We found out at orientation the first night that there will be somewhat of a change in the itinerary; because of all the recent rains the river is too high and the boat can't come to Arles (there are 12 locks on the river) so we will be traveling by coach to Viviers on Friday and then backtrack to Arles by bus. When we drove alongside a flooded river we got some idea of how high the water is.
Friday morning we enjoyed a walking tour of Old Nice. It included an outdoor market (flowers and a wide variety of produce) and a brief stop on the Riviera (there it is referred to as Cote D'Azur) where I stuck my hand in the Mediterranean and picked up a few stones (no sandy beach there) for the cemetery. Passed a mother&daughter shop that makes custom clothes - there was an antique sewing machine outside with a beautiful inlaid wood cabinet. Mom and I were still full from the hefty 'petite dejeuner' so for my lunch i just picked up some (very sweet) strawberries at the market.
Our afternoon drive through Provence was on the highway linking Italy and Spain. It was very scenic and unusually green even for here due to the rain. Our route took us near by D-Day landing sites and by recognizable places such as Cannes and St Tropez. We passed lots and lots of vineyards
Our first stop was at the Draguignan Cemetery, where 861Americans were buried after the D Day invasion. The cemetery is beautifully maintained, and (due mostly to the local pigeons) all headstones are washed every morning. Our guide there (Allison) gave a very informative talk about the invasion, and Mom and I both thought the same thing: history buff Dad would have enjoyed hearing about it. During the war he was in the Army's air force and stationed in Northern England. We placed stones on the Jewish headstones as per tradition. When Mom asked if the stones are replaced after the washing (yes) she heard a funny story. Apparently some schoolchildren were visiting the cemetery and thought that the stars atop the headstones (instead of crosses) signified generals.
Later in the afternoon we made a stop at a truck stop. After skipping lunch we were hungry and I settled for a packaged chocolate-covered pastry; it was as yummy as it looked. Some confusion in The ladies' room - the toilets had no seats. (And in the hotel room last night, we discovered that to flush we needed to pull on the knob instead of push; travel is so educational. :)
Continuing on we got a brief glimpse of the alps with snow, spotted the
Nornan Castle ruin atop a cliff, and some windmills producing electricity (though 78% of France's electricity is from nuclear power.)
After some time on a French traffic jam ( never did see the reason for the holdup) we arrived at our destination.
The boat is luxurious - our room is quite large, and even includes a sitting area. The river really is quite high, and it's understandable that adjustments had to be made in our schedule. The staff is very attentive and seems to have everything taken care of.
Dinner was sumptuous; if we keep eating like this I will be on real trouble! At our table last night were Leo (from Connecticut) and Anne and Janet (from Massachusetts.)
Glad a brought my bathing suit for soaking I the hot tub on the top deck (actually I hear there are two) but by the time we finished our orientation and then ate dinner it was 10:00 and too late to go exploring. It was time for me to retire to the cabin since we have an early start tomorrow, and it will be a long day. Because of having to board the boat in Viviers instead of Arles, the optional afternoon trip to the bull farm (which mom and I had not signed up for) is being included gratis. But it also will be a long day, what with having to take a bus to/from Arles.
One 'crisis' - the only plug I could find to charge up my iPad was right inside our door. When we returned from dinner and opened the door one of the adapter prongs snapped off in the socket. They will be fixing that tomorrow.
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