LightCentric Photography Blog: 18 Days in France

Official Coat of Arms: Viviers, France
Copyright Andy Richards 2026 - All Rights Reserved

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.
Copyright Andy Richards 2026 - All Rights Reserved

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
Copyright Andy Richards 2026 - All Rights Reserved

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
Copyright Andy Richards 2026 - All Rights Reserved

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
Copyright Andy Richards 2026 - All Rights Reserved

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
Copyright Andy Richards 2026 - All Rights Reserved

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
Copyright Andy Richards 2026 - All Rights Reserved

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
Copyright Andy Richards 2026 - All Rights Reserved

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

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
Copyright Andy Richards 2026 - All Rights Reserved

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.

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.

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.

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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Sunday, September 13, 2026

18 Days in France - Viviers

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