Oingt, Lyon and Farewell to the Amadagio

Wednesday, July 25.  We sailed past Lyon last night and docked in the region "Pays d'Or" or the land of the golden stones.  The quarry in the region provides yellowish colored limestone from which all the buildings in the area are built, giving the landscapes and warm and inviting feel.  The road, which at times seems more like a winding lane, passes charming small villages, church bell towers, corn fields, vineyards and fruit (cherry, apricot, apple) trees.  We travel upward to the Paire Vineyard, owned and run by a lovely French gentleman named Jean-Jacques Paire.  He explained, with passion for is calling, his process and equipment for making Beaujolais, the primary wine of the region.  In his cozy cellar we tasted three of his wines and he explained the different fruit ingredients, which made the wine taste more or less complex.  We all agreed that his Beaujolais was exceptional.

Tasting at the Paire Vineyard

As we left Vineyard Paire, we saw along the road a line of scarecrows which were part of an annual competition.  We made our way upward to the beautiful and quaint medieval hillside village of Oingt.  Quiet and charming, Oingt is a protected town with winding lanes and beautiful flowered window boxes hanging from the ochre stone houses.  We stopped for a cappuccino and then found in market store the cow/goat cheese we had tasted at the Paire Vineyard.

Village of Oingt 

Back on the Amadagio, for our final afternoon, we sailed back towards Lyon for our last docking.  The group went into Lyon for a tour, visiting the Fourvière, on a hill overlooking Lyon, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It is also known as the "Hill of Prayers" as the Basilica of Notre-Dame is located there.  We also saw the Place Bellecour, the Place Des Terreaux, and the Town Hall.

 Lyon, as seen from Fourvière Hill

Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière

Bartholdi Fountain at the Place des Terreaux

The Captain and the Hotel Manager introduced their staff members and their teams who had made our trip so pleasant and enjoyable at a champagne reception before dinner.  We thanked them all, however, Katya and Tomas, who attended the bar in the lounge we gave the most rousing applause from us all.  After our farewell dinner, we reluctantly went to our cabins and began packing our belongings, but the most abundant items we packed were our memories of this wonderful experience from Nice to Lyon, under the watchful and attentive care of the staff of the Amadagio.  A demain.......

The Bradfords at the farewell dinner

Randy and Amy Choate

Peter Whitehead, Cruise Director, with the Ladies