2017 France

Fact of the day:  did you know that the famous beach at Nice is not sand but is all smooth stones.  There is sand only below the water line.  What's with that? After a short break and a shower, it was time to be on our way again for an evening in Monaco.  We mounted our coach and drove east along the coastline.   As always, we started out by visiting the old town section of Monaco.  The number of huge yachts in the harbors is mind-boggling.  We then visited the cathedral.  Here behind the alter are buried all the prior prince's and princesses including Princess Grace.  It is an impressive facility. Our next stop was to see the royal palace.  We also so the smaller house where Princess Carolyn lives. It was then time for fine dining in one of the restaurants adjoining the casino.  For dinner we started with a huge salad that included many types of lettuce, tomatoes, feta cheese, artichoke hearts, and mari...

This morning started out with an excellent breakfast buffet in the hotel cafe.  Eggs and bacon, followed by croissants and cheese, and finished off with fresh fruit and fresh squeezed orange use. Yumm.  Then we were off on our bus/walking tour of Nice. We followed along the coastline to the east to a lookout point where we were able to seem much of the city of Nice and surrounding cities that connect to it. We passed by many town squares. I loved the street tiles on this one. We went by a Russian Orthodox church that is reputed to be the most beautiful one of any such church outside of Russia.  Were I return to Nice I might want to schedule time to see the inside and the priceless collection of icons. We the were at the top of the hill overlooking the city where there is a park filled with olive trees, and this house which has been converted to the Matisse museum. Alongside museum are the ruins of a roman bath.  They say that this excavati...

Now a picture would replace a thousand words, but taking photos in the restroom is usually frowned upon, so allow me to describe instead.  When you enter the public toilette, both men and women often enter the same door.  Once inside you will typically find one or two sinks with electric hand dries (that hardly work), two fully enclosed toilet stalls marked women, one fully enclosed stall marked men, AND one to three urinals right out there in the open .  If you are brave enough (as a male, although I'm sure women would not be turned away) to use the urinal, all the women standing in line will have the opportunity to witness you.  They will time you, they will be privileged to how long it takes for the flow to start, and they will definitely make certain you have fully zipped up before turning around.  For the most part, American men waited to use their one stall (which sometimes took longer than for the women).  An occasional man would step up to the stand...

We are now in Nice (Wednesday afternoon) and have internet at the hotel that seems to work (one of the few things I like better at hotels than on boats/ships).  What I don't like is having to stand in line for 20 minutes to check in only to learn that your room is not yet ready.  Two hours later it is ready.  However, I guess you could say the view was worth the wait. The hotel Le Meridien is located right on the promenade along the beach and across the street from the park.  We got up and put our bags out at 7:30 then went to the dining room where I had eggs Benedict one final time from Mihai our favorite waiter.  At 8:30 we left on our coach for the four hour drive from Avignon to Nice.  Anna and John were not so fortunate.  They had to have their bags out at 2:30 am and left for the airport at 3:30 am.  Via text messages we learned that their flight was delayed due to weather leaving them only 30 minutes or so to make their connection i...

Well, all good things must come to an end (or at least the water portion thereof).  This morning we docked at 9:00 and then took a 30 minute scenic drive into the old town of Arles.  There is part of me that wants to describe it the way I would imagine Gary Spivey describing it ... "more walls, more narrow streets, more dilapidated buildings, more old churches, more roman ruins, more sidewalk cafes, yada yada yada", but I am much more cultured than that.  Arles was a walled city on the banks of the Rhone River.  It has a population of about 50,000 so it is a complete city but still has small midevil town charm. Of greatest archaeological note is their Roman coliseum that dates back prior to the time of Christ.  It si modeled after the coliseum in Rome but not as big (this one could hold 21,000 spectators).   Today it is used for concerts and sporting events including Bull Games (not to be confused with Bull Fighting).  In bull fighting, the bull ...

This has been a jam-packed 24-hour period going from Sunday evening through Monday afternoon.  Sunday evening we docked in Viviers, a mid evil city.  After dinner and after dark, we met our tour guide for a late night walk through this historic town.  It was weird as the city of 3,000 almost seemed deserted.  The only thing out in any numbers were lots of cats.  We were able to see all the narrow streets, the buildings, and the climb to the top of the city.  Once we arrived at the top we were greeted by our Program Director and the ship's staff who offered us nougat candies and rum punch. Monday morning we were up and running on our walking tour of Avignon, one of the few completely walled cities remaining in the world. We toured the town which included the main square outside the city hall.  The name of the city hall in most French cities is Hotel Deville with means "building of the city."   Our next stop was the Papal Palac...

This morning we sailed into and docked at Tournon.  This picturesque town of 11,000 follows along the base of the hills along the Rhone River.  For breakfast I started out with coffee, juice, and oatmeal with strawberries (they make their oatmeal too runny) in the dining room at 7:30.  We were then off for our hour long walking tour of this old city and bridge.  It was here that the inventor of the suspension bridge was from. We went out on one of the first suspension bridges ever built that connects the two sides of the town.  It is now for bikes and pedestrians only and is very good shape.  Our guide told us that the reason it still existed and was maintained so well, is because they annually launch fireworks from the bridge on Bastille Day.  Every year some of the fireworks land on and burn the wood decking of the bridge that then has to be replaced, keeping it in good condition. After our tour we boarded our coaches for a shor...

Holy frijoles, you have never seen a farmers market until you have experienced the one in Vienne.  I swear that it stretches on for over a mile through all the streets on the city down both sides and through the squares.  There are literally dozens of cheese stands, dozens of butchers, and what seemed like a hundred vegetable stands.  Stands are 20 to 40+ feet wide, many were trailers, and also include clothing, jewelry, and even dollar store items. John stopped at one stand to purchase a pocket sandwich filled with chicken, vegetables and sauces.  He paid his 3 euros for it and then as he walked away he went back to take a couple paper towels off the roll on the corner of the counter.  One of the workers immediately challenged him and put out his hand as though he wanted to be paid for them.  When John reached out his hand with some coins the workers burst out laughing --- it was a great prank. There were two tour groups today, the lei...