Re-Orientation

This past weekend I had the infinite good fortune to be able to accompany the Skidmore group on their (slightly late) annual visit to the Rhône-Alpes région. Back in my day (up until this year, actually) this trip took place during the very first week in France, for a period of orientation and acclimatization for the students. This year, with a change of direction and a change of plans, the time in the south was bumped to a far-too-short weekend in early October. Despite a weekend of rainy, cool dampness, the trip was a complete success.

We arrived Friday morning (after a rocky start due to train stikes!) in Vienne, a city I know very well. We took the obligatory visit of the Gallo-Roman Archeological Site & Museum before having lunch. The afternoon was spent with a guide from the tourism office who showed us Vienne's theater, temple and the cathédrale St-Maurice. My photos are largely from four years ago since I didn't have my camera out much this trip, due to the rain. Read more about Vienne here.

 Roman theater - it's still used for the Jazz in Vienne summer festival

 Temple dedicated to Augustus and Livia

We spent the two nights at Césarges, a "castle" in French, but really more of a manor house. The place was stunning in the September sun four years ago, and lost very little of its charm in the October rain. It was a very special treat to get to "re-meet" the family that hosts Skidmore every year. They were excited to have une ancienne come back and I had a wonderful time getting to chat with them so much more than I did/could the first time.

 Château de Césarges

Saturday, the wettest and coldest of the days was spent in Annecy, a picturesque town at the foothills of the Alps. We were there for the Retour des Alpages, which is a festival celebrating when the herds of sheep and cows are brought down from the summer alpine pastures to winter in the valley. We wandered around the town, fighting the crowds and trying not to lose eyeballs to umbrellas, while tasting samples of local cheeses, sausages, pastries and other delights. We ended the day with a tour of the lac d'Annecy by boat. The lake is a glacial lake, and the cleanest in Europe. Read more about Annecy here.

Sunday rounded out the weekend with the afternoon spent in Lyon. We visited the Textile Museum and the Printing Museum, in different groups before gathering back together for a guided tour of Lyon's famous traboules, covered passageways from the Renaissance. Read more about Lyon here and traboules here.

 Notre-Dame de Fourvière overlooks Vieux Lyon

 Interior courtyard

 La Tour Rouge