Wednesday Traveling from Paris to Lyon

On the train from Paris to Lyon

Note:  I have having trouble downloading pictures so they may become few and far between.  Hopefully things will improve at our next port.

Wednesday morning was up early at 5:30 to finish packing our bags and putting them out, followed by breakfast in the dining room before our 7:15 departure to the train station.  For the second time I had egg benedict and it was delicious.  It was about an hour drive on the bus through the heart of Paris from our boat to the station on the other side of Paris.

Arc d Triumph on our way to the train station

We boarded our train (there were two cars reserved for the 51 of us traveling from one boat to the next) for the two hour ride through the countryside at high speed (100+ mph).  We were on the upper deck of the train car with seats facing each other so we were able to get in a rousing game of Pinochle.  For some reason the train stopped for about 15 minutes; because we do not understand French we have no idea what the reason was.

Finally we arrived at the station in Lyon and boarded our busses for  short ride to the boat.  The two boats are practically identical so once we were unpacked, it was like we had never moved (other than we are in a larger cabin for the second week with a balcony).

Bridge in front of boat where we are moored

Unlike Paris, the boat is moored in the heart of town.  Across the river we see the island portion of Lyon between the Rhone and the Sione.  We are in the University District with a university in very old buildings directly next to us.  The boat's staff serve as crossing guards for us as bicycles fly by on the waterfront walkway with no concern for pedestrians.  For dinner the men had an excellent rack of lamb (tender and seasoned with herbs from the top deck garden to perfection), while the ladies were equally delighted with their ribeye steaks.  Dessert was a strawberry cream roll similar to what I remember from Roses' as a kid.  Irony of the day was the wine and cheese tasting at 3 where we tasted some fine French reds and whites, but (if you can believe it) they also poured a Saint Michelle chardonnay from the Columbia River (French name after all, right?).  I didn't come all the way to France to taste northwest wine 😋.