Beethoven in Vienne

Vienne that is on the Rhone in France not the Vienna on the Danube where you would expect to hear Strauss or Beethoven.  No this Vienne is famous for its jazz festival in July.  The city intellectuals decided that they needed a concert so the week before the big double basses and trumpets come to town they stage a serious music event however this year the big drums, basses, trumpet arrived early along with the full wind section including the piccolo, oboes and of course violins and veolas.  Yes we experienced the full 74 minute of Beethoven 9th symphony.  Now why do I know it is 74 minutes because that is the length of the music on the original CD produced by Sony.  Mr Norio Ohga from Sony who, like many Japanese, enjoy the 9th symphony after the WW11 decided that if he could not listen to his favourite symphony on the new invention then it was not worth inventing and so we have Beethoven works to thank for the capacity of the CD.
This conductor seemed to enjoy the orchestra and especially the full choir (120 voices) that came in at the last movement.  Besides the music it was the setting that made it for us.  It was set in the Roman amphitheatre on the side of Mount Pipet above Vienne overlooking the Rhone.  In its day it seat more than 13,000 spectators but for this concert there were significantly less.
Malua was tied to a floating mooring on the opposite side of the river to the town with its three main churches but I must say the town did not have a good feel.

The seats are unallocated so one had to arrive early so we left Malua and rode our bikes over the main bridge into the city and walked the last few meters into the amphitheatre and secured a great position right in the middle just above stage height and settled down for the evening as the sun set in the west.  The orchestra came in for an opening piece by Tchaikovsky with a solo violin then and break and right into the 9th.  The music was so clear one could hear every note.  It was a great experience.  Note to choir master: take a page out of the WVYC on how to stand in order and how to file in.
From the venue we rode back down the hill to stop off at a Spanish café which was playing Spanish flamenco music.  Is this a further indication that we should have visited Spain?  Well to counteract this I received an email from Wolfgang the mast transporter who I had given strict instructions not to move the mast to le Havre until it was clear we would make it, that the mast have arrived at its destination of le Havre and I was to pay the money.  When I contacted him he realised his mistake and offer support for us getting through the canals but promised he would return it to Port Napoleon if we did not make it.  Is that 2 to 1 in favour of not making it?
Tomorrow we are off to Givors for the Sunday market and a quiet afternoon on the Rhone.
I can update you now the market both at Vienne on Saturday and and Givors on Sunday were both great with a good strong Arab influence but the quiet Sunday afternoon was spoilt by ONE jetski and five louts zooming up and down the very piece of waterway we had chosen to moor.  They left at sun set but the afternoon was spoilt.  One only then realizes how much noise these jetskis made on top of the noise of the highway and the local roads.  We will have to get out of town and into the country along the Soame but first there is Lyon the food and wine capital of France…

Riding the Rhone

Denny

Malua has always had a pair of mountain bikes on her deck since we left Australia.  While sailing I store then in the stern sugar scoop.  Very convenient for sailing but not great if one wants to dive off the back into the water for a swim.  We have lived with this inconvenience here in the Mediterranean for five years but the joy we get when we take them ashore makes up for the time we have to climb out of the water.
When Malua is at anchor we have had to load the bikes into the RIB and ferry them shore, not great if the landing is not good but usually it is at some dock so getting ashore is not a great hassle.  You get a smile or two from people on the shore as they see these two bikes dominating the RIB but that soon turn to understand when we ride off down the road.
I have used the bike to just go down to the shop in the morning for the breakfast bread or to go further afield to the larger supermarket but the greatest trips have been the whole day affairs when we set off in one direction to see a particular place and find we land up at a completely different destination having followd a different route.

Apollo Mountain Bike

The drivers of the Mediterranean countries respect cyclist and give you a wide birth, they even let you ride down the middle of a narrow road ahead of them and they will wait.  We have even had then stop and wait for us to cross at any point in the town or country.  The only near miss was in Manorca when we were riding down a minor side highway when a minibus passed close by.  The wind caused me to swerve then just as I was recovering the next one sped by and almost clipped my handlebar.  It was so out of the ordinary I noted the type and number of the van.  When we arrived at our resting point – some point of interest, there were the two minibuses and rounded around the bus British bird watchers out for the day.  They should learn to drive Med style when they come over here.

Rusted Bike

The original mountain bikes after four years of salt water became so rusted the chain would hardly go round the cogs.  The spokes were stripes of rust.  They were not to be see on the French Riviera or the Cote d’Azure so in Corsica we sent them to the depth.

Current bike shed

Now you know all about these set of wheels we now have so I wont need to describe them but they are defiantly not Apollo mountain bikes.  Not that you need them in this area of the Rhone.  The authorities have created many flat wide tarred bike paths all along the Rhone.  When it is convenient it follows the canal but when not they snake through the fields and towns within the Rhone valley.
The bike paths are well used on the weekend with families including little kids cycling along.  The more serious group speed by, heads down trying to cover the kilometres.  We on the other hand, amble along at a slow pace enjoying the view.  We don’t always take the designated route so the other day we landed up at the end of a field with only a river bed to cross.  Undaunted we continued through the bush to pop out in the next field with our destination in sight.  Have faith I will find you Stanley.

Yesterday we set out from the Marina at Les Roches de Condrieu.  The bikes are now stored on the foredeck where the mast should be.  No RIB ride to the shore just pass them over the side onto the dock and ride away.  The route in this part of the world led us through a nature sanctuary including bird watching hides and camouflaged resting spots.  Our destination is the town of Ampuis and the famous vineyards of syrah and viognier in particular the Maugiron Chateau which has made this type of wine since the C13.  The chateau is now the centre of the organisation and doesn’t sell at the cellar door particularly to travelling sailors on bikes.

We had to return to the town of Condrieu to purchase a bottle of their lesser brand of the local.