FUN-travel: Tournon/Tain l’Hermitage, France – Day 5 – Uniworld Rhône River Cruise
August 15, 2012 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Tournon/Tain l’Hermitage, France – Day 5 – Uniworld Rhône River Cruise
Trip Day 30 – Cruise Day 5 – Thursday, August 9 – Tournon/Tain l’Hermitage, France – Uniworld Rhône River Cruise
What I LIKE
Tournon
- 10 am walk off ship
- these are twin cities in the heart of Côtes du Rhône
- Tournon is old on the left bank
- Tain l’Hermitage is new on the right bank
- 1st stop – cross bridge to Tournon
- stroll though 10th century village
- visit feudal castle
- see 2nd oldest secondary school in France
- back across bridge to Tain l’Hermitage
- wine tasting of Côtes du Rhône – 1 white, 2 reds
- syrah, grenache & mouvedre grapes are grown in this region
- another great lunch
- more good wine
- another great dinner
- more good wine
- 11 pm arrive in Lyon
Tain l’Hermitage
What I DON’T LIKE
Tain l’Hermitage
- walking tours don’t have enough walking
- too much talking
FF (FUN-fact) – Every wine growing region in France is controlled and can only grow certain grapes.
FUN-travel: Viviers, France – 7 day Uniworld Rhône River Cruise
August 14, 2012 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Viviers, France – 7 day Uniworld Rhône River Cruise
Trip Day 29 – Cruise Day 4 – Wednesday, August 8 – Viviers, France – Uniworld Rhône River Cruise
What I LIKE
- nice walk in enchanting medieval village 1600 years old
- picturesque rooftops
- cobblestone streets
- narrow alleyways
- snake uphill to Romanesque St. Vincent Cathedral perched on top
- short organ concert
- continue on to more spectacular views
- more good food @ lunch
- 1:30 set sail
- siesta
- Epicurean dinner – Chef Roger treats us to 3 appetizer tastings, French onion soup, a choice of either trout or filet and dessert. YUMMY!
What I DON’T LIKE
- can’t remember anything
FUN-travel: Avignon, France – 7 day Uniworld Rhône River Cruise
August 14, 2012 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Avignon, France – 7 day Uniworld Rhône River Cruise
Trip Day 28 – Cruise Day 3 – Tuesday, August 7 – Avignon, France – Uniworld Rhône River Cruise
City Wall
What I LIKE
Popes Palace
- wake up to blue sunny skies with cool breeze – high 60’s to 70’s
- more good hot coffee & fresh fruit
- 9:15 morning walking tour
- UNESCO World Heritage Site – 14th century
- another really cute picture-perfect medieval walled city
- 1st stop – Clocktower Square – includes city hall, opera theater & many classic mansions
- 2nd stop – Popes Palace Square – maze of galleries, chambers, & chapels that makes up our
- 3rd stop – @ the Palace of the Popes
- 4th stop – nice walk up to bluff-top park & magnificent views of countryside & Rhône
- 5th stop – Avignon Synagogue – originally built 1222 fired destroyed it & it was rebuilt in 1846 – the Jews were not persecuted but given sanctuary here
- 6th stop – Market Hall – full of every kind of food – buy fresh herbs de provence & madras curry
- 12 noon – back to ship for another great lunch
- 1:30 – afternoon excursion – bus ride to
- 1st stop – Pont du Gard – built 19 BC – tri-level Roman aqueduct still standing & in excellent shape – this was listed in our book of must see wonders of the world
- 2nd stop – Châteauneuf-du-pape wine tasting – drive through vineyards that were part of the river bed 1000’s of years ago – vines growing in ground covered with lots of rocks
Pont du Gard
- forgot to say – FREE Internet! – not as slow
What I DON’T LIKE
- can’t think of anything
FF (FUN-fact) – The Pont du Gard is 31 miles long, carried 44 million gallons of water a day, and was constructed without mortar!
FUN-travel: Rome, Italy to Marseille to Arles, France – 7 Day Uniworld Rhône River Cruise
August 13, 2012 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Rome, Italy to Marseille to Arles, France – 7 Day Uniworld Rhône River Cruise
Trip Day 26 – Cruise Day 1 – Sunday, August 5 – Rome to Marseille to Arles, France – Uniworld Rhône River Cruise
Coloseum
What I LIKE
- that I took my shower last night
- clothes all laid out
- in lobby @ 6:20 for coffee
- 6:30 shuttle only takes 10 minutes
- Air France is Delta partner
- flight is only $69 per person
- always carry a foldable flat bag
- put overweight items in it & save 55 Euros
- good cappuccino only costs 1.40 Euro
- 8:45 flight only takes 75 min
- 11 am – one hr drive to Arles
- van has air conditioning
- 12:30 nice wine with lunch in the lounge
- 2:30 room ready & need a nap
- really nice dinner with FUN tablemates from London
What I DON’T LIKE
- overslept and fly out of bed @ 5:55
- coffee is really bad
- Air France wants to charge us 55 Euro for being over by 4 kilos – we can have 3 bags and only have 2
- cappuccino is really small – really only a half cup
- Arles airport pickup – crammed into 8 passenger van
Roman Amphitheater in Arles
FF (FUN-Fact) – The moon hit my eye like a big pizza pie – that’s amore!
Not so FF (FUN-fact) – Rome in the summer is filled with tourists and the lines are very long like Disneyland. Glad I was already here in the 90’s.