Jazz at Vienne - a Second Visit

‘Jazz à Vienne’ is a world-renowned jazz festival that we had been talking about attending ever since we first stayed in Lyon in 2010.  It took our landlords, Nathalie and Stéphane, to finally get us off the mark and actually in Vienne for a show last year.  

This Year' Festival Program

This year Stéphane said he might be able to get free tickets, as he is a performer at one of the other venues in Vienne, but in any case he wanted us to go with him.  We put it on our calendar for July 2, when the show was to be headlined by Bobby McFerrin, the singer of the infectious 1980’s hit, ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’, with its Caribbean beat.  Mr McFerrin has since made a career out of putting together and performing voice-ensemble live performances, in which human voices are presented as musical instruments, mostly without words, but sometimes as a sort of scat-singing style.

So, we met Stéphane at the Part-Dieu train station at about 5PM and embarked for Vienne, about 30 minutes south of Lyon.

The Jazz Lovers Ready for the Show

We arrived quite early for the 8:30 show, but that meant we could leisurely stroll to the old Roman amphitheater and claim some of the very best seats available.  We had brought the seat cushions that Anna had assembled from cheap throw-pillows and towels last year, because the downside of a 2000 year-old Roman amphitheater is that it is a 2000 year-old amphitheater with 2000 year-old stone seats.   Hard on the backside after 3-4 hours!

The opening act was another American group, José James and his group, who played a number of songs by Bill Withers [Lean on Me, Ain’t No Sunshine…], along with other soul and blues tunes.  They were very talented, especially the guitarist who reproduced some of Jimmy Hendrix’s more interesting riffs.  They inspired a number of audience members to dance in the aisles. 

José James and his Group

Bobby McFerrin then came on with a 4-member group plus a 25-30 member choral group arranged by voices in chairs in an arc behind the other performers.   The individuals making up the four people behind Mr McFerrin each gave performances that were at times very interesting and entertaining.  The rest of performance consisted mostly of wordless singing, including call-and-response and a type of scat, involving the chorus and one or more of either Bobby McFerrin or the four individuals.  

Bobby McFerrin, Singers, and Chorus on Stage and Big Screen

From our point of view, the performances seemed to be without a theme or melody and after a while became repetitious.  After an hour and a half some audience members began to leave.  Whether this was because they did not like the performance or because they simply had to depart, we could not say.  However, this is a phenomenon we have not previously observed at a live performance in France.

A Full House in Vienne

That being said, music and its appreciation is a matter of personal taste and there is no denying the high level of musical talent and ability of Mr McFerrin and his performers.   They were doing things musically that were very original, and required a large amount of practice to be as polished as they were.  The evening was extremely entertaining and interesting, and we definitely appreciate Stéphane making the effort to include us.

Viviers Post #3 - Le Poët-Laval, "Un des plus beaux villages de France"

Our next side trip took us east, across the Rhône River, past Montélimar and into the countryside.  Our destination was Le Poët-Laval.   This village of just over 900 inhabitants has been designated « Un des plus beaux villages de France ».  Its name remains a mystery to us – we have no idea who the Poet Laval was/is or why this village is named for him.  However, the village has an interesting history.  So in the morning of another HOT day, we ventured up the hill for a tour of the village.

A view of the village from the road leading to it.  (from the web)

To get to the village, it’s necessary to drive up a steep winding road, leave the car in the parking lot and take a short hike into the village.  (No cars allowed in the village.)  Sounds like a good place to build a fortified castle.  And, around 1269, that’s just what the Hospitaliers de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem (later to become the Order of Malta) did.  During the crusade era it was used as a staging post and refuge for pilgrims setting off for the Holy Land. It was extended in the 13th and 15th centuries and then sacked when the Revolution occurred.  The village walls and the castle keep remain and are very impressive from the road leading up to the village.

Welcome sign at the parking lot.

View of the countryside from the village

Showing part of the village wall.

Remains of the castle keep.

Anna in front of the ruins of the old castle church.

The village also has another religious facet.  It was actually a protestant stronghold for a long time, and is home to the Museum of Dauphinois Protestantism in a former private 14^th century mansion. The museum has exhibits covering the history of Protestantism in the Dauphiné region, from the Reformation to the religious wars and from the Edict of Nantes to the role of Protestants in the Resistance.  There is also a 19^th century protestant church to visit.  

More recently the village was essentially deserted and was being looted until 1926 when the "Friends of Old Poët-Laval" came into existence, interrupted the looting of the abandoned village and set about restoring and resurrecting the village. As tourist literature says, “The Poët-Laval of today is certainly different in many ways from the medieval village, but the spirit of the place has been safeguarded, avoiding the transformation of the site into a museum without soul while mobilizing a permanent collective effort around this remarkable ensemble whose natural environment has been preserved.”

Viviers Post #2 - Vals-les-Bains

Vals-les-Bains has been designated as « Un des plus beaux détours de France », and it is definitely worth a "detour" !

People have been coming to Vals-les-Bains since the seventeenth century to enjoy its thermal and mineral waters.  It actually boasts of 145 sources of different mineral waters some of which are bottled commercially. Today it is a picturesque spa resort town with "Belle Époque” buildings and a lovely park with more than 300 trees and more than 1000 shrubs of 40 different species from all over the world.  The park is on either side of a river and also includes the “Intermittente,” a geyser that erupts every six hours or so.  There are lovely walking paths, children's play areas, benches and picnic areas in the park.

A view of the river running through the village

One of the playgrounds with a view of the other side of the river.

We arrived in this lovely village just in time for lunch.  After a short drive around the part of town with the Casino and luxury spa hotel, we drove over to the other side of the river.  There we found a large facility we assumed was a bottling plant for some of the waters.  

Looks like a large bottling plant to us!

We parked the car and walked back into the village past one of sources of water.  This particular source is available to people during specific hours each day. Here are photos we took of two of the water sources.  The bottom one is the one open to all during certain times of the day.

Then we chose a restaurant with seating above the river.  As usual, we were most likely the only Americans in town and certainly in the restaurant.  We had no reservations and were fortunate to find a table in the shade; the place was soon filling up.  The service was excellent – in fact when a table overlooking the river became available, the head waitress moved us to that table.

Enjoying a simple lunch.

A view of the dining area from across the street.

The main restaurant across the street from our dining area. 

 All the food and drink came from here.

After lunch we took a short walk to take a look around “our side” of the river and then a short drive around the part of the village on the other side of the river.   Here are some of the photos we took of this very picturesque village:

The weather was starting to heat up, and it was time to return to the AC and pool at the auberge.  But, we will likely return to walk around some more - hopefully, in cooler weather.

Another Visit to a Superb Winery in Southern Bourgogne

When we stayed in Lyon for year, 2010-2011, everything was fresh and new and sometimes a bit daunting.  We did not have an instinctive feel for the geography and layout of the city and the surrounding countryside.  The prospect of driving on French roads and highways was also intimidating as French drivers often appeared reckless. 

As time went by, we have become familiar with our surroundings and much more comfortable with French traffic.  What initially appeared to be reckless behavior had resolved itself primarily into a different way of behavior that was generally consistent and predictable and therefor completely manageable once we had learned what to expect.

Dominique and Roger, our landlords at the time, often went to great pains to act as gracious hosts, driving us to places and events in the surrounding countryside.  In the early spring of 2011, it was decided that we should go exploring in southern Bourgogne, in the area where the renowned white wine Pouilly-Fuissé originates.  See the post of March 28, 2011 – when we first discovered the winery of Domaine Thibert.

https://aubrysinfrance.blogspot.com/2011/03/lovely-drive-through-countryside-in.html

David has often thought we should re-visit the winery.  We did not know where it was located in the area as we had visited eight years ago and we had not made an effort to find out.  So our rediscovery was done by chance when on our way out of Solutré-Pouilly after our post-Roche de Solutré lunch we decided to leave the village via a different road.  After a few minutes, we arrived at the village of Fuissé and noted that the town square looked familiar.

Sign in the Town Square

There was the ruined 12^th century church, now undergoing restoration, and down the road a bit was Domaine Thibert!

Anna Looking at Restoration of 12th Century Church

Sign Explaining Church Restoration and Conversion Project

Sign Outside Domaine Thibert

We immediately parked and began to explore.  The old church building had been a boarded-up wreck eight years ago. Now it was undergoing a major restoration and conversion to a wine-making facility and tasting room.  We will certainly return to check on progress next year!

Down the street was the sign for Domaine Thibert. We walked in and looked around – nobody except some folks in the adjacent office.  One of the young ladies quickly responded to our inquiry about tasting and purchasing of wine.  She turned out to be the daughter of one of the members of the brother-sister team now managing the facility.  She spent a great deal of time with us, describing the winery and its history and wines and then led us through a very informative tasting of the various chardonnay-based wines from the surrounding area vineyards.  In fact she recounted how local records show the family in the area in the 1600s.

Tasting Room at Domaine Thibert

David and our Gracious Tasting Guide

After our tasting session, our hostess posed for a photo and took our picture after assembling our bottles.

David and Anna Ready to Leave with our Wine

With our purchases of several bottles for our cellar In Lyon and a couple to take home, we headed back to Lyon.

Viviers Trip – Post #1

Photo of the auberge from https://www.relaisduvivarais.fr/

Each year we take a “vacation within a vacation” at the same auberge, Relais du Vivarais, in Viviers, in the Ardeche.  David discovered this lovely auberge on one of his annual bike trips, and we’ve been going there pretty much each year since.  We always get the same cottage next to the swimming pool.  We’ve come to know the managers, who were originally from Lyon.  Small world!

Patrice, the proprietor, with David

And, the pool and air conditioning provided a welcome respite from this year’s Canicule in France.

The food is always excellent.  These photos will give you an idea of our dining experiences:

A glass of champagne make decision-making a little easier

A view of the kitchen from the dining terrace

David's salmon dish

Anna's lamb chops

While we are in Viviers, we often take side trips to explore the surrounding area.  This year we definitely planned our explorations for the morning before it got too hot.  We decided to visit to the villages of Vals-les-bans and Le Poët-Laval this year.  Posts describing those visits follow.

La Roche de Solutré

Climbing la Roche de Solutré and then enjoying lunch at La Courtille de Solutré has become a traditional part of each visit to Lyon.  

La Roche de Solutré - 

taken from the trail to the parking lot

The Roche is a limestone escarpment in the middle of vineyards about 8 km (5.0 mi) west of Mâcon in southern Burgundy.  People have been hanging around the rock for 55,000 years or so.  Back in the early days, people in animal skins hunted small horses and other animals.  Archeologists began excavations at the foot of the rock in 1866.  They have found remains from prehistoric times that are some of the richest in Europe in bones and stone artifacts. Following their discovery, the Rock gave its name to a culture of the Upper Paleolithic, the Solutrean. Today there is an excellent museum and interpretive garden at the base of the Rock to give visitors a glimpse of their findings and of life many, many years ago.  

And, of course, there is a well-maintained trail climbing up to the top of the rock. The Rock and climbing the Rock has attracted media coverage since the 1980s when French President François Mitterrand started to make ritual ascents of the peak once per year.  We have been climbing the Rock since 2011.  The two previous times we followed the trail up the rock, Anna wore a brace on her right knee (one was pre-surgery and one just post-surgery).  This year she was very happy to make the climb without hardware (although she did use an elastic wrap just to be safe).

Anna at the top of The Rock

David at the top of The Rock

The spring was colder and wetter than usual, and the wildflowers were pretty impressive this year.

The view from the top is spectacular and well-worth the hike:

We accidently “discovered” La Courtille de Solutré on our first trip up the Rock.  

Picture of La Courtille de Solutré taken from their website

Solutré-Pouilly is the village closest to the base of the Rock.  It is a little village and La Courtille de Solutré, a country auberge, is pretty much the only place in the village to get a meal.  We just walked up and got a table on our first trip; since then we have been careful to get reservations.  This little restaurant in this very little village is Michelin rated!  And, the food is fantastic.

The menu of the day

David's entrée (first course) a delicious pâté 

Anna's entrée - mussels ("absolutely delicious!")

Our wine - perfect accompaniment!

David enjoying his plat (main dish)

Anna enjoying coffee after another amazing meal

Needless to say, a trip up la Roche de Solutré followed by another delicious lunch at La Courtille de Solutré is already on the agenda for our next visit to Lyon.