9 Nov 2013
Wiki for Lyon
Wiki for the Rhône-Alpes district
Tourist Information for Lyon
See yesterday’s map.
Ship departs Mâcon and arrives in Lyon. Here is where the Saône joins the Rhône. Tours and lectures all day. Open bar reception & dinner, then evening at leisure.
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Actual:
The ship was still in Chalon this morning, and will be for some time. The water level went up six inches yesterday and went down one inch today. The ship people say it is raining all over Europe and cruise traffic is being impacted on the Rhine, the Moselle, the Rhone and (of course) here.
We had another great breakfast, then got ready for the bus. They took us 1.5 hours down the Saone to Lyon, the third largest city in France.
First we stopped at the basilica, high on a hill overlooking the city. A spectacular site with views all across the river and to the Alps in the far distance. Our tour guide reminided us that it is 1.5 hours to Grenoble or Geneva.
The coach tour then continued into the center of the city and put us into the oldest cathedral in the area, where we were given a nice organ concerto. The acoustics in this pile of stone left something to be desired since it took five seconds for the echo of the final note to die out. But it wss nice; the second movement was something an old Lutheran hymn was taken from.
Then we were conducted to the premier market in town and given a tour of it. Beautiful foods, herbs, fish, whatever you can think of. We were shown to the second floor to a large restaurant and served lunch. D & I found it palatable but not beautiful, so we skipped dessert and went back to the market downstairs to look around. She found a few little things.
We were taken next to Vieuw Lyon, the old town. Our tour guide walked us into this narrow street place and then showed us the “best” housing in Lyon. Here, they live in smaller places - an 800 square foot apartment is considered large. The old buildings have been upgraded with utilities and with some trickery in architecture the lighting has been improved. But it is “good” to live in this old area and to have to walk up four stories in a circular tower staircase to get to your apartment. I’ll admit the locale is full of restaurants and stores and shops, but....
We were turned loose to tour the old town. D & I wandered around, gazing at things and wandering through shops. She got her pin, and we looked at things for Jamie but didn’t buy any.
Our stroll took us out to the Saone and up the river to our bus. An hour and a half later, we were back “home”.
Then the tour of the engineering spaces promised last night by the captain started. Marcel took us to the engine room aft and showed us the place. Main propulsion is two large Caterpillar diesels directly geared to two propellors, which turn continuously but the blade pitch is controlled to move left, right, forward or aft.
There are two large Caterpillars in this location for electrical generation, and one large burner for hot water. The space was wonderfully clean and well organized.
Marcel then said he’d take us to a smaller space forward, but the generator there was running so he would start a generator here and shift the load to it, then shut down the forward generator so it would be quiet there. Boom, it got loud in the space. We saw the automatic synchronizer bring the two generators in phase, then Marcel shut down the generator up forward.
We left and went through the galley and down into a smaller space in the bow. There was the third generator diesel but it is also coupled to the bow thruster which is controlled just like the propulsion aft. Other units are there for refrigeration and so forth.
The ship is ballasted with its 230 cubic meters of fresh water, taken on board from cities with whom the company has agreements. Gray water is pumped overboard into city systems but black water is pumped out by sewage trucks in the night on stopovers.
Great tour. We thanked everyone appropriately.
Then dinner. Tonight, Al & Maria joined us again. Al told stories, but then Maria and Marylou started comparing how they cooked dishes. That was neat, but way beyond my ability. Finally, D & I declared ourselves ready for a quiet night in the cabin.
While we were on the tour, Marylou and D got the word. We will go to a historic walled town and do other things tomorrow (including another wine tasting, this time of Beaujolais). We also have another complimentary bottle of wine in our cabin. We suspect they’re trying to keep us sloshed so we won’t be too critical. But we will leave the ship Monday morning to be bused to Avignon; we’ll stay there four nights with day trips to the things we would have seen from the ship had it been able to get there. Then we’ll go as scheduled to Monte Carlo for the final night and then home.
We’re satisfied they’re doing the best they can to take care of us.
Owen photos
Dolores photos