Vienne

Vienne is a town half an hour south of Lyon. We visited during the summer months arriving and leaving by train. Vienne is one of many towns that line the River Rhône and form a strip of commuter friendly locations to live.

In Vienne we found ourselves dodging a large group of French tourists. At each notable location, we arrived, had a few moments to ourselves, and then the noise would begin. We heard them before we saw them. A large group of spritely older French tourists appeared with their guide suddenly stopping and explaining what we were all looking at.

There is not an overwhelming amount to see and do within Vienne itself. As old town with a handful of notable attractions and monuments from the Roman era, the tourists circuit is well defined.

The view across the valley is beautiful and worth climbing up either side to get a better vista.

We ended up climbing both sides. On the Vienne side a church stood proud and provided a dedicated platform look out from. On the opposite side we walked quickly into the countryside and along bright green hedgerows.

Along the way, I explained to Megan the annoyances of nettles and thistles. Lessons easily taken for granted having been taught by childhood experience.

While in Australia, Megan had taught me about Australia’s more foolish activities, such as poking around under rocks and in bushes. Activities that many schools in the UK encourage children to do in order to find insects and other interesting creatures. In Australia, such behaviour would result in a hurried cry from a teacher and a quick lesson in the dangers posed by the average Australian snake or spider.

So we climbed up and were rewarded with a view back on Vienne and the River Rhône. It was a good weekend.