snapshots abroad: France: Lyon Once More and Beaujolais Wine

*Today I made two posts in order to catch up. Please be sure to read about the previous day's activities in Lyon!

Dominique took us on a quick walking tour of Lyon, through Bellecour Square and to an open air market on the Saone. Everyone was given a 50-cent piece for which we were tasked with buying a variety of bread for tonight's captain's farewell dinner cruise. Many of us pooled our money with Kieta and Kathy, who absolutely love french pastries and baked goods. We knew they'd do us proud.

Maury and I split up during free time to do a little window shopping. I was walking through a glass-covered street mall when I was suddenly overcome by allergy symptoms. Since my joints had been a little sore this morning anyway I went back to the ship to take some medicine and take a break, which did help a lot.

I felt better after lunch but I was very drowsy. Maury had to nudge me awake on the bus when we entered the hilly southern Beaujolais wine region. The area is known for its yellow stone structures, which reminds many people of Tuscany. It was beautiful. There was a cluster of villages in the area with many old chateaus.

We stopped in the village of Oingt (pronounced "wang" with a soft "ah" sound). Oingt is among the most beautiful villages in all of France. It hosts many festivals during the year (including an organ grinder festival) and is the scene for many tour groups during peak season. Today, you'd think we were some of the only people in town. The quiet winding streets were just beautiful. It used to have a fortress but today only one rampart gate and the keep exists. Their church dates back to the year 1,000.

After a short tour and some free walking time we went to Domaine La Guillardiere winery, which has been run by the Guillard family since 1552. The current owner, Pascal, runs the winery with his wife Isobelle who is also from a wine-producing family. They showed us the vats and maceration equipment that is used and talked about the bottling process. I learned that the metal strap around the bottles' neck is required by the government and represents the tax label.

Pascal's grandfather used to collect and work on cars, so there are many old Citroen and Renault vehicles in the garage. Pascal is a member of a car club and participates in rallies that sound very similar to ones in America.

After the tour we got to taste their white, rose, and red wines with some local cheese and bread. Everyone was in a pretty good mood when we went back to the bus. Interesting facts about French wine:

Unlike Americans, the French have near complete disregard for the type of grape (or capage) that is in a wine. They want to know where it was grown, because the terroir or soil that the fruit was grown in will factor in how the wine tastes, along with the climate and human element. In Beaujolais their white wines are generally made with chardonnay grapes and the red wines are made with gamay. At the particular vineyard we visited, they plant their vineyard facing east so that the limestone in the ground gets warm and keeps the plants warm during the night.

Coming back Dominique pointed out the Palais du Justice where Claus Barbie's trial was held. Also on the Saone is the world's first veterinary school.

The evening concluded with a fancy farewell dinner (this wasn't the last night on the boat mind you, the crew just wanted to let us enjoy ourselves and then worry about packing tomorrow). There were cocktails, passed canapes, two appetizers, a palette cleansing grapefruit sherbet, a roast beef main course, and a gorgeous baked Alaska. After, the ship's captain invited everyone onto the main deck while we sailed up and down the Rhone and Saone to see Lyon by night from the water. It was quite the evening. Tomorrow is our last night on the boat!