On Top of Mount Pipet (Pee-Pee)

From 5 a.m. until 8 a.m., we cruised down the Rhone River from our docking in Lyon toward Vienne, one of the oldest cities in France as founded in 47 BC.  Following breakfast, a brisk morning greeted the intrepid travelers, many of whom bundled up like it was an arctic winter.  I, however, bucked the trend and wore shorts (like any self-respecting Southern Ohio boy) and, as Tod Augsburger called it, a "sporty blue fleece".  I was plenty comfortable.  Spring in southern France?  Who needs long pants?

Vienne's original population of Romans numbered 30,000 and, interestingly, today's population is that same 30,000 people (10% of these are remnants of Armenian refugees, a story I'll need additional followup on as we earlier saw the monument in Lyon dedicated to their massacre). 

As Rome's major wine port, many Roman monuments survived twenty-plus centuries, including the remarkably intact Temple of Augustus and Livia in the town's square.  At 9 a.m., we split into several groups and ours was lucky enough to be the first to take a "train" from our ship up typically tight, windy roads on the nearby hillside to the top of Mount Pipet (Pee-pee).  Yes, hearing our French guide pronounce this word was cause for quiet laughter.

From the esplanade set out in front of the Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette chapel perched high atop Mount Pipet, there is a remarkable view of the town including nearly directly below a spectacular Roman amphitheater built into the hillside.  We could see for miles north toward Lyon and south toward the sea, and the importance of this site for the Romans was obvious.  Originally there was a wall around the city built by Caesar, not for defense explained the guide but rather to show his sheer power.

Back down the hill in our "train" and we disembarked in the town center and began our walkabout for the next hour or so.  Roman ruins uncovered by various excavations were in abundance with many of the other housing and shop structures dating back to the 15th. century or even earlier.  Two structures stood out:  first, the Temple of Augustus and Livia which was finished in the last decade before Christ's crucifixion, and second, the Vienne Cathedral.

The Temple was originally commissioned by Julius Caesar and later hosted him for a visit.  It remains remarkably intact - one of two of its kind in all of France.  Apparently, the main reason for the great state of preservation is that it was incorporated into a church perhaps as early as the fifth century and restored in the nineteenth century as a Catholic church.

Notice the missing heads, chopped off
by participants in the French Revolution

The Cathedral is a magnificent Gothic church built over a long period

between 1052 and 1533.  Huge inside, our guide noted it is enjoying a rebirth of attendance, but still bore the signs of, first, looting by the Protestants in 1562 (as they made off with nearly all the religious statues), and later in the French Revolution with a number of its icons and friezes with their heads chopped off!


The most beautiful lettuce I've ever seen

After leaving the Cathedral, our guide said au revoir and we dispersed.  Cheryl and I hiked back up the hill to the local market which was staggering with its choices of produce, fish, meats, clothing, jewelry, cosmetics . . . . .the list of items being sold was endless and the market was several blocks long, crowded by locals and tourists alike.

We made it back to the ship for lunch just before the gray clouds burst open with rain, had lunch (a magnificent "taste of Provence" with magnificent cheeses, bouillabaisse, lamb, duck - the list of deliciousness was endless.  After a wonderful meal, our next step was (I'm almost too embarassed to say it) off to bed for a wonderful nap.    We're moving down the Rhone River and through one of several "single use" locks toward Tournon, France where we'll be docking in the next hour or so. 

More tomorrow from Tournon.