Lyon
  Today is a full day in Lyon which is a pretty big city and also our last stop for the cruise.   We will overnight here and disembark tomorrow morning.   We chose the Active excursion which was an Urban Hike through the Traboules.  The traboules are the sort of tunnel like stairways in the old city that used to be part of the old silk work that Lyon was famous for. The tunnels helped the worked and merchants get the silk products easily to the river.   I am not sure I would call this a hike as it turned out to be more of a classic city walking tour than a hike but I guess all the stairs made it a little more active. Our guide was very informative and explained that the traboules are private and for awhile they were all locked so that the public couldn't use them anymore but in the 90s the city was able to convince about 10% to open back up so the public could explore.   Our guide said that families will come to visit on the weekends and go on a hunt to find which gates will open.  They are really just shortcuts through the city but I guess it is fun to see if you can find all the ones that will open.   The other options for today were a Discovery which was to be a French Chef for the day and learn to cook a Lyon specialty.   The Classic option was a foodie walking tour.  There were also a couple optional excursions that had an extra fee - a wine tasting at a private vineyard or a Rooftops of Lyon excursion.
It was sad that our river cruise had come to an end but it is not the end of our vacation yet!    We added 2 nights in Paris to our cruise package and after that we are headed to Disneyland Paris so stay tuned for more on our visit to France!    

Viviers
  Our ship left Avignon at 4:45 am to make our way to Viviers.   Along the way we passed through the deepest lock on the Rhone - the Bollene Lock.  When you go through the locks on a river cruise your ship really fits snugly in the lock so if you were to open your balcony you really only have a couple inches between you and the wall.   When you enter in low if feels like you went into a tunnel and then you slowly rise up and see sunlight again.   
  We arrived in Viviers after lunch.   When we docked it was easy to see that Viviers is a very small and old village.  There was even a Renaissance faire going on so the townspeople were dressed for the occasion which made it feel even more like we had stepped back in time.   Today we chose the Active option and are "canoeing" again but just like yesterday we learned that canoeing actually means kayaking.  Today's kayak was an included option so we had a few more people going but it was still a nice small group.  However when we got to the river we quickly realized it was a Saturday and that definitely changes the crowd.   Even though the weather was overcast and only in the low 60s the river was very crowded.   We were kayaking through the Gorges de l'Ardeche.  Our guide said that during the summer there is usually around 5,000 kayakers on the river each day.   There were only a few hundred today and that seemed too crowded for me.  I guess we got spoiled yesterday having that river all to ourselves. Our guides did a good job keeping us together and made us aware of what was coming as there were a few rough patches but it was really fun.  The gorge was really impressive with lots of great walls of limestone.   We all got wet but no one flipped over so it was all good.   Today there were a lot of included options to choose from.  There was another Active that was a hike through gorges so they saw a lot of the same things we did but from a different perspective.  There was a Discovery which was underground wine tasting.  There were 2 Classic which were either to the Lock Bollene or to a crocodile farm.  
After dinner we were all treated to a guided walk through town to learn more about the history which was very interesting.    The town of Viviers floods a lot but it sounds like the townspeople adapt.   Viviers is home to the smallest cathedral in France about 1/8 the size of Notre Dame.  I love getting to stop in these cute little places!    

​Last night we arrived in Avignon pretty late at night but we were able to catch a view of the half bridge of Avignon under an almost full moon.   We pulled up next to another river cruise ship which happens a lot with the river cruises because there is limited docking space.  Unfortunately for us the ship we pulled up next to had neon green lighting that ran the length of the ship and they did not turn it off at all so our room now had a green glow overnight.   I thought it was pretty rude that they wouldn't turn that off when a ship tied up next to them so I quickly made a note on which cruise line that was and will remember not to book them.   Personally I wouldn't want to cruise on a ship that was lit up like that every night.
   Today we were in port long enough to not only choose an included morning excursion but also there are some afternoon options that you could purchase.  We really enjoy kayaking so I signed us up for the afternoon option to do that.   This morning I chose the Discovery option which was described as going to discover more about Essential Oils at the Musee des Aromes et du Parfum and it said we would get to create our own scent.   I really enjoy using essential oils myself so I liked the idea of learning more and making my own scent.   Being in the lavender capital of the world and that being my favorite oil I was thinking this would be an interesting excursion for me.   Unfortunately it wasn't really as described and we didn't get to create a scent and really didn't get to do anything with essential oils.   The museum had some neat collections but I would not call this a Discovery or hands on excursion at all.  The only saving thing was we also stopped in St Remy which was a totally adorable French Village that I enjoyed wandering around.  We were there too early in the morning though so most of the shops were not open yet but I actually enjoyed getting photos of the empty streets and cafes.   The Active Adventure for today was an ebike ride through the Gard with a little wine tasting included.  I heard that was a very good excursion and a much better bike ride than our first one.   The Classic excursion for today was a city tour including the Palace of the Popes and a picnic.  It sounds like the picnic was more of a tasting of a few samples but it sounds like everyone that went enjoyed it.   
I was glad that I had booked us on the optional afternoon excursion to kayak on the Pont du Gard.  It was a little chilly and raining a little but I was excited to go kayaking.   We were a small group of just 10 guests going kayaking (I am thinking the weather had a few change their minds).  It was raining for the first few minutes but it cleared up and turned into a great day and we had the river to ourselves.  We paddled right under an old Roman Aqueduct which is the highest of all elevated Roman Aqueducts.   The river did most of the work so it was an easy and enjoyable paddle down the river.   

   Day 2
This morning we woke up and it was nice and sunny with less wind.  Today we have our second Active excursion.  We boarded a bus to head over to Val d'Enfer for our hike.  The name comes from the unique white limestone rock formations.   We learned that this location was the inspiration for Dante's inferno.  The hike was so much better than the bike ride!   It was a nice climb with lots of wonderful views to stop and see along the way.   At the end we visited the old quarry which now hosts the Carrieres de Lumieres which was just amazing!   You entered what seemed like a cave with lots of perfectly flat walls and many square columns.   The show started and it was a moving collage of Van Gogh paintings set to music that were projected all over the walls, ceiling, and floors.   You felt totally immersed in the experience and I just couldn't stop looking everywhere to take it all in.  I could see how some people might feel a bit dizzy though.   Our guide mentioned that the show changes every year so make sure to visit again next time we are in the area.   I really enjoyed the Van Gogh theme since it really seemed to tie in with everything else we have been seeing in Arles.   The Discovery option for today option was a painting class where you got to paint in the same spot as Van Gogh once painted.   The Classic option today was a tour of Arles with a bullfighter who took them into the Roman arena and explained the games they do there with the bulls.
  We arrived back at the ship for lunch and since it was so nice the ship offered a bbq lunch on the top deck which was just perfect.   After lunch we headed back into Arles to do a little shopping and exploring. Arles is a very old town with lots of Roman influence.   We explored the arena which looks like a mini colosseum and they still do bullfighting in there.   We learned that it is not the same as the Spanish bullfighting though in that they do not kill the bull but instead it is more of a game where were are pulling the ribbons from the bull.  There are plenty of shops and cute French cafes to enjoy.    We did have to be back onboard before dinner time because the ship was moving onto our next stop, Avignon.   On the way we did go through our first lock and it is a tight squeeze but we made it.   

   We only had the one night in Marseilles, and the transfer to the ship left at 10:30 am so we didn't get a lot of time to explore here and I am a little bummed about that.   I would definitely go back to Marseilles.   Our transfer to the ship was included with our pre-night stay we booked as part of our package which was nice since it was about an hour ride.   We are boarding the ship in Arles where we have free time that first day and we set sail at 4:30 am.    Our first stop is Port Saint Loius and this will also be our first active excursion choice.   
Let me back up a little to explain what makes this cruise different from an ordinary Rhone Cruise.  This is an Active Discovery cruise and it is the first time Avalon is doing this type on the Rhone.   For all my Disney fans Adventures by Disney is doing something very similar next year (so I am sort of giving you a preview of what that might be like).   On your typical river cruise you will have maybe 1 or 2 included excursions to choose from each day and most times they will be a pretty basic walking tour of the city you are stopped in.   On the Active Discovery cruise we had at least 3 included options, and most times more than that.  There is always the Classic type option similar to what is offered on the regular cruises. We also had Discovery options where you are doing a bit more hands on and in depth learning about something in the area, such as painting where Van Gogh painted or making your own chocolate bar.   There is also an Active option which includes things like Biking, Hiking, and Canoeing.

Day 1 
Our first Active choice was for biking in the Camargue Regional Nature Park.  I was expecting a scenic bike ride along the nature park where we might see the pink water along with the flamingos and wild horses.   I was wrong, it turned out to be a rather strenuous 15 mile ride in total.    We biked to a ferry that took us across the river over to the park and then we biked pretty much to the end of the park which was close to the delta of the river.    Here we got off the bikes and walked through some areas of the park to see birds and learn more about the landscape.  It was interesting to learn that the land we were standing on came down from the Alps and really is only a few hundred years old.  Before that the area we were standing on was under the Mediterranean Sea.  After that we hopped back on the bikes to go back the same way we came.  The wind was not cooperating at all and actually seemed to shift just in time to be in our face both coming and going making the ride less enjoyable.   After this ride I am not sure I would sign up for another Bike Ride on an Active cruise without asking how far we will be going.    Some of the other options for today were a hike around the nature park which we heard was about 5K and doesn't sound like they saw much more than we did.   Another option was a visit to the Oyster farm on the nature park.
After lunch the ship headed out for us to sail through the Camargue a little before going back to Arles.  It sounds like we are one of the only ships to do this.   We arrived back in Arles in time for people to opt to eat dinner in town if they chose.  We headed to bed early after that exhausting bike ride and a hike on the schedule the next day.