Our cruise continues northward. The River Royale navigates through the deepest of the 15 locks we will traverse, the 75 foot deep, Bollene Lock. The Rhônes efficient system of locks is responsible for the ease of navigation on this well-traveled river.

At dusk, Viviers awaits. A short walk from the dock down a sycamore-lined street brings us to the walled, hillside village. Our guide, Jeanette, knows every turn to take. A heavy, wooden door opens into the passageway to the innermost section of the town. At an intimate plaza shaded with a large sycamore, a neighborhood cat greets us. Ascending a few steps further, we reach the 12^th century Cathedral of St. Vincent.

The Cathedrals interior is draped with original Gobelins tapestries. The central altar, inlaid with intricate, marble designs was created by Italian artists in 1727. Our personal tour is climaxed with an organ concert by French musician and composer, Leontsky. Before we sail, theres time to visit a riverfront bistro with lively music and delicious frog legs.

The overnight sail has taken us to Tain LHermitage. Hillsides on either side of the Rhone are a woven tapestry of vineyards. We are in the heart of one of the finest wine-producing regions in France, the Ardeche. The Hermitage varietals are grown on the left bank or east side of the river. On the other side, across a flower-laden footbridge, is the town of Tournon sur Rhône, where the grapes for St. Joseph wines are grown. The composition of the hillside soils and the direction of the sunshine contribute to each wines unique character.

To train our palates, we are treated with a lecture by Julie, a Valrhona Chocolat Master Chef from LEcole du Grand Chocolat in Tain LHermitage. The “Valrhona” name, created from Valley of the Rhône, is synonymous with the finest quality chocolate. She explains the process of selecting cocoa beans, and reveals the secret of how to blend a “grand chocolat.” Of course, a lesson on how to properly taste chocolate follows. Multiple lessons are required.

Our walking tour begins a few steps from our boat, on a simple residential street. We enter what appears to be a small home through a vine-covered arbor. Proceeding through a room with family photos decorating the walls, a planked wooden door opens into a space with a high ceiling, stainless steel vats, bottles and cases. We are at the winery of Chez Madame Ferraton.

Madame Ferratons fourth generation operation, from grape harvest to production, is done by hand. She and her family produce 60 thousand bottles each year of both Hermitage and St. Joseph wines, as she owns vineyards on either side of the Rhone. The focal point of the room is the 130 year old, wooden “press cuvee,” still used for the production of 20 thousand bottles of her Premium Cuvee wine.

Another passageway leads us into a cool, dark room past French Oak barrels filled with maturing wines. Beyond the resting casks, a doorway leads us to Madames spacious tasting room. Ochre colored walls and tile floor surround a massive wooden table in the center of the room. Frances, our guide, interprets Madame Ferratons descriptions of each wine. The pride in Madames voice is evident and her round, weathered face smiles broadly. Row after row of tasters glasses are filled with several wines for our pleasure, accompanied by delicate gruyere, brioche pasties.

Too soon, we must leave. Its on to Lyon. The second largest city in France with 500,000 residents, Lyon lies at the concurrence of the Rhone and the Saone Rivers. A prosperous city in Roman times, it was a center for banking, printing and for the production of silk weaving.

The tall, wooden Jacquard loom, invented in Lyon, was commonly found in the high-ceiling apartments of the citys laboring class, the silk weavers of centuries ago. The home-based industry was all but destroyed by the French Revolution when the need for finely crafted textiles was seen as bourgeois.

One of the few craftsmen still working in the city is Girard, owner of LAtelier de Soierie, and his silk painter, Helen. They display exquisite examples of scarves, shawls and ties during an onboard demonstration of the art of silk screen and fabric painting. Vibrant colors, applied one screen at a time, are dried and set in the lengthy process. Intricate designs, produced primarily for couture houses and museum curators, take months to complete. The incredible softness of a silk and panne velvet shawl is irresistible, and this lovely piece of art becomes my souvenir of Lyon.

The Lyonnais lifestyle is described by the motto, “At work we do what we can, at lunch we do our best.” Lyon is a diners delight. Restaurants on every block, most with outdoor café seating, are enticing and invite another pastime in Lyon, people watching.