18 Days in France - Tournon

Tournon Steam Train (Train de l'Ardeche) - Tournon, France
Copyright Andy Richards 2026 - All Rights Reserved

WE ARRIVED at our dock in Tournon, France, sometime during the night, and awoke ready for our adventure of the day, a short coach ride across the river to the Tournon-sur-Rhône railway station servicing the now tourist-driven Tournon Steam Train. Historically, citizens of the area traveled by a similar steam train to get from one village to another (or further). Just a year ago, we had ridden a similar train on our 2025 Celebrity Apex ocean cruise with our good friends, Todd and Heather, in Flam, Norway. Given that we were pretty far north in the world at that time, it seemed like mother nature chose that one day to give us rain and drizzle. But for me, surprisingly, I got some pretty nice "atmospheric" images.

Steam Locomotive - Tournon Steam Train - Tournon, France
Copyright Andy Richards 2026 - All Rights Reserved

TODAY'S TRAIN ride was in many ways similar. It was an old, narrower gauge train driven by a steam locomotive. The open cars (they were closed with windows in Flam). One of the things I have learned during our travels over the year is just how challenging shooting from a moving vehicle is - especially when there are windows involved. In fact, I will go so far as calling it a proverbial "crapshoot." When I do get a nice (or even just acceptable) image, it is as much due to luck as it is skill or equipment. Today was no exception. Not only were we moving along at a pretty good clip, but even though there were no windows to provide ugly reflections, it was one of those cloudless, blue-sky days, yielding harsh lighting conditions. Back home at the computer, I was disappointed not to really get anything I though was very good.

BUT AS I often say here, it is one of those probable once-in-a-lifetime gigs. So you do what you can. This is the third "scenic" train ride we have taken during our travels (beginning back in 2020, on Alaska/Yukon's White Pass Railroad). One of the shots I have aways tried to get is the one of the rest of the train up ahead of us, rounding a track (preferably even crossing a bridge). So far, I have been successful, as shown above (and in the opening image).

Tournon Steam Locomotive - Tournon, France
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WHEN DOING my research prior to this trip, there were two things I wanted to try to make photographs of. The first was that fact that there would be an opportunity to capture (possibly even dramatic) steam around the locomotive. I did get a few like that, though lighting conditions meant some pretty intensive "post-processing" to get the image looking acceptable (in my view anyway).

Hand-operated "Armstrong" Turntable - Tournon Steam Train - Tournon, France
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THE SECOND thing was the turntable used by the engineers to turn the locomotive around for the return trip. At both ends, the locomotive had to re-connect with the opposite end of the train in order to pull it in the opposite direction (I never figured out how they turned it around back at the main station). A little "Google" research turns up more than I ever wanted to know about these things (but if you are a train buff, I recommend you look up "train turntable" and watch a couple of the You-Tube videos that pop up - they are interesting). This is known in the industry as an "Armstrong" type turntable. One might think it was designed by an engineer by that name. But no. It is more obvious than that. It can be operated by one man with just "arm - strength," as the image below illustrates. You cannot really see it here, but the entire mechanism balances on a large plate with bearings in the middle, while the ends run on a rail around the circumference of the turntable pit. The key is to get the locomotive balanced on the center of the pivot. Fascinating to watch.

Engineer single-handedly pushing the locomotive balanced on the turntable 180 degrees around - Tournon Steam Train - Tournon, France
Copyright Andy Richards 2026 - All Rights Reserved

I HAVE only seen something like this one other time; at Powell and Market Streets in San Francisco, where two workers push the car 180 degrees around on a turntable to reverse directions. It was pretty cool.

The end of the Tournon Steam Train - Tournon, France
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THERE IS a small, but interesting museum at the station which is part of the admission for the train ride. Of course in our case, Viking took care of all the ticketing, times, etc. But you can certainly do this on your own. It is hard to see the size of the parts of the wheel drive mechanism I photographed, but they are huge. There is also a collection of railroad lanterns, and a couple specimen cars.

Steam Locomotive wheel-drive components
Tournon Steam Train - Tournon, France
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I THINK I have mentioned that our visit to France was during a period of record high tempuratures, and today was no exception. High 90's (F) were common most days, with a couple actually exceeding 100. This day was no exception, and by the time we returned to the ship, we were ready for a cold drink and some welcoming air-conditioning. Apparently, it is a tradition for Viking crew members to greet returning passengers with their red umbrella line on from time to time. Today was Lofn's turn. It made for an engaging photo, even given the challenging lighting conditions.

Viking Lofn - Tournon, France
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18 Days in France - Viviers

Official Coat of Arms: Viviers, France
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WE WERE still getting used to the river cruise stop/port schedule. The next day after Arles was really Avignon (again). Originally, we were to have sailed to Arles and then back again to Avignon, but due to techical issues, the ship never moved during those first days. I think I have pretty much exhausted my Avignon photos here and though our tour guide was great again, I am not going to post another whole blog on Avignon. We are accustomed to the ocean cruise ship schedules which mostly cruise at night and stop at ports in the mornings, leaving in the afternoon or evening for the next one, except when occasionally doing an overnight. River cruises are less consistent. Part of the reason is schedules can change more readily on the river, depending on conditions. Another is that many of the river ports are very small, making in and out scheduling challenging. We had heard about this already, but it is often necessary to "raft" two or more boats along the dockside, meaning you may be going through, or up and over, another ship sometimes. So river cruise stops are just less consistent by their nature. So, after finally getting under way in the evening, we sailed on to Viviers, our next port.

Almost everywhere I go in the world, I find street art. This one was painted on the actual door of a building in sleepy little Viviers, France.
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ORIGINALLY SETTLED some time around 1200 BC, by the Gauls, as a fishing village on the Rhone, Viviers became an important center of the region, though remaining very small to this day. Later absorbed into the Roman Empire, the village became a possession of the Kingdom of France in the early 14th Century. During its development, the village was consistently influential in the Catholic Church.

 Viking Lofn docked at Viviers, France
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THE VIVIERS Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Vincent de Viviers) was built between the 14th and 15th Centuries and is the seat of the Bishop of Viviers. The Cathedral was our our ultimate destination that day. Already moored at the Viviers Cruise Port by the time I got up, I was able to grab my camera and make a few shots in the nice morning sunlight. Viviers is a popular stop for Rhone River Cruises, but we were the sole ship there that day. And it doesn't look like there is much room for numerous ships to dock. The quaint little village of only about 3600 people was quiet. It does appear to have a pretty busy little pleasure boat harbor, especially for such a small community.

Pleasure Boat Harbor - Viviers, France
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OUR EXCURSION was a walking tour of the village of Viviers, including a (thankfully gradual) climb up to the top of the hill where the Cathedral sits. Our guide told us she was know as the "wrong way" guide, because rather than walking us directly into the village, she took us away from the village and approached it from the back, in order to give us what she deemed the best view of the village and cathedral; best for making that memorable photo.

Viviers Cathedral Complex from below - at the rear of the village - Viviers, France
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I COULDN'T disagree with her. There were some nice views of the Cathedral up high and small village which starts down in front, but continues its way up the winding cobblestone roads up the hill. As we entered the village from the back side, she told us that the Village passed laws which require any new construction to match up to the ancient Medieval look of the existing buildings. The thought is to preserve the essentially Medieval character of the village - partly as heritage, and partly because it enhances the tourism draw of the place.

Learning Stone Masonry - the old fashioned way - Viviers, France
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AS WE proceeded upward, we reached a place where student volunteers were being taught the artisanship of stone work construction. It was fascinating to watch the essentially all hand tools being used. Although a fair number of people live in the village, it is mostly a "bedroom" community. Other than the small needs to serve tourists, and shops and restaurants that cater to both tourists and the locals, there is no industry there.

Viviers, France
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THE RESIDENTS who are working probably generally commute to one of the larger cities (like Avignon or Lyon). At the base of the hill and village entrances, there are a couple large car parks. It didn't take long to realize why. As we walked up the cobblestone street it became apparent that cars were not a common thing. There is a way to get up to the top by car (we saw a car park at the Cathedral, and we know some of the officials from our ship traveled up by car). But in the part of the village we were in we saw no cars.

Viviers, France
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IN OUR "Port Talk" the night before, and at the beginning of our tour from our tour guide, we heard that the ultimate moment of our excursion would be experienced when we reached the "summit" of the hill where the Cathedral stands. On the grounds is a large open area and there are 360 degree views of the countryside from there. So we kept trekking on upward, continuing to see the quiet, old school beauty of the village surroundings.

Viviers, France
Copyright Andy Richards 2026 - All Rights Reserved

Viviers, France
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WE DID finally reach the top. And saw the promised view. I made the panoramic image below, looking down at the Rhone, toward our cruise port. I also made a few more images from the high vantage point.

Panoramic View of the village of Viviers and the valley below, with the Rhone in the background - Viviers, France
Copyright Andy Richards 20206 - All Rights Reserved

THE CATHEDRAL is another gothic masterpiece, but was very difficult to get a meaningful photo of. I did make some closeups of some of the details, but didn't really bring a photo of the cathedral as a whole back. The shots from up there, though, made it worth the long walk.

Another view of the Village from up on the hill adjacent to the Cathedral - Viviers, France
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COMING BACK down, our guide left us to our own devices in the center of the village at the bottom of the hill. We walked back down the main street to our cruise ship - surprisingly close to the boat. Our walk in the "back way" was deceptive. Back at the cruise port, I made a couple images of the river. The first was a flag pole group on the riverbank featuring the Viviers official coat of arms.

Port of Viviers, France
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LOOKING upriver, the "mineral" excavation" is property of the multi-national french company: LaFarge. You see their footprint all over the world. There is a huge LaFarge facility at the extreme northeastern reaches of Lake Huron in the U.S. which I have seen from boat several times.

Looking upriver from The Port of Viviers on the Rhone River
Copyright Andy Richards 2026

THE SHIP was scheduled to sail shortly after noon, headed eventually to our next port stop: Tournon, where we would ride the scenic steam train. This afternoon was one of only a couple days we were able to experience "scenic sailing" on the Rhone.

Andance, France
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ALONG THE way we made a very brief stop to board a group from an excursion that had taken most of the afternoon, and hence, met the ship on the way, shortly before dinner. During this part of the cruise, we experienced mostly clear skies and tempuratures in the upper 90s. While the views were indeed beautiful, it was so hot that you couldn't really remain on the deck for very long. I only made a few images and then, only with my cell phone.

Viking Lofn - Cruising the Rhone
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DURING THE two cruises up the Rhone and then the Seine, we negotiated many locks. Often, we were indoors during that time, seeing really only the concrete walls of the locks as we moved up and down. But during one of the sailing days on each ship, we were able to be up top and observe the "lock experience." Perhaps my better (more comprehensive) images will come later, as we sailed up the Seine and got a view from the bow of the ship. But this series was also very interesting, as we entered the lock; as it closed on us, and as we exit upriver.

Negotiating a Lock - Rhone River - Viking Lofn

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18 Days in France - Arles

 

Fontaine Amédée Pichot - Arles, France
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DOES ANYBODY remember the short-lived prime time comedy: "My Name is Earl?" No real connection here, except that when I learned how to pronounce the French: "Arles," it came to mind 😊. It is pronounced "Arl."

Fontaine Amédée Pichot (Ame'dee Pichot Fountain) - Arles, France
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THE PHOTOS above are of a fountain (on the front of the building) designed and built in 1888. It is what you see first as you walk into the city from the northern entrance. But before we even got to the entrance of the city, we spent some time on the bank of the Rhone just in front of what is now the Arles Rhone Cruise and River Port.

Arles, France from the bank of The Rhone
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ARLES ACTUALLY has a pretty impressive river port. We got a chance to see it only because our Viking Coaches parked there for the beginning and end of our walking tour of the city. I am not sure how many low bridges there are between Avignon and Arl, but it only takes one. For some reason, the Lofn chose our first night at our Avignon stop to decide its hydraulics for raising and lowering the equipment would give out. They announced this on the first night of our cruise, while we were supposed to be cruising. The repair parts wouldn't arrive until the next day, so they would bus us to nearby Arl. Good news: if we wanted, we had another night in Avignon. Bad news, we were supposed to be cruising and - presumably - seeing the sights. Having had a good dose of Avignon, we chose to stay aboard and exerience our first dinner in the dining room. Our travel companions (we started out as a group of 8) had not yet arrived, due to substantial flight delays. The two we had not yet met, it turns out, were actually in the dining room, just one table over and I happened to notice them (from photos I had seen) as I made a restroom trip. So we met them and got a chance to get to know them. The other 4 didn't make it until quite late - maybe 11:00 p.m. But I digress 😀.

This is the view of Arles, France from the bank of The Rhone that served as the motivation for Vincent van Gogh's "Starry Night" Painting in 1888
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THE VIEW from the Arles cruise port happens to be famous. It is the view where Vincent van Gogh is said to have painted his famous "Starry Night Over the Rhone" painting. Of course I had to make a few shots from there. And of course, I had to try my (admittedly clumsy) hand at my own post-impressionist take on the shot.

My post-impressionist "take" on van Gogh's "Starry Night"
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AS OLD and majestic as Avignon is, Arles show its true Medieval "bones." Dating back, to the First Century, BC, Arles today features well - preserved Roman ruins, including an impressive ampitheatre, a Roman Theatre, and ancient baths. In the center square there is an obelisk dating back to the late 17th Century. We were not able to enter the Roman Theatre, or the baths, but we did go inside the Ampitheatre. But it is really a more impressive view from the outside in my opinion. Of note: we learned that it is most emphatically not a "coliseum!" Apparently there is only one Coliseum, and that is in Rome. Others are (merely?) ampitheatres. We walked by the Roman Theatre and the Baths, but my photos from the exterior just don't do them justice.

Arles Ampitheatre - Arles, France
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TO SAY Arles is picturesque is an understatement. Indeed, it has enough promise that it served as a spot frequented by some of history's most famous artists including Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso, and - perhaps most famously - "Dutch Master" Vincent van Gogh. Surprisingly, van Gogh only lived in Arles for one year (1888 - 1889), but produced more than 300 works during that period!  It must have made a major impression (pun intended 😏) as The van Gogh Foundation has its headquarters in Arles.

Surprisingly, van Gogh only lived in Arles for one year (1888 - 1889), but produced more than 300 works during that period

I THINK one of the primary factors that attracts me to impressionism and post-impressionism is the artists (somewhat new for the times) embrace of bright colors. I suspect that as much as it is an inspiration by the artists of the periods, it may well also have to do with the development and availabilty of newer and brighter pigments used in their oils. In any event, I have often (perhaps monotonously so) said here that I am attracted to color. And bright colors were a hallmark of these periods. Vincent van Gogh is particularly associated with yellow, and the famous house he lived in while in Arles was painted bright yellow. Sadly it was destroyed by bombings during WWII. Also destroyed was a bright yellow cafe that served as the basis for his "Cafe' la Soir," a/k/a "Cafe' Terrace At Night," painting. The cafe pictured here is a replica. I am not sure when it was built or if it even existed when van Gogh was in Arles, but it is in the heart of the old Medieval City and certainly does van Gogh's style and memory justice.

Van Gogh Cafe - Arles, France
Copyright Andy Richards 2026

SITUATED ON a small square just off the main town square, the center is full of colorful flowers, certain to have attracted van Gogh, as well as many other painters of the period. It is easy to see why. It certainly pulled my photographic eye!

Garden Square in front of van Gogh Cafe - Arles, France
Copyright Andy Richards 2026

JUST WALKING around the city, you can see that, in addition to the Roman Ruins, the adjacent areas are charming and inviting. The first image below is one I saw as we walked toward the Ampitheatre. As always, the color and shapes drew my eye. It is especially notable, as it is surrounded by the rather monotone stone construction surrounding it. The second image is what you immediately see as you exit the Ampitheatre.

Arles, France
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THIS WAS my first experience with Viking's "included" tours. Something new to us: when you enter your stateroom aboard a Viking Ship, there are two "walkie-talkie" type gadgets with earpieces in a charger. You are expected to bring those along on all Viking excursions (and remember to put them on the charger when you return to your room). My first experience with one of these was on our walking tour of Lucerne, Switzerland a couple years back. I quickly learned that I really like them. If they are in range there is no struggling to hear the guide and I even find that I can stray a bit with my camera and still keep an "eye" on where my group is.  The Viking tours themselves tend to be either walking tours or "panoramic" (euphemism for bus), and range from generally very good to occasionally not so much. This one was very good. Our guide was excellent (though ironically, she was British) and gave us a great history of the place, with a generous, but not dominating, peppering of art and in particular, van Gogh's art.

Arles, France
Copyright Andy Richards 2026

THERE IS one other thing that is perhaps not so well known about Arles. It is a city that celebrates photography and photographers. Since 1970, it has been the location of Les Countres d'Arless, an international photography festival, which lasts from early July to early October (which means it was actually going on while we were there). The photographic scope of the festival goes well beyond the "landscape" genre one might expect to be the focus in a place like Arles. There is evidence of photography as a general medium, with styles and genre of avery kind and scope. I don't know if this guy was part of the festival, but his "studio" setup directly across from the Roman Theatre entrance certainly aroused my curiousity.

"Traditional" Phototgrapher in Arles, France
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THE PHOTOGRAPHS below were part of an exhibit along the outdoor walls of a building just beyond the theatre as we walk on through Arles. Our guide made passing mention of them. I am not sure she was familiar with the festival as she did not mention it. I would like to have seen more of it. Had we sailed to Arles as scheduled, there may have been time for me to remain in town and do a bit more exploring. As it was, we moved on. But I did get a chance to shoot a couple of portraits and make a composite of two that I liked.

Photography Exibit - Arles, France
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LOOKING BACK on the trip as a whole, some of our first visits to "little-known" spots (to me, anyway) and small, but historically significant places, were probably the true highlight of the trip for me. We would return to our coaches, and back to the ship, and would finally sail away from Avignon, upriver to points north. Bound next for Viviers, another very small, not well-known Medieval community, we would first make a short stop in Vienne, where some of us would take a night walking tour, before the ship moved on overnight to Viviers.