Roman ruins in the rain and thrifted purple coat

I can't believe it, but I don't think I've ever shown you this purple chenille coat I thrifted in Canada years ago. I think it's handmade as there's no tag and a sumptuous hot pink lining. I love it, but I don't wear it often. I call it my Granny coat as the cut seems a wee old-fashioned. Even so, I like the details: the purple buttons, the shorter sleeves, and the slight gather at the shoulder where the sleeve starts. The handbag and gloves were also thrifted.

We went on a little field trip yesterday to the town of Vienne, about a two-hour drive west of here and a little south of Lyon. It is known for its Roman ruins, like this old theatre, which sits smack dab in the middle of the old town. Vienne is right on the Rhone river and I must admit, the gushing brown waters couldn't compare to the crystal clarity of the lake and river in Annecy.

Still, it was a fun excursion. It was a crappy rainy day, not suited to jaunting around outside too much, so we went to the Mussee Gallo Romain (the contemporary building you see here in the background) located across the Rhone from Vienne, which was built around the archeological site of Saint Romain en Gal, a Roman district that existed around the first century A.D. to around 50 A.D. The baths and lavatory are pictured here.

An old Roman road on the site. Note the raised sidewalk on the left! Hey, we know the Romans were pretty civilized. Apparently the sewage pipes ran under the sidewalks (and you can see a good many pipes in the actual museum). The higher sidewalks also meant people weren't splashed by all the muck on the street.

Over the river and a top a hill, you can see the old Roman lookout, presumably.

We did the tourist thing and rented the (English) recorded tour (but read a good many French placards inside the museum). Thursday was the day to go as admission was free, free free! (But normally only 4 Euros).

TIP: In the summer months, the museum powers that be haul out some of the mosaics, which are inside the museum during the cooler months, and place them back onto the floors of their original homes where they were discovered. Only the foundations and the beginnings of the walls of the structures are standing, but I'm sure seeing the mosaics in their original setting would be pretty-awe-inspiring.