Locking Down the Rhone

Today was to be a walking tour of Vienne and A was going on a hike.
A's Hike
It was still hot. I took the elevator down to breakfast, and it would not let me out. So I made the mistake of going up to deck 2 where the reception desk is and walking down two floors. It was very painful. I had a small waffle, some scrambled eggs and hash browns. Then I had to get back up to deck 2. I took a photo from deck two of the castle type structure across the river. Our side of the boat is against the dock and that is a road and less picturesque.

Castle

Castle type building

A went on her hike, and I decided to save my energy and not to go on the walk. She said that this excursion, which was a guided hike to the monastery at Mount Pipet, was her favorite.

When I went down to lunch, the elevator still did not work so I went down to deck 1 this time and walked down one flight.

Scooter on the deck above the restaurant

A thought I would want to sit by the entrance, but I wanted to sit by the window so I could take photos. I found a place on the other side of the room by the window with another couple. A stayed where she was.

Shore

Plane trees

Church

The waiter did not understand that I wanted him to bring me stuff from the buffet so he brought me the tart with the spinach sauce for the appetizer,

Tart with the spinach sauce

Gold and white marker

but I had to ask him to get the tuna nicoise wrap. Then he brought the dessert.

Tuna Nicoise wrap

We went through a lock while we were at lunch - first we saw a place to get canoes out of the river.

Sortie Canoes

Down in the lock

I talked to the couple at lunch and found out for the first time how the Jazz Cruise thing works. The people in the Jazz group pay for a group of performers to play for them. They pay for the cruise for the performers and when those people play, it is supposed to be just for the Jazz group, as they have paid extra for the fares for those performers. I had thought that all the people in the group were themselves performers (some of them are also performers) and that they would perform. That isn't so - they are the audience.

Picture from the reception desk area

I was hoping to get a photo of the locking procedure from the bow, so I went out there. I did get a chair in the shade, but it was hot.

Grape terraces

Looking through the bow railings

There were significant tails

Long current tails

on the aids to navigation - I found out later that the current in the river is about 10 knots. We are fortunately going with it.

Houses on a hill

Marina

Buildings on the starboard side

Bridge

Looking up at a bridge we are going under

Grape Terraces

Town on the top of a hill

House near the grape vines

Industrial area

Industrial area

Tower in a village on shore

Village across the river

Green marker and bridge

Water reflections under the bridge

Bridge

EDF Facility Reflection

No sailboats?

Electric lines

But it got too hot for me out there and I came in about 2:30.

An hour later, we did the next lock. I looked out our window, but the metal railing was too hot to touch so I didn't get any good photos. We went down in the lock.

100 sign from our room window

VHF radio channel 20

Life jackets must be worn

Lock sign

Green light to go into the lock

Green Machine

Wall of the lock

Red marker

The internet was very very slow. I made a list for Dragan of the things I wanted to see in the Avignon region.

A was sleeping, and eventually the internet was so slow that I took a nap too. When I went to dinner, I found that we could use the elevator down to the restaurant but they had to open the door from the restaurant because the magnetic lock which is supposed to keep you inside until the elevator gets to the floor does not let you out. So they have to open it manually.

Steeple on the hill

We sat at a table for 6 with another couple in their 90s. They were Midge and Artie. I took a photo through the window of the statue outside, and then I looked him up. He was to Marc Seguin.

Marc Seguin's statue (better photo taken the next day)

He apparently was an engineer who built the first wire suspension bridge in the world, and patented the tubular boiler designed for steamers sailing on the Rhone. This information was useful later.

I had the

apple-poppy seed smoothie

and the BLT salad (which had tomato, bacon and chopped eggs in it) and then I had what was called

Mafaldine Pasta

with tomatoes, broccoli, olives and Parmesan cheese. The noodles were like thinner ravioli noodles - flat and with wavy edges. It was good. A had that too. For dessert we had

Caramel Ice cream with wild berries

I thought it was good, but A did not think it tasted like caramel. It rained while we were at dinner. I hope that will cool things off

Moored in Touron

Midge and Artie were going up to the concert of classical music but first they had to find the person to activate the elevator door, so A went up and saved them seats. I took the next elevator up to the room. There were raindrops on the window and the railings, so I opened the window.

Bridge at night

It was nice out so I left the window open. A long barge went by with its tug. When A came back she turned the lights on, so we got some bugs in. So she closed the window.