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An invitation to join friends on a riverboat voyage down France's Rhone River led to a special adventure. After a down-river departure from Lyon, it wasn't long before numerous hilltop castles, including the Chateau de Crussol, came into view. The structure was built during the 12th century to watch over the Rhone Valley and city of Valence.
Further south along the waterway, the Chateau de Tarascon Castle is one of the best-preserved medieval fortresses. Rebuilt in the first half of the 15th century in Gothic and Renaissance styles, it became a venue for events, meetings, and celebrations for King Rene before its conversion into a military prison near the end of the 18th century.
A bit further, between Lyon and Avignon, is a narrow gauge train near Tournon. We enjoyed an opportunity to ride what is now a tourist train which traverses the tracks now. It winds 20 miles through four tunnels and along steep rock walls alongside the scenic Doux river gorge en route to Lamastre. Following the track's dedication in 1891, coal-burning steam locomotives transported passengers, goods and mail both directions. Our locomotive's whistle reverberated across the gorge during the trek as we viewed steep, beautiful and torturous topography along the trip toward Columbier Le Vieux. Upon arrival there, the coal burning steam engine was detached, spun around on a turntable, then reconnected to the opposite end of the train cars for a return trip.
The ride brought a memory of my grandfather, who began working as a railroad brakeman in 1909 on steam locomotives for the Burlington Railroad (later, Burlington Northern and Santa Fe). He was only age 17. A storyteller himself, he often responded to my request to learn more about his 55 years of work on the railroad. I still possess his brakeman's hat in addition to the lantern with which he signaled the engineer before modern communications were available.
At a different location along the river, the small city of Vienne brought opportunity to view the sanctuary of St. Maurice Cathedral. Construction of the church began in the year 1130 A.D. and finished 400 years later in 1529. Not far from the cathedral was a 2,000-year-old Roman Temple with massive, partially restored columns, preserving yet more ancient history. How such unique, massive structures were built in times without equipment available today is a wonder.
Days later, a stroll through Avignon, France, allowed learning about the city's protective walls erected in the 1200s. The walls were constructed of limestone from local quarries and were intended to deter entry of Roman and other invaders into the city. Different ancient walls in the area were erected for protection from periodic flooding of the nearby Rhone.
Numerous riverbanks along the Rhone provide ideal soil, incline and sun exposure which lends them favorably toward wine production. Some of these riverside slopes are exceptionally steep, making harvest of grapes by machine impossible. In such circumstances hand-picking is instead required, a laborious process often accomplished by nearby inhabitants.
An excursion to one of numerous Chateauneuf-du-Pape vineyards near Avignon was unique and educational. The vineyard, its grapes and operation dated back to the 1400s and were gifted to a nearby village by its owner centuries ago. Hand-picked harvests are completed with help of volunteers from the village. We learned interesting details about their winemaking process and enjoyed the delicious flavors.
The recorded history of European civilization extends back centuries further than that of North America. I felt much younger in the company of medieval castles and fortresses, old grape vines, cobblestone streets and 800 to 2,000-year-old buildings.
The sensation was short-lived, however. Arriving home and departing on an errand, my phone chimed as I drove out the driveway. I pulled over, only to discover AI and Google Maps' insensitive proposal to guide me toward Minot's Commission on Aging.
Sommers is a retired Minot orthodontist, violinist with the Minot Symphony and author of the book, "Retirement? You Can't HANDLE the Truth!"