Sightseeing in the Mindfields
In the South of France, 9: An Abbreviated Exploration of Avignon, 24 July 2024
December 05, 2024
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Avignon was one of the cities on our itinerary that interested me most. Originally, the ship was supposed to dock there for two nights. For some reason, the M/S Chanson lost its berth. I could extract no satisfactory explanation for that from anyone in the crew. On that Tuesday night, we had to dock north of Avignon at Chateauneuf du Pape, a villag...
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In the South of France, 8: In Viviers and the Bollene, 23 July 2024
November 26, 2024
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There are tens of thousands of villages in France, and most of them have been inhabited for centuries. Many had been settlements since Roman and even prehistoric times. So you might think that the towns where medieval dwellings, churches and castles have been protected from demolition would be similar. Yet Tournon’s character differed greatly from...
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In the South of France, 7: The Chocolatiers of Tournon-sur-Rhône, 22 July 2024
November 18, 2024
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Tournon was the first village on the Rhône where our ship docked. It was in the Ardeche department, or section, of the Auvergne region. After breakfast, our group met a local guide, Sophie, who made Tournon her home. She conducted us through the oldest quarter of the town, where Renaissance houses as well as medieval dwellings and shops had been pr...
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In the South of France, 6: The Funicular to Fouvriere, 21 July 2024
November 10, 2024
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Rain was forecast for Lyon on Sunday morning, imperiling our tour group’s ascent to the Basilica of Nôtre Dame of Fourvière. HL and I had taken the Paris Metro the previous week, but not as part of an official activity. Getting to the Basilica in Lyon was to be the group׳s first use of public transportation. Laden with umbrellas, our windbreakers r...
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In the South of France, 5: The Secret Passages of Lyon, 20 July 2024
November 02, 2024
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We walked to the Old City, or Vieux Lyon, after our first night aboard the ship. As our ship was docked on the Rhône, we had to cross a pedestrian bridge to reach the Saone quayside. There are more medieval and Renaissance mansions in Vieux Lyon than anywhere in Europe except Venice, and most in Lyon are in a better state of preservation.
The ba...
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In the South of France, 4: By Rail to the Rhône, 19 July 2024
October 25, 2024
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The pre-Olympics security restrictions deprived us of a boat ride on the Seine River. On the Friday morning prior to our departure from Paris, our tour group had been scheduled to have the quintessential tourists’ experience of the bateau mouche. I was not unduly disappointed, as we were about to meet our river ship in Lyon. There was likely to be...
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In the South of France, 3: Le Marais, Part 2, 19 July 2024
October 16, 2024
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I could have entitled this “The More-ais” because I have already described most of the sites where I took these pictures. The Paris History Museum had two galleries displaying antique tobacconists' signs, some mounted on the walls and as many suspended from the ceiling. Most were pierced or painted tin, but others were bas-relief sculptures or pain...
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In the South of France, 2: Le Marais, Part 1, 18 July 2024
October 09, 2024
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The Marais is one of the oldest sections of Paris, and one of the best to tour on foot. The French aristocracy built its palaces there during the Renaissance, in proximity to the king’s residence and Paris’ first royal square, now the Place des Vosges. When newer districts became more fashionable, only the minor nobles remained. Eventually they lef...
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In the South of France, 1: Return to Paris, 17 July 2024
September 30, 2024
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Paris was the first place in Europe that I had ever visited, so long ago that air travel was an adventure rather than an ordeal. Despite my original and instant infatuation with the French capital, I had not been back in Paris for decades, not until HL and I emerged from the labyrinthine Charles De Gaulle airport early on that Wednesday morning....
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Spring in Wartime Israel, 14: Updating the Old City, 16 May 2024
September 23, 2024
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As the sunshine whitened Jerusalem’s streets on Thursday afternoon, we were privileged to be given a tour of the Old City by Y.’s friend, Jon. Jon was a teacher of Jewish history as well as a professional guide. He led Y., HL and me through ancient alleys and recently expanded excavations. Among them was the Byzantine high arch that led to The Card...
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