate after his term in Jerusalem, according to legend). As such it had a temple dedicated to Caesar Augustus and his wife Livia, a 13,000 seat Roman theatre, baths and a circular racetrack. Later, after the decline of the Roman Empire, both Constantine and the Emperor Julian made it a temporary residence. A large cathedral was also built.
We visited the Roman Temple (fairly well preserved) and the cathedral (much of the exterior defaced during the French Revolution and now only a parish church) and walked through ancient streets lined with cobblestone and river rock.
Our afternoon tour was to the city of Lyon, established as a Roman outpost in 43 BC. It is located at the confluence of the Rhone River and the Saone River, a strategic location for trade, and became the capital of Gaul. It is a prosperous city, Europe's foremost publishing center, and the birth of cinema -- invented by the Lumiere brothers, Louis and Auguste. It was a center of resistance during World War II and in punishment, some 4,000 of its citizens were killed and 7,500 more were deported to Nazi death camps by Klaus Barbie, the "butcher of Lyon".
We visited a magnificent cathedral located high above the city on the site of the first Roman settlement. Later, our tour walked through the old town (now a UNESCO World Heritage site) to see 16th and 17th century buildings on narrow streets of cobblestone. Our evening ended with the Captain's Dinner, which we thoroughly enjoyed with new friends we had met during the cruise.
Tomorrow we will tour the ruins of the Benedictine Abbey in Cluny (center of reform that took place in religious orders) and the town of Beaune. Our wonderful vacation is coming to an end.
