Saturday Market in Vienne

Holy frijoles, you have never seen a farmers market until you have experienced the one in Vienne.  I swear that it stretches on for over a mile through all the streets on the city down both sides and through the squares.  There are literally dozens of cheese stands, dozens of butchers, and what seemed like a hundred vegetable stands.  Stands are 20 to 40+ feet wide, many were trailers, and also include clothing, jewelry, and even dollar store items.

John stopped at one stand to purchase a pocket sandwich filled with chicken, vegetables and sauces.  He paid his 3 euros for it and then as he walked away he went back to take a couple paper towels off the roll on the corner of the counter.  One of the workers immediately challenged him and put out his hand as though he wanted to be paid for them.  When John reached out his hand with some coins the workers burst out laughing --- it was a great prank.

There were two tour groups today, the leisurely group and the active group.  The leisurely group rode a small train to the top of the hill overlooking the city and the roman theater, the active group walked to the top and back.  We were in the active group with John and Anna leading the way.  From the top of the hill we were able to see the roman ruins below and the entire Rhone valley.

At noon we sailed for our next port while having a special meal.  Stations were set up in different places: one with meats (chicken, duck, and lamb), one with cheeses and pates, one with salads, and one with desserts.  As we sailed along we were able to see the vineyards and chateaus along the river.

While sailing we have gone through a number of locks.  Below is Alice sitting on our balcony while the boat is going down into the locks.  Locks raise us (last week) or lower us (this week) by 25 to 60 feet.   

Like yesterday, I have reached the nap portion of the day.  They are doing a presentation on the mechanical systems of the ship in the lounge that we are able to watch on the TV in our stateroom.  Bon jour.