Xmas in South of France M/s Chardonnay

[ezel]

We are booked on Xmas trip on the Rhone River with GCT. Has anyone done this or been on the M/S Chardonnay. We have done the Danube with them last Xmas and the Nile River last July. Both were excellent. Also any feedback on the ports i.e. Lyons,Vienne,Tournon,Viviers,Avignon and Arles would be appreciated!

[jdrblue]

We were on the M/S Chardonnay Sep. '05 and had a great trip. Our ports were a little different than yours. Lyon is the second or third largest city in France. It is very pretty and I bet magnificent at Christmas. The Soane River joins the Rhone River at Lyon. The Basilica is very impressive. We did not visit Vienne. Tournon is in the heart of the Rhone wine region with vineyards all along the river. The town is small. We did our home visit here and didn't see much of the area. Viviers is also small and not a long stop. We walked up a hill to the cathedral. There is a nice view from there. The streets were almost deserted. I really liked Avignon. I bet it is really pretty at Christmas too. It is a walled city where the Pope's lived in the 14th (?) century. The Papal complex is very impressive and the Avignon Bridge is a great photo op. Arles has some very impressive Roman ruins. It was the home of Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin for a brief period. There are several places in Arles that are marked as the subject of Van Gogh paintings i.e. The Starry Night Over the Rhone, Cafe de Nuit, and The Arena at Arles. I think you will really enjoy this trip. If you get a chance the trip extension to Aix would be worthwhile too.