Day 11 - Leaving the Boat but onward to Geneva

We were fortunate not to have to get up in the wee hours of the morning to catch a flight home like some of the guests.  We had chosen to take the post cruise extension to Geneva. We ate breakfast at the normal time and then had our bags loaded on the bus that would take us to first Dijon and then onward to Geneva. There are 30 of us on this leg of the trip.  We were lucky to get the front seats right behind the driver. 

The city of Dijon is of course famous for it's mustard.  However, they also had a wonderful cathedral of Saint-Benigne de Dijon.  We didn't go inside, but the outside architecture was interesting. There were some other historic buildings that we took pictures of but if you were to ask us about them, we can honestly say that we have no clue.  The guide was talking so much and after awhile we were just overload.  So, we enjoyed seeing the places and took pictures of the ones we liked. Many of the houses or shops had multicolored tiles on their roofs. 

 

 

All of the various cities have these metal plaques in the streets for tourists to do a self guided walk. The one for Dijon is Owls.  Many of the stores were selling Owls in various forms. 

 

 

 

The one of the best mustard shops in town - La Moutarderie Fallot - Boutique Atelier Dijon.  The business is off a side street but definitely worth a visit.  Lots of mustard's to taste and choose from.  Howard chose to get a Pinot Noir flavored mustard.  Lynda passed the tasting as she is not a mustard fan. 

 

Stopped for a bit of lunch at a bakery cafe.  Had some pizza plus Howard had some chocolate pistachio verrine dessert (it is like a parfait but in a smaller glass).

 

We wandered over to a covered market place.  It was getting ready to close, so not all stalls were open. We really liked the meat market where they had a rabbit cut open and laid out.  Also tasted some cheese.  Wish we had been there earlier to see more of the stalls. 

 

It was getting time to meet the group again.  We did stop by the Carousel, and Lynda found a store that had a scarf and some more socks (this time at a reasonable price). Howard also touched one of the spots on a building that was supposed to bring good luck.  (Have forgotten exactly what it was that he was touching).   

 

Finally on the road again to Geneva.  It was a long drive, but pretty scenery. We got to the hotel and got a room on the 4th floor.  It faced another building, but that was better than being on the front side and getting the street noise.  This hotel was supposed to be a 4 star accommodation, but in my book, really only a 3 star. Construction all around the hotel and across the street.  They didn't put a bar of soap in the bathroom until the next day, the shower had half a glass panel that didn't really keep the water inside the tub when the shower was on, there wasn't an extra blanket, we had to call down for more hangers, as there were only 6 to start. When you put two coats up that only leaves 4 hangers not enough for 2 people for three days. There weren't any room instructions (either in French or English) as to how to work some of the things.  Maybe we are being picky, but after the 5 star hotel in Nice, this was a let down.  However, the coffee service area was great.  Also there was a slot right be the door when you came in where you put your room key.  It turned the lights on.  When the key was removed, the lights turned off. 

 

We went to dinner, with one of the other couples, to a Swiss place that had been recommended  Au Petit Chalet .  Howard had a Mushroom Fondue and Lynda had a Chicken Pasta dish. The fondue came with potatoes.  It was very busy and very noisy, but the food was very good.  Came back to the hotel and crashed.  It had been a long day. 

 

 

Cheers, 

Toot and Teaser

Day 10 - Our last full day on the cruise

 Lynda finally figured out what she did wrong with the last two posts.  Hopefully, this one turns out correctly.  Before we forget to mention it, the bathroom plug is behind the mirror.  A most unusual place to put it.  The one thing that the boat doesn’t have is a nightlight in the room, so you could find your way to the bathroom in the middle of the night when you have the blackout drapes drawn.  It would help you not bumping your way around.

After breakfast we broke into groups for a city tour of Chalo-sur-Saone.  We chose the gentle group, and once again, had a private tour with a guide we had once before on another tour.  Today was market day and we had fun checking out all the different stalls.  Even got some tastings in of juice, cheese, and caramel.  Of course, we bought some of the caramel.  Some of the stalls had food already prepared that you could take home for lunch or dinner later in the day. Many of the women had covered rolling carts where they put their purchases.

We left the market and strolled the lanes.  Shops were starting to open and the Nannie’s were taking the young children for an outing.  Children start school at 3 years old. The younger ones are either taken care of by their mothers or Nannie’s.  Lynda bought a puff pastry that was a specialty item, plus a pair of very expensive socks.  They were the only thin socks she had seen and her feet were still swollen.

Again, the buildings are similar to those of other towns.  Each has a church and some important monument.  After a while, it all starts to blur together.  You feel you are on overload.  Sometimes, buildings or even churches are built on top of the old Roman walls.  We cut the tour short a bit as Lynda needed to get off her swollen feet.  Getting older sucks.

After lunch, Lynda started the process of packing the suitcases for our departure tomorrow. She even had Howard using the hair dryer to finish drying some of the socks she had washed out the night before.

Packing mostly finished, we went up for afternoon tea.  Ordered the tea tray and cut into the pastry Lynda had bought on the recommendation of the guide.  At afternoon tea, Lynda finally got a picture of was the picture of the sunset from the bow of the ship. It was cold out, but tolerable for the short time it took to get the picture.

Last dinner aboard the boat and a time to take a picture with our favorite server and the head of the restaurant staff.  

We went back to the cabin to finish that last minute packing.  Our suitcases need to be outside our room by 7:30 tomorrow morning. Of course, we can’t forget the Cruise Manager, Marianna, who is from Argentina.  She has been most helpful and caring this entire trip.  She was with us in Nice, on the cruise, and will be with us again in Geneva.  She gets a 5 star +++ rating in our book.

Cheers, 

Toot and Teaser 

Day 9 Finally Shops were open

I'm  not sure what happened to my last post.  The formating was wonky.  Hopefully,  this one comes out correct.  If not, be sure to scroll to the right to see the pictures. 

Lynda tried to get another sunrise shot, but it wasn't as dramatic as the othrer one she took.  We had a yummy breakfast as usual and then got ready for our tour of Tournus. 

We ere fortunate to be the only ones in the gentle walkers group.  Simon, out guide, was very knowledgeable and really let us set the pace as we wandered the streets and lanes of the town.  There are many narrow passages that connect streets.  It really is a maze at times.  As in the other towns, the buildings are a mixture of very, very old and then some newer structures had used parts of older structures.

The Abbey of Saint Philibert was especially interesting.  They had a mural in the Tourist office that showed what the Abbey and all it's buildings and the town looked like ages ago. 

Lynda was happy as she finally got to explore some of the insides of the shops.  Of course  there were purchasing opportunities.  It was a good thing that Simon was there to help interpret some of Lynda's questions as one shop owner spoke no English at all.

Lunch was good and afterwards,  Marianna, the Cruise Manager, told us about the process for disembarking at the end of trip. After the explanations, Howard attended a wine talk and Lynda worked on the blog while watching the scenery as we cruised up the river.  By the end of the cruise,  we will have gone  through  17 locks.  The captain maneuvers the boat expertly.  There is only about 1 foot, on each side of the boat, between the boat and the locks.  The balls of green which you see in the trees are actually  mistletoe. 

Tonight is the Farewell Dinner so it was time  to dress up a little  for dinner.

After a full meal, we skipped the French singer and decided to get off our feet.  Lynda's feet were swelling up from not only all the walking, but from eating too much lox and  bacon at every breakfast. The salt content got to her.

Cheers, 

Toot and Teaser