SS Catherine, Lyon to Avignon 3/22/15 - Live

I'm awake early this morning, in our hotel room in Paris. Our train to Lyon leaves in 4 hours, and when we arrive this afternoon, we'll be boarding SS Catherine for this year's first voyage!

Friday 3/20

On Friday afternoon it was snowy in Albany so our flight to Atlanta was delayed slightly. We had no trouble making our connection, though. As soon as we landed, we walked to our next gate, where they were starting to board the plane. So the timing was good.

Relaxing flight over to CDG though the food and wine on the Air France plane wasn't as good as it's been on past flights with them. Got a few hours of sleep and arrived at CDG only 5-10 minutes after our scheduled arrival time of 11:10.

Saturday 3/21

Luggage wasn't a terrible wait and we were heading for the RER station before noon. Amazingly enough, when we got there, we saw signs announcing that all public transportation in the area was free this weekend! A train was waiting and we hopped on; by 12:05 we were heading in towards the city, which I thought was great since we had landed less than an hour ago. We changed over to the Metro without trouble and made it to our hotel at 1:00, and our room was ready for us. After a shower, it was time to head out and see a few things we missed last time.

I asked the hotel staff about the free public transportation, and they said it was to reduce air pollution. So, we took the free Metro out to Pere Lachaise Cemetery which was a neat place. It reminded us of the Recoletta Cemetery in Buenos Aires. We saw several famous graves including Chopin, Jim Morrison, and Oscar Wilde. It was a perfect day to visit a cemetery - grey skies, bare tree branches swaying in the wind, and the large black birds lurking about all added to the ambience. The setting was appropriate! After wandering through looking at the impressive monuments, we headed out to the Metro for our next stop.

We went to the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, which was nicely done. It consists of a lake with a mountainous island in the center, set in the middle of the park which rises up on all sides around it. There's a Romanesque temple on the top of the island but it's blocked off for repairs at the moment. There are some manmade waterfalls but they're not all running at the moment. It looks fairly natural even though most of it was built and isn't a natural formation. There is a bunch of construction going on, though, so that detracts from the setting a little. I'd like to see what it looks like when they're done working.

Afterwards it was getting chilly, so we headed back to our neighborhood on the Metro. We found a bistro and sat outdoors under the heat lamps, and I enjoyed a nice steak with fries, and Chris had a duck breast that was delicious as well. It was accompanied by a cheap red Burgundy which was fine. It ended up being a pretty cheap dinner, and with the exchange rate under $1.10 per Euro, even better!

Back to the hotel where they had dark chocolates for us on our pillows. We used some of our bar credit to have a glass of wine before bed, and then it was time to sleep!

***

More to follow - I haven't uploaded any pictures yet but will work some in as we go. I doubt I'll keep up with the live reporting every day but we'll see how it goes. Time for breakfast soon, then maybe a little more sightseeing before we jump on the Metro to Gare de Lyon for our train. Can't wait to see how SS Catherine compares to her sister ship, SS Antoinette!

Thanks for posting live! I am looking forward to reading about your trip as we will be on this itinerary in reverse in a few months.

JP,

What wonderful memories arise reading about the start of your trip. We took this trip the first year it was offered in 2006 on the River Royale. It was fantastic. Looking forward to reading more. If you like garlicky food--the frogs legs at the small cafe near the berth in Viviers are amazing. Pat

More to follow - I haven't uploaded any pictures yet but will work some in as we go. I doubt I'll keep up with the live reporting every day but we'll see how it goes. Time for breakfast soon, then maybe a little more sightseeing before we jump on the Metro to Gare de Lyon for our train. Can't wait to see how SS Catherine compares to her sister ship, SS Antoinette!

Oh no, no cop out. You started this blog, you have to keep it up every single day! :p

Just kidding, but I am looking forward to your semi-regular updates. Don't forget to check the premium booze menu. ;)

Thanks for posting! I am looking forward to hearing about your experience!

Thanks guys for posting your travel blog...anxious to hear your thoughts and see photos..keep up the good work!!

Interesting. We just read an article in the LA Times about pollution in Paris. Hoping for clear skies for you from now on.

Thanks all for the comments. As expected, we're having way too much fun to post much but it's been a great time so far.

The TGV from Paris to Lyon was easy and the Perrache Station in Lyon was within walking distance of the ship. We did some of Lyon on our own that afternoon before sailing to Macon.

Yesterday's trip to Beaune was fun; the weather was gorgeous - sunny and in the 60s. Some difference from home! We're back in Lyon this morning for more touring.

For those of you who have been wondering, here is the premium liquor list:

I haven't come across a premium wine list. The included wines are all local and tasty.

More to follow... Merci de votre patienter...

Thanks for posting the premium list, JP! I appreciate it.

Looking forward to hearing your review of the cruise!

Yes, thanks for posting the premium list. They had given me the second page but not the first. I am glad to see there is only one champagne that is not included. Hopefully that means there are several decent champagnes to choose from for free:)

Thanks for posting about Parc des Butte-Chaumont--I'll be in Paris this October and had hoped to visit this place, which was the setting for a film I saw several years ago--let's hope the construction is done by then.

Have a good rest of your trip.

I knew you were having too much fun! :D

Throw us a line every once in a while. And thanks for the liquor list. No issues for me, I don't even drink that high end stuff when I'm home.

Here are a few photos from Pere-Lachaise Cemetery. We had a great day to visit; the dark cloudy day really set the mood for a visit:

These photos set the mood for our visit... We saw a few famous graves that I'll post later. We're late to the Past Guests' Party and I have to get ready for that...

The internet speed here so far has been crummy; hope it gets better further to the south!

I am disappointed that 2 of my favorite vodka's are on the list. I read elsewhere that Grey Goose is extra as well. I certainly hope there are some premium brands included. I do not drink hard liquor often but when I want a martini, I want a good one:).

I am disappointed that 2 of my favorite vodka's are on the list. I read elsewhere that Grey Goose is extra as well. I certainly hope there are some premium brands included. I do not drink hard liquor often but when I want a martini, I want a good one:).

I think you may have read my comment when I said that I was surprised that Ketel One was on the list (I am also a vodka drinker and don't consider this premium, although it is good) and that I hoped they had Grey Goose since it was not on the list. It seemed to cause some confusion and others thought I said Grey Goose costs extra. If they have it and it isn't on the list, I don't think it costs extra. Sorry if I caused any confusion! :o

I think you may have read my comment when I said that I was surprised that Ketel One was on the list (I am also a vodka drinker and don't consider this premium, although it is good) and that I hoped they had Grey Goose since it was not on the list. It seemed to cause some confusion and others thought I said Grey Goose costs extra. If they have it and it isn't on the list, I don't think it costs extra. Sorry if I caused any confusion! :o

I am a fan of Chopin and Pravda personally but Goose, Belvedere or Ketel One will work. Looking to learn if Goose is actually included.

I did read that some nice single malts were included. :)

I am a fan of Chopin and Pravda personally but Goose, Belvedere or Ketel One will work. Looking to learn if Goose is actually included.

 

I did read that some nice single malts were included. :)

Chopin is my favorite also! I wasn't sure if they would even have it since it is less known. If they have it and it is included for free, I will be a happy woman! I am looking forward to your report once you go in July since it seems we have similar tastes in vodkas :)

jpalbny, sorry to hijack your thread with conversations about alcohol! :p I am looking forward to hearing more about your experience at the various ports and seeing more photos. Thanks so much for sharing!

jpbalny

Thanks for your posts! Know you are having lots of fun but please post again when you can. Sorry the internet is slow. That is what i encountered on the Danube. I'm hoping the Rhine will be better for us in May. We are wine drinkers. Glad to hear the local wines are good. If you do find a premium wine list please post that if you have a chance.

I'm boggled that you flew to Atlanta to get to Paris! Have a great cruise. I'm in Provence right now and off to Avignon today...hope you are not experiencing the rain we are.

Hi all and thanks for hanging in there... This cruise is flying by and we're having a great time. Just docked in Viviers, a tiny little place south of Tain l'Hermitage, and we went out for a late-night stroll. It was wild - cold, windy, cloudy, with the moonlight shining through some bare trees. The town was deserted and it felt like we were wandering through the set of a scary movie... We walked up to the highest point of town and ducked into the cathedral, which was open for a tour group. So we snuck in with them, and got a free peek. More on that later!

The cruise so far has been even better than we remembered from last year. The food is really great - we expected good food, but we're surprised by just how good it has been. Lots of fun people, lively dinners, good wine... Can't believe it's already half over. Tomorrow it's my birthday so more celebrating in store.

***

I'll go back to where I left off with a few more shots of Père-Lachaise Cemetery. Neat place - the setting was great, and with the grey clouds, sparse crowds, and the wind whipping through the bare trees, the mood was perfect to explore some famous graves. Here's Chopin, near a less well-known (to us) artist:

There was a crowd around Jim Morrison's grave. It's fenced off so you can't get close, and the angle is bad for pictures:

Oscar Wilde's grave was surrounded in plexiglass. Part of the stone is covered in lipstick. Apparently it means something to leave lip prints on the gravestone. We didn't join in on the custom...

Here are a few more monuments:

After exploring the cemetery, we headed back to the Metro to the Parc des Buttes-Chamount while we were still awake and able to keep walking. We were a little hungry but figured we'd try to hold off a little longer, and have an early dinner before calling it a day.

Saturday, 3/22 - wrapping up in Paris:

We made it to the Parc des Buttes-Chamount which is a large bowl-shaped park in the middle of an urban setting. The center of the park is dominated by a large rock "mountain" sitting in the middle of a manmade lake. There's nice green parkland, lots of trees, a restaurant... Lovely setting. It's the off-season so there is construction / repairs going on. But still, some nice views:

Here is the "mountain" in the center, surrounded by the lake. There's a Roman-inspired temple atop the mountain, but the pathway is closed off for repair work.

Here are a few of the bridges spanning the lake, connecting the periphery of the park to the mountain:

After walking around the park, climbing those crazy hills, we were running out of steam. So we headed back to our neighborhood, figuring we'd grab some dinner. This place looked nice, and it was between our Metro stop and the hotel:

We sat outside under the heat lamps (a novelty in March) but had a nice dinner - steak frites and a duck breast that were both delicious. That and an inexpensive bottle of red Burgundy, and we were pretty much set for the evening. We had a nightcap at our hotel - just to use up some of our bar credit - and called it an early night. Tomorrow, we're off on the TGV to Lyon. I'll close out tonight with a picture of our hotel room - nice place; Victoria Palace Hotel near the Montparnasse district.

And it's after midnight here, so time for some sleep!

We made it back home last night about 10:00, after being awake for about 24 hours. Some snow squalls and a "wintry mix" to greet us on our way back to work later today. Compared to yesterday, that was a bit of a rude awakening, but on the plus side there is less snow on the ground than when we left.

We got our photos organized on the plane so I should be able to start the day by day descriptions soon. For now, I've scanned in the daily programs as well as an overview sheet that they gave us on the first day which was very helpful. The overview lists all optional tours and prices. Here's a link to a shared folder with the scans in pdf.

Daily Programs

I also snagged a price list for their laundry services. We were Heritage Club members so we got one bag of laundry free (per week). That was a great perk - the bags are decent sized so we had no trouble fitting 2 pairs of jeans, a few shirts, and some socks/underwear into the bag, with room to spare. And the best part of this perk is that it's PER PERSON, not per cabin. So we EACH got a bag of laundry included. We used one 21" rollaboard each, and we could have packed less.

More to follow - this was a great cruise and we really enjoyed it. I think that the food was even better than I expected. We booked Uniworld for a China trip next March - that will definitely be a different experience from the Europe trips, but we really want to visit China and we thought this would be a good chance to do so. For now, I have to go grocery shopping so we don't starve this week, then it's off to work the evening shift tonight...

Thanks for scanning the daily program! I am glad you had such a great time and I hope you get some rest!

Yes, thanks for posting that daily program. I just read through the first two days, but I will be reading the entire program. It is very informative since we have never been on a river cruise.

Thanks and can't wait to read more details.

Do you happen to recall the price for a massage?