To Lyon

There was a navigation problem on the bridge, so we couldn’t sail overnight to Lyon. So we tied up near dusk, and will arrive in Lyon around 4 pm this afternoon.

The program directors were frantically rescheduling before the port talk last night. Much of our free time in Lyon will be lost.

The program directors lead a talk on the controversial topic of protests in France. Macron, the French President has proposed raising the pension age from 62 to 64, which has caused lots of protests.

So we get to see more of the countryside as we’re sailing to Lyon during the day.

Then a pub quiz before lunch. Free time after lunch.

After lunch, we had a chance to talk to the captain and he explained the issue further. The wheelhouse on the riverboat goes up and down on hydraulics. It needs to go down to go under some of the bridges and it needs to be up to travel at night so they can see the river properly. The wheelhouse was stuck in the down position, so we couldn’t sail at night, but they could sail during daytime with it down.

The total distance we traveled from Arles to Lyon on the river is 284 km, 155 m rise, going through 12 locks.

We arrived in Lyon at 4:55pm, but slow getting tied up and the gangplank out, as it was on the other side of the boat. The mechanic for the wheelhouse was waiting for us as we docked. We walked around for 15 minutes, then back for a talk on the World War II French Resistance.

During our short walk we saw the Basilica Notre-Dame of Fourvière from a distance. We’ll go there tomorrow morning.

The wheelhouse was fully up when we got back from our 15 minute walk, as well as both canopies, which also have to be lowered to go under bridges.

Then supper, Donna got lamb. Donna rated it respectable. I had a vegetarian lasagna.

Then an 85 minute walk around Lyon after supper. Saw the Basilica from the bottom of the hill, it wasn’t lit up very well. Saw the Old hospital, now refurbished into a high end hotel and shops.