Oingt

Tuesday 5 August
After lunch we went for a ride in the bus through the Bourjolais region of France driving past many vineyards and stopping to visit one.

This part of the country is known as Pays D'Or or land of the golden stones. For centuries ochre limestone has been used for the buildings in this area resulting in the distinctive colour.

Oingt is a Medieval hillside village which is entered via the arch in the wall.

There are narrow streets to explore, once again decorated with colourful flowers in pots.

The Oingt Tower was built in the twelfth century and is now a museum. It is 18 metres high and was once part of a chateau.

From the top of the hill there are great views of the surrounding countryside.

As we boarded the bus we passed this sign on a bus shelter for the Tour de France which had passed through the area a few weeks earlier.

We then visited a vineyard where the owner told us about growing vines in Beaujolais.

The vineyard owner also showed us a selection of tools which have been used in the past to prune the vines.

The tools were passed around so we could have a closer look.

The afternoon ended with a wine tasting before we returned to the ship which was now berthed at Collonges.

A Provencal Dinner was served in the main dining room. Later in the Lounge we were entertained by Paolo Nassi who performed a selection of well known Italian and other songs.