CDG to Home, Day 12

Wednesday, April 17: Up early, tiny bite for breakfast, and on the shuttle to the airport! Flights were as expected. I did use a wheelchair between landing in Salt Lake City and the take off for Fresno. I had to pass customs and normally I would have had enough time but walking so impaired I was not sure. It helped a lot. 

It is so good to be home and in my own bed tonight. The flights were as expected but being a day later has thrown things off for the departure for Napa on Friday. Plus, I am now getting a cold. Thankful for the safe trip home! 

Marseille, Day 11

Tuesday, April 16: Travel home day for Cheryl, just travel toward Paris for me. Our Taxi dropped her off at the airport and took me on to the train station in Marseille. The train station office was not open when I got there. Cheryl's flights took off on time and all went as expected. When the office opened I got my ticket. It was a very long walk to my coach but I finally got there and got my luggage stored. The trip was uneventful but really crowded with people who seemed to not care about anyone but themselves, pushing, shoving, big bags pushed here and there. I was glad to get off the train. 

After getting off the train I got to a place in the airport where I could use their Wi-Fi and called the number for Air Tahiti Nui to inquire about a hotel room for the night. That phone call took quite some time but finally they secured me a room at the Courtyard near CDG. I decided I better get some breakfast/lunch since I don't know what the hotel situation will be. After that I asked a couple places and finally figured out where to get the shuttle. It was a 10 minute ride to the hotel but when I got there, they didn't seem to have a reservation for me. After a bit they decided they could do it and gave me a room. I also got a lunch, dinner, and breakfast voucher with my stay. I decided to buy a bottle of wine as it was about the same as 2 glasses. I was so disappointed - it was not tasty at all and I didn't even drink a half glass. I found some various TV programs that were familiar, even though they were in French. I had a restful night. 

Avignon to Marseille, Day 10

Monday, April 15: We have the morning, my leg is slightly better, and Cheryl and I took a cab into Avignon to shop. I was grateful she wanted to do this with me as I am still unsteady. We did shopping and had an unimpressive lunch at a cafe. We went on to the cafe where I ate yesterday for dessert. After that they called a taxi for us and it was back to the ship. 

Our transfer was due at 2p and I had a message that  he would be 15 minutes early so we headed out. Unfortunately, I received another message after that but we were away from Wi-Fi and no service. The message noted the change in vehicle. So we waited and waited. Finally Cheryl went back to the ship to call the transfer person, yes, they were there just a bit away. We were on our way to Marseille in no time. 

I do have my new flight but I will spend another day near CDG airport. I still don't have confirmation as to where that  will be but I will call when I get phone service. I also found out the train station is about 30 minutes away, so we have arranged a taxi for that as well. 

Arriving at the hotel there was simple and very close to the airport. The desk person was nice and helpful, but the cleaning crew were everywhere and we had to jostle our way around them. The room is clean and adequate, but that's all. Only 1 bath towel each, no hand towel. The bed was comfy though. We put in for a 4a wake up call that never came. Thankfully, we set two alarms for ourselves. 

Avignon, Day 9

Sunday, April 14: We arrived in Avignon last night after dark. This morning's tour began with our first stop at the broken bridge. I sat at the bottom of the stairway and waited for them to return. I wanted to leave the group early on but I was not able to communicate that in time. After the bridge stop I was able to speak with the guide and break away from the tour. They are going to the Pope's Palace and I have been there twice. 

Avignon

I was unable to find the shop I wanted, it is closed. I am so disappointed. But there were other shops and I did find a few things I liked. I met up with Cheryl and Vernae who also left the group. We browsed some shops but then I did something to my leg. I thought it was my knee but it was my leg and I could barely put weight on that leg. Cheryl wanted to help but there was nothing she could do. I went to a cafe and ate lunch, then had them call a cab to take me back to the ship. I just don't know what I did. 

Tonight is the fancy Captain's Dinner so I did make it to that, using the lift and not the few stairs. I went back to the room after eating. I am using ice, etc. Disappointing issue. I am still working on my flight home. I didn't take many photos since I had such trouble walking. 

Arles, Day 8

Saturday, April 13: We were in Arles today.  The Day begin with the walking tour it's quite windy and that makes it little bit cold. There are festivities in town due to Easter next week and the city is very crowded. There is an Amusement park set up near the river, so we walked by that on the day tour. There was also a street market. I'm not sure if that is always going on or if it is a Saturday market. Either way, it seemed much more crowded then went John and I were here before. We saw several interesting sites, all which John and I saw in 2009. After the formal tour of the city Vernae, Cheryl, and I went on to the street market. At the market I found some nice olives and a tea towel. The food smelled delicious but I didn't get anything. I decided to go back to the ship because I was tired and chilly. I was pretty sure of the way but it was a long walk I'm not sure if I went out of my way or what. Sadly, I found out my flight was cancelled and I'm trying to figure that out which is not easy without having the internet how. My phone service has been very unreliable as well. 

Medieval Wall (the last portion)

 Hospital Where Van Gogh stayed

 Paella at Market

In the afternoon the tour was to Pont du Gard, where I have been 3 times so I stayed back and rested. It did me good. We had another lovely dinner tonight. We got to Avignon after dark but we did see the broken bridge, then moored back up the river a bit. 

Tournon to Viviers, Day 7

Friday, April 12: We woke up in Torunon but departed at 8:30a and cruised to Le Pouzin for our day tour to Ardeche Gorges. After lunch we headed out. It was a long drive but the scenery was lovely and the destination was worth it. I am tired tonight so I cannot recall all the details but it was a lovely area. We drove past the place they found the cave art some years ago. No one is allowed to enter now but they have a replica somewhere. Our final stop before returning to the ship was a lavender farm. There were a lot of nice things but I will hold out for Arles or Avignon. I had a small taste of lavender liqueur. 

Gorges de l'Ardèche

 Lavender Farm

Tonight we had a special and limited dinner on the Lido deck. It was quite nice with four courses plus wine. Sirloin and fish were the options, I had the fish.

 Lido Dinner

Tonight we went through the deepest lock in Europe, 26 meters deep. We are cruising to Arles now. I am not sure what I will do tomorrow. John and I explored the city in 2009, we had such a great time. I might just go on my own to look for a few things for my kitchen. Maybe Cheryl will attend the "orientation talk" and have information for me and I will go from there. My knees and hips are a bit sore but they got a rest today. I also need to figure out what I am going to do about my train trip back to Charles de Gaule. 

Vienne and Tournon, Day 6

Thursday, April 11: This morning we started out on the walking tour of Vienne with two leaders from the ship. The streets were narrow, moving slowly, and we couldn't really hear anything they were saying. After about 10 minutes Vernae, Cheryl, and I left the group and went on our own. There are few shops open at this early time but we popped into a few. I got a few tea towels for my kitchen. We walked back to the ship and left our bags of goodies and headed to the tourist office to board the little tram up the hill. The commentary on the tram was pitiful cutting in and out and changing in volume drastically. However, it was worth the ride up the very steep hillside because the views were fantastic. The tram meandered through the city and we heard part of the information about the Roman ruins and such. 

The Tram

The View

We departed and cruised all afternoon passing through maybe 3 locks and came to Tournon about an hour after the scheduled time of 6:30p. We decided to skip dinner after the fabulous and filling lunch and walk around the town and find some of the famous Saint John wine from this region. The wind was blowing and it was cold. Most everything was closed except a few small bars or cafes. We found a nice little crepe place, it also had the special wine, which was delicious. Another travel agent came along and they had a lot of discussion about various things. I am sure Cheryl is gleaning a lot of information. We walked back and I went to our cabin around 9:30-10p.  

Tournon Walk

Crepes

There was supposed to be some sort of game, quiz, or lesson tonight but it is canceled because the person who had the information on their laptop lost the information when his computer crashed. Odd there was no back up but this is their first cruise of the season so I guess there are some kinks to be worked out. 

We are supposed to be back on board by 8:30a to head to our next port. The shops won't really be open by then so we didn't get to experience much in this city. What we did do was very nice. 

Chalon and Beaune, Day 5

Wed, April 10: Today we were in Chalon-sur-Saone and took the guided tour to Beaune. We stopped for a 10 minute stretch on a road with vineyards and had some photo opportunities of the Meursault, Volnay, and Pommard wine regions. On to Beaune and when we got there we first walked to Hospices de Beaune (AKA Hotel-Dieu). There was a discussion about going there on our free time if we desired. It was E$7.  and since I had been there before I was not really interested. I would have gone if Cheryl or Vernae wanted to, but they didn't. First the entire group did our wine tasting at Le Cellier de la Cabiote. Of the 3 wines, 1 was tasty to me. They also offered a taste of crème de cassis, which I declined (I don't care for it). Our guide was nice and even with a heavy accent I had no trouble understanding her.  We walked around a little bit. Both Cheryl and Vernae (a travel agent friend of Cheryl's) love chocolate so we stopped at a couple of shops for that. We also looked in a linen or kitchen store. They had some coated tablecloths but unfortunately, the size was not right for me. I am hopeful I can find something in Avignon! We popped into a café for coffee , which was delicious. We were half way through our coffee when the rain came. It was not bad but we had to move under the awning. Finishing up our coffee we headed back to Hotel-Dieu to join the others. We took a highway back to Chalon, not the slower route via the vineyards. While we ate lunch we slipped our mooring and headed for our next stop at Vienne. The rain wasn’t much and seems to be gone for now.

Wine Tasting

Coffee

Cheryl went off to do something and I watched us pass a lock and listened to the presentation about the next port. Basically, we can walk into town, it is 5 minutes to walk. There will be an orientation walk by this speaker (I can't recall his name) and Sarah at 8:30a. I think I will plan on that. At 10a this tram train will come to the area where we are moored and take just 40 people, one time, into the town. I guess that is for the ones who are just not able to walk there, but that was not actually stated. The "port presentations" or whatever they call them, don't really give much information and what is given is vague.

It is before dinner now and I am typing this blog but I have yet to get my laptop online. I have had spotty service with my cell phone but unfortunately my laptop has yet to actually bring up the page to put in my code! It is a little frustrating. I might try my hotspot the next time my phone works.

We had another nice dinner and chatted long after the meal. I returned to the cabin to type this blog and set up myself for tomorrow. I am tired, but not exhausted. We found out more about the logistics of the tram and walking tour. We can do both. Thankfully, there were 5 spots left. We got 3 of them and another person came up moments later and booked the last 2. That was close!

I have to say the wait staff or servers on this cruise really work hard and they are so accommodating and friendly. I have texted John several times but he is not replying, I even tried to call. It rings but no answer. I hope all is well. (sigh)

Lyon, Day 4

Tuesday, April 9: Today Steven has an interview, I am sure thinking about that and praying for him! Today there was a full breakfast. Most ate that but I had just enough to take my pills. Then we headed out on a Lyon excursion. We went to the Basilica that was built to worship Mary. There is a statue of St. John in the courtyard.  Up on that hill we had a good view of the entire city. We were shown where the social center is, the financial center, and the political center. The view was a bit hazy but lovely just the same. After a walk through the basilica, which featured Murano glass in the stained glass windows, we were back on the bus to the next stop, but there was road work and it was very congested. We lost some of our time there but then eventually we ended up down in the city center where Cheryl and I were yesterday. We walked through a Traboule, a sort of passage way to get from one street to another. After passing through that we found ourselves standing in front of the same shop where we bought Lavender things (and more) yesterday! After this we had 15 minutes of free time. I'm glad we had a more leisurely time here yesterday. We got back on the bus and passed a few things we saw yesterday and then returned to the boat in time for lunch. We set sail along the Saone. We passed a lock and watched that happen. There was a brief introduction to French culture, such as how to act appropriately and how to order beer or wine. Next came the spiel about tomorrow, which made little sense to us but the bottom line is we get on the bus at 8:45 and have the tour of the day.

Around Lyon

Then there was the welcome aboard toast, one glass of champagne or juice each! Then on to dinner. Tonight was different for dinner. No salad bar but just ordering from the menu. Everyone was served a shrimp cocktail and then mushroom broth with some sort of dumpling in it. There were three choices of entrée: 1) beef filet, 2) Bream fish, 3) Mushroom crepes. I skipped all because I was full from the tea we had earlier. I did have the shrimp cocktail, soup, and the baked Alaska for dessert, which was delicious and presented so lovely. Vernae and Cheryl met more travel agents and we sat and talked through dinner. Boy, I could never be a travel agent, what a stressful job! I have enough trouble making my own travel arrangements lately! We talked for some time after the dinner was finished and then finally headed to our cabins. We are traveling pretty quickly along the river. We will be at our next stop by 5a tomorrow.

Lyon, Day 3

Monday, April 8: Today we will board the cruise. We slept pretty well at the hotel and got up near 10a. We checked out about noon. We packed up and after looking up where to walk, we walked to where the boat was moored. It wasn't far but part of the path was gravel and our suitcases didn't roll too well. I thought it might be better on an upper trail, but no, it was worse. Anyway, it was a nice walk along the river and we took a lot of photos of flowers.

Our Ship

We read where we could drop off our luggage and then spend the day on our own in Lyon. That is just what we did. I think we were the first ones to do this as the first person we encountered seemed confused but Sarah (the cruise director?) stepped in and right away our luggage was stored and we were on our way.

I had the name and address of a restaurant to try. Cheryl had a map and was the navigator taking us there. Of course we window shopped and I needed a couple of walking breaks but it was quite enjoyable. Once we left the busier area there were cafes and shops along our walk. We saw this Roman ruin from 150 AD at a church along the way. I have to say the architecture is amazing. When we arrived at the restaurant, we were not really impressed. We opted to look at others we passed by on our way there. We realized it was after 2p and the price fixe menu for most of the places was over for the day. We found a café with "Continu Service" so we were all set. Cheryl had onion soup with lots of cheese and croutons, I had a delicious salad with 2 poached eggs on top, plus the ever present bread basket was on our table. I had some house red wine and water was delivered without asking. Everything was good. After that we ventured back to a little shop we had passed that had lavender and much more. I bought some cologne, herbs, soap, and more. Such a lovely shop we could not resist.

Around Lyon

We stopped in a few more shops on the way and Cheryl got some chocolate, a cookie, and I can't recall what else. I bought a bottle of wine and an opener. I always enjoy looking in markets in other countries. By chance there was a woman who spoke English also looking at wine. She was stumped, not recognizing the names and we briefly talked. She picked something and I joked that if she didn't like it she could bring it by my boat… then she said they were on a boat, and yes, it is our same boat! Funny. They are from Newfoundland, Canada. I was planning to have a glass of wine when we got back but dinner time came very soon and that never happened. Maybe tomorrow. We got unpacked and set up then headed to dinner, which was served 6:30p to 8:30p. Cheryl had a travel agent friend arriving today for the cruise and she joined us for dinner a bit late. Her name is Vernae and she seems nice. Since she is traveling alone she will probably hang out with us and that is fine.

About dinner, there is an extensive salad bar where you can help yourself. Then our soup and entrée were served from the galley. Dessert was one choice, you helped yourself and it was very good. I should add there was the one special dessert but there was also a fruit and cheese table for dessert and it has some sort of cake log there to try as well. Three choices for wine, red, white, and rose. I think these will change each night but I'm not certain about that. After dinner when I was taking a cup of tea back to our cabin and one of the stewards insisted on taking it to our cabin for me! That was nice.

This is being posted April 10th because the Wi-Fi is so poor onboard. There is no way Photos will upload, I am sorry to say. I will try to post something to FB and add them here later. 

Lyon, Day 2

This is really a continuation of Day 2, since most of that was on my last post. I took a shower and waited around enjoying the view from our hotel room window. I figured Cheryl would be along shortly so I went to the lobby because she needs a room key to use the elevator. She was at the front desk getting a key when I went down. She relaxed for a bit then we walked to a Kebab place nearby. Most things are closed on Sunday, plus dinner is not served until later than we wanted. It was okay. 

Now back at the hotel we are relaxing and heading to bed soon. She has some work to do, but I am fading fast. Feeling thankful that we are here and looking forward to boarding our River Boat tomorrow!!!

Travel Day 1

What an interesting day! John dropped me off, I have to say Tony looked more concerned than John! Hahaha! I got a cup of coffee at the airport and wouldn't you know the cup had a little leak. I don't believe in omens or I would be concerned. First flight to LAX on time. LAX to CDG on time! 

I have to say Air Tahiti Nui was really nice. Such professional flight attendants. Where else do you get a flower to sniff before take off? I sat with a lovely young couple on their first trip to France. He stored my suitcase for me and she tried to ply me with snacks. I did sleep off and on through a couple of boring movies. The food was pretty good as well. We had chicken and rice with veggie and accompaniments for lunch and before landing we had a choice for breakfast. I took the crepes! Orange marmalade and custard filled - yum! Very sweet and rich, I wish John could have eaten what I did not. Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate are offered. I had 1/2 coffee, 1/2 chocolate. It was a little odd hearing Polynesian music and people speaking French at the same time. However, there are many French Tahitian Islands! Of note, nice fragrances occasionally permeated the cabin (both floral and spice) and for some reason the bathroom was pristine near the end of flight. 

My unexpected venture from the norm occurred when I arrived at CDG. It was tiring that I had to walk what seemed miles to transfer for my next flight. However, I kept showing my print out along the way and was told to continue on. I have no boarding pass but I have been reassured I will get on at the elusive F terminal. To my surprise I had to pass security again! This time my bag needed further check but shortly I was on my way to the bus to Terminal F. When I arrived I was instructed to get my boarding pass from the machine with my passport, simple, right? Not so much. Finally, a sweet gal came to help me. She again looked at my document and alerted me I did not have a flight but a TRAIN to Lyon! What?!? Mind you, I don't mind the train but - 1) Where is it? 2) can I get there in time? and 3) What? 

So now I need to get my passport stamped and walk another l-o-n-g ways to the other end of the airport where the train station is. Yep, my train ticket was waiting at the office there. I'm feeling pretty lame but NOTHING other than "operated by SNCF" would have been my clue. I thought that looked familiar but when it says Air Tahiti Nui one just assumes...  Well, ticket in hand I found the right platform, right coach, and low and behold, even the right seat. Phew, I had plenty of time!

Thankfully, I was able to get a message to Cheryl to not expect me at the airport. Our pre-arranged shuttle will bring her to the hotel. I took a taxi from the train station. 

So even though this is Sunday, my Day 1 has finished. You might understand why I am having a nice glass of red wine before heading up to our room. One has to be flexible when traveling. Cheryl should be here in a couple hours!

Unexpected Surprise!

I am thrilled to say I am going on a France River Cruise! My friend Cheryl, who is a travel agent, got a deal and invited me to come along! John was pretty quick to say "sure go!" so I guess he and Tony will be watching Guy Movies and eating junk food while I am gone. 

While John and I have a European River Cruise planned in Spring 2020, this will be my first River Cruise. I am so very thrilled to be going to some beloved places for a re-visit. I have been longing to return to Avignon for a few years. The dream has come true!

We will be on Riviera River Cruises, the Burgundy, the River Rhone & Provence from 08 April to 15 April. My bags are all but packed, just a few more things to put in place to fly out Saturday, 06 April!

Itinerary

MS William Shakespeare

Need help arranging travel? Call Cheryl or check out her website!

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