Tournon, Train & Temple

Fog, Again. And this time, plenty of rain to start our day on the Rhône at the village of Tournon. We started out with a brief stroll around the village with its rustic stone buildings:

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One of the fun sights was the recycled former phone booth (which no one uses anymore since the arrival of cell phones) converted into a “take a book, leave a book” lending library:

The big excursion for the day was a ride on a steam train from Tournon up the scenic Doux river valley. Rather, it was supposed to have been a scenic tour. However, it was cold and rainy, leaving the inside of the rustic unheated passenger car windows all steamed up, but for the brief moments each time after our guide wiped them down. So, apologies for the hazy look of many of the pictures below:

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After a short ride up the valley, the train was turned around:

On the way back down to Tournon, I went out on the small platform at the back of the passenger car and captured videos that show how close our train traveled to the river:

After the train excursion we returned to the ship, which had already begun sailing north while we were out and about. We were so chilled from the time on the train that even after a lunch that included some warm soup, we still decided to indulge ourself with a “down day” and read/napped away the afternoon. We also skipped the afternoon walking tour of Vienne, in part due to some continuing drizzle, but eventually decided to make our way on our own to Vienne’s main attraction before dinner.

The Roman Temple of Augustus and Livia dates from around 10 BC, and was turned into a church at the beginning of the 5th century. It sits in the middle of the town with much more modern buildings surrounding it.

It was a pleasant walk to the temple along some cute narrow streets:

At this time of year, the Temple had a seasonal decoration:

The Temple also featured an imposing metallic artwork:

Early the next morning the Heimdal would depart for Lyon, the final destination of this cruise and the ship’s season. Fortunately for us, the weather would be much more pleasant for the last two full days in Lyon.