Viviers

 This morning we slept in till 7:30am as the tour start is slightly later. We had sailed for part of the night, arriving about 2am. There was a little noise while docking, but otherwise very smooth. After breakfast (with another interesting state of the world discussion), we went ashore to meet up with our guide for the included tour of Viviers.

The town is fortified, partly by natural rock and also by walls. It's beautifully located above the green fields up from the river. Because it's Saturday locally people were practicing rowing. It was a lovely walk across the field, then up through the very narrow and winding streets (no cars here). There are many Plane trees almost ready to leaf, and Judas trees in bloom. This village is very little changed since Medieval times. It's in an area with lower population than the rest of France and is off the main roads and has no train station. They were not bombed in WW2, and have never promoted themselves as a tourist destination. So as our guide said, it may be a bit shabby in parts, but it's very authentic! I found it charming, but I'm sure it would be a challenge to live there. Everything has to be carried up the steep cobblestone streets, the houses are close together so can be dark inside. Very few stores in town. It's very picturesque, and I took far too many pictures! Then a leisurely walk back to the ship for lunch. Two other ships pulled up, a Tauck and an Arosa vessel. We pulled away from the dock as we ate lunch. This afternoon we'll be cruising up the river to Tournon.