August 26:  We had our luggage placed outside our cabin door by 7:00 so personnel could load it onto the buses taking us to Monaco.  I had breakfast with Jan, Rob, and Ginni; afterwards, we boarded a bus for our journey to Monte Carlo.  Halfway to our destination, the bus stopped at a convenience store where we could purchase lunch, drinks, etc.  Ginni and I decided we would wait to have our lunch once we arrived at the Fairmont Hotel where we were spending the night.   Shortly after 1:00, we arrived at our hotel; because we could not check in until 3:00, we took our luggage to a room reserved by Avalon.  Ginni and I had lunch in the hotel dining room where we had excellent food and wonderful view of the harbor.  We took a walk and stumbled upon the Japanese Gardens; a lovely, quiet place.   Upon returning to the hotel, we were able to check in; we retrieved our luggage and went to our room which was very nice.  Both of us signed up for the evening tour which consisted of driving by bus to the “Rock” where the palace, governmental buildings, cathedral where Princess Grace and Prince Rainier were married and buried, and other landmarks were pointed out to us by a local guide as we walked the area.  The guide told us that Monaco is the world’s second-smallest country and has an unrivaled density of millionaires and billionaires; it does not have taxes.  In 1297, the fortress was captured by Francesco Grimaldi; in 1997, the 700th anniversary of the Grimaldi Family Dynasty was celebrated.  Prince Albert oversees the governing; his wife, Charlene Wittstock, is expecting their first child in December.  After the walking tour, we traveled to the Vista Palace Hotel & Beach Resort for our evening meal.  Appetizers and drinks were served on a terrace overlooking Monte Carlo; dinner was in the dining room.  It was a wonderful way to “cap” off our evening!

On our way to Monte Carlo

“The Rock”

Japanese Gardens

Waterfall in gardens

In the Cathedral

Outside the Cathedral

Changing of the Guard

Palace Entry

Harbor of Monte Carlo

Myself and Ginni on the terrace

Monte Carlo at night

August 27:  Ginni and I were picked up by a driver who took us to Nice where we had booked lodging at the Holiday Inn for the night.  A friend of mine, Monique, lives in Nice and I wanted to have the opportunity of seeing her while I was in France.  The driver dropped us off at the hotel where we stored our luggage and received a room number from the hotel staff before starting a 3-hour tour of Nice; our room was to be ready for us when we returned around 12:30.  The tour started with a visit to Castle Hill where we had a breathtaking view of old town and the port.  From there, we proceeded to the Cimiez area where we could view the Fransciscan Church, referred to Church of Assumption, and walk through the Mediterranean gardens.  Within the gardens, we visited the Les Musées À Nice and viewed the roman ruins located within the area.  Next, we went to Old Town where we walked the flower market; I purchased some fresh flowers to give Monique when we caught up with her later in the day.  Upon arrival at our hotel, we were told they were giving us an upgrade but the room would not be available until 3:00 (we believe our original planned room was given to a large group who registered around noon).  I contacted Monique and asked her to delay her arrival until 3:15.  We had lunch at the restaurant within the hotel and, at 3:00, our room was ready.  However, we discovered it was two beds put together as one; I called the lobby and said we needed a room with two beds.  One of the staff brought us keys to another room and, when we entered the new one, it was exactly like the first one.  We went down to the lobby and the manager approached us with the question “What is wrong with the room?”  We explained that we needed two beds and not one; he explained they had no rooms with two beds and they could not separate the two as one because of the headboard.  Our comment “We don’t need a headboard; move it away from the headboard and it will be fine”.  During all of this, Monique was sitting in the lobby waiting for us.  After introducing her to Ginni, off we went to the shopping district but neither of us found anything to purchase.  Monique took us to her apartment where she served us appetizers plus spritz, a drink made with champagne.  Then on to Davisto, an Italian restaurant, where Monique had arranged our meal of fresh fish (acquired that morning from a fisherman) along with accompaniments; it was excellent!  Since we had to be up and ready to journey to the airport at 4:15 the next morning, we said our “good byes” shortly after 9:00.  It was an evening filled with lots of laughter and cheer; I was so glad to have the opportunity to see Monique once again!

Nice from the hill

Church of Assumption

Les Musées À Nice

Roman Ruins

At dinner

Home:  We got up around 3:30 in order to be ready for our transportation to the airport at 4:15.  The driver was on time and, upon arrival at the airport, we discovered that the American Airlines personnel were not on duty yet so we waited about an half hour before we could check in.  After going through security, we went to the lounge where we stayed until our flight was called.  The flights back to the good old USA were uneventful; Mary and Joe were at the airport to greet me as planned.  In summary, the overall trip was excellent and I am glad I finally got to see France.  All of the country is beautiful and the people friendly.  Paris was too crowded with rude tourists but I was happy to visit this beautiful city with the added bonus of spending time with Jeannette and Allan.  If you are planning on traveling to France, my recommendation would be not to go in the August time frame since that is their holiday season so there were large crowds and many stores closed.   The cruise was very relaxing and I was able to meet some wonderful people.  But next time I would consider a different airline than American.  As always, it was good to go but it was good to be home with my cats, pond, and flowers!

Beauty and Cutie

My pond

Flowers

Backyard

Watching the world go by

August 19: We checked out of the Pullman and waited with our fellow passengers for buses to pick us up. The buses took us to the train station where we boarded the TGV train to Dijon; the train traveled about 183 mph and we got to our destination by riding through the beautiful French countryside. We got off of the train and boarded a bus heading to Beaune which is the unofficial capital of the Côte d’Or area. Beaune owes it wealth to the production, aging, and selling of fine wines. And it is also known for its mustard production.  A local guide provided us with a tour of Hôtel-Dieu charity hospital which was built in 1443 after the Hundred Years’ War left many of the town’s population destitute; it was paid for by the chancellor of Burgundy.  The chancellor felt this goodwill gesture would buy his way into heaven. Today it houses Van der Weyden’s painting of The Last Judgment and is one of France’s architectural highlights. We had some free time to wander the streets of Beaune before getting on our bus and continuing south to Chalon-sur-Saône, where we boarded our cruise ship called Avalon Scenery.  Our luggage had been brought from the hotel and awaited us in the cabin. We settled in and then went to the lounge where we met our crew at a welcome reception. As we cruised on the Saône River toward Tournus, we had our evening meal in the dining room. All evening meals consisted of wine, an appetizer, soup, main course, and dessert. This evening I choose slow roasted Veal Loin with fresh herbs as my main course. After dinner, we went back to our cabin for another glass of wine and bed.

Train station in Paris

French Countryside

Carousel at Beaune

Streets of Beaune

Courtyard Hôtel-Dieu

Avalon Scenery

August 20: After breakfast, a local guide took us on a walking tour of Tournus, a delightful town tucked away in the southeast corner of Burgundy. Tournus is one of the oldest and most important monastic centers in the region with the superb Abbey of Saint Philibert, a fortress-like Romanesque church with many interesting features. Dating mainly from the 11th century with a 10th-century crypt, it boasts an impressively tall nave with an unusual vault, carved capitals, an important Romanesque statue of the Virgin and Child, and newly-discovered 12th-century floor mosaics depicting the zodiac. It was well worth the visit! We had some free time to stroll through the quaint streets and explore the arts and crafts shops near the abbey. After lunch, Ginni and I joined a tour of “Chardonnay & Mâconnais – Wine Tasting”, an area between Mâcon and Tournus. When giving thought of the Burgundy region, a person would think there would be more reds produced than whites; however, this area produces 60% white and 40% red. All the vineyards are groomed by 95% hand labor vs. 5% machine. And all pruning is done by hand. The process takes a total of 8 years from start to when the wine is drinkable. Many local people, upon the birth of their children, will purchase wine intended for the child’s future wedding reception with the thought the wine will be properly aged. Our wine tasting took place in the cellars of a historic medieval castle, one of the several we passed along the way. The landscape was spectacular, and we had a stop at the dramatic prehistoric site of the rock of Solutre which is now flanked by vines. That evening we had dinner with two couples, Pat and Chris, and Jan and Rob from Australia. A delightful evening of getting know our fellow passengers; both couples seem very nice.

Cruising Along

More Cruising

Abbey of Saint Philibert

Floor Mosaic

Narrow streets

One of many vineyards

Rock of Solutre

Castle of Wine Tasting

August 21: This morning we cruised before arriving in Lyon around noon. Lyon is France’s second largest city and is considered it gastronomic capital. It was founded by the Romans in 43 BC, and it prosperity dates back to the 16^th and 17^th centuries when it became specialized in the fields of silk-spinning and textiles, banking, and printing. It is also the place where both the Sâone and Rhône Rivers flow thru the city. After lunch, a local guide showed us Fourvière Hill where we got an wonderful view of the city along with the Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière which was built between 1872 and 1876 over an ancient Roman forum and next to the existing Chapel of the Virgin.  We were taken to a area of over 100 murals plus Old Town with its maze of medieval alleyways and Place des Terreaux, a popular area with cafés, monuments, and a famous fountain often seen on postcards. This evening we joined Jan and Rob for dinner; the dinner was prepared by a local chef and the ship’s chef. There was a local Parisian singer who performed in the lounge that evening.

Entering Lyon

Botanical Gardens/Park

Lyon from Fourvière Hill

Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière

One of many walls of murals

Old Town area

Famous fountain

Dinner with Ginni, Jan, and Rob

August 22: Ginni and I participated in a tour of the Maison des Canuts, a living museum which reveals the richness and quality of silk industry in Lyon and is the only place where manual looms, invented by Jacquard, are in use. After getting a demonstration of how the loom works, we went across the street where we heard the history of silk, the life of the “canuts” (silk workers of the 19^th century) and how the regional textile industry has evolved since the late 20^th century. We then had free time to shop within the gift shop; however, the price of the lovely silk pieces were too high for my wallet. We were then transported to a local fresh market which had meat, wine, poultry, cheeses, flowers, etc.; it was very interesting to wander by all the various merchants. The only purchase I made was some wine for my cabin on the ship. Once the tour was completed, we had lunch on the ship and spent the afternoon reading/relaxing. That evening we had dinner with Rob and Jan. The ship was cruising its way to Tournon this evening.

At the market

Ginni looking at cheese in the market

Chickens with heads

Leaving Lyon

August 23: This morning we were docked at Tournon; instead of doing the walking tour of the city, I went with Jan and Rob to the local fles market running along the shore. I did find a couple more Christmas presents for friends back home. We left Tournon before noon and made our way to Viviers. On the way to Viviers, the ship went through another lock and dam; I believe we had a total of 12 we went through over the week of the cruise. Ginni and I had signed up for a tour of the ship’s galley which we enjoyed; it is unbelievable the amount of food with such good quality that comes out so small of a space. Another treat we had today was a chocolate tasting in the lounge in which we sampled three types of chocolate and all were Yummy! Upon arrival at our destination, a local guide provided a walking tour of the city which I did not participate in; I think, after all these days, I needed one day of not doing any tours while being able to “veg” out on the ship.

Approaching low bridge

Jan at the market

Cruising thru French countryside

Going thru a lock and dam

Part of galley

YUM–Chocolates

August 24: Today we are in Avignon; it is the capital of the Vaucluse region and very picturesque. The city sprang to prominence when it became the papal residence during the 14^th century and many of the buildings from that period, including 3 miles of defensive fortifications, have survived almost untouched by time. A local guide provided us with a walking tour of the “City of Popes”. We saw the Palace of the Popes and the Bridge of St. Bénézet in which the popular song Sur le Pont d’Avignon is based. After the tour, Ginni and I did some wandering on our own; I purchased a watercolor painting from a local artist. We made our way back to the ship and had lunch. This afternoon we went on a tour of the famed wine cellars of Châeauneuf-du-Pape; there are 13 allowed varieties in Chateauneuf du Pape (14 if you count Grenache Blanc separately from Grenache Noir). Grenache is the primary variety, followed by Syrah and Mourvedre as well as Cinsault. About 97% of the wines here are red, and emit wonderful flavors of gamey spice, blackberries and currant, as well as the herbs and spices that are known to grow in the region. One thing of special interest are the grapes grow on soils covered with stones; the stones reflect and absorb the heat which quicken the ripening of the grapes and they help hold in moisture so the soils do not dry out by the southern French sun. This evening we went to the lounge to listen to the activity director provide information on the disembarkation process. And it was a farewell dinner in the dining room with Rob, Jan, Ginni, myself meeting Anne and Paul from Australia for the first time. After dinner, a group called “Gyspy Kings” entertained in the lounge. During the night, our ship sent sail to Port St. Louis at the mouth of the Rhône.

Walls at Avignon with Palace in background

Another view of the wall

Bridge of St. Bénézet

Entering Palace of Popes

Hall within the Palace

Sculpture in palace courtyard

Wine tasting room

Notice the rocks in the soil

Another view of the vineyards

August 25: This morning I went to breakfast before Ginni (who did join us) and had an opportunity to spend time with Paul and Anne; they seem like a very delightful couple.  Jan and Rob, who have been great companions for most of the journey, joined us.  During breakfast, our ship sailed toward Arles.  Arles is located on the northern tip of the Camartgue and is the capital of the Provence region. Once docked, a local guide provided a walking tour of the city; however, Ginni and I opted to explore it on our own later in the day so we spent the morning reading, catching up on emails, and closing out our tour accounts. The chef made French crepes for lunch and they were delicious! We then went into Arles stopping at various shops and viewed the Roman Amphitheater from the distance. Upon returning to the ship, I decided to get my packing completed for leaving the ship the next day. The ship sailed away about 6:30 that evening; we were in the lounge for a champagne reception with the Captain and port talk given by the activity director of what was scheduled for the next day. After the embarkation dinner, I went with Jan and Rob for a night cap on the outside deck.

France is a place of flowers in the windows

Chef preparing crepes

Fountain at Arles

Since an early age, I had always wanted to tour France. Avalon Waterways had a riverboat tour of France on Saone and Rhone Rivers; I contacted my traveling friend from St. Louis, Ginni Campbell, and we decided to take an August tour plus some additional days in Paris. Jeannette and Allan, who reside in Ireland, decided to join us for the week end in Paris.

August 12: Mary and Joe picked me up this morning around 10:00 a.m. Got checked in at the airport, had lunch with the Robinsons, said “good bye” and headed thru security. Once we got to the runway, the pilot announced an hour wait since Chicago had closed down all traffic because of bad weather. Finally got the word from traffic control that we were cleared to fly; at Chicago, we waited outside the gate area for American personnel to be available to “swing” out the gate; the wait was approximately 20 minutes. Found out where Ginni’s flight was coming in and went to her gate; her flight had been delayed an hour also. Once she appeared, we headed to the Admiral’s Club were we spent time until 30 minutes before our scheduled flight to Paris at 5:50 PM. Arrived at the gate to find out that there was a delay because the plane we were to board had refrigeration problems. About every 20 – 30 minutes, another delay was announced. After an hour or so, American announced they were bringing in another plane; however, when it arrived, it was discovered a bird had gone into the engine and needed maintenance. Finally, at 11:00 p.m., they announced the flight was cancelled. Luckily, Ginni and I were standing at the front of the ticket counter so we were the first to get reservations for the next night. We were given vouchers for lodging, taxi from/to the airport, and food.  They did not let us know that only certain taxis would take the vouchers so we  had to  wait for a taxi which would accept them.   We had not eaten, believing we would eat once on the plane,  and all the eating places at the airport were closed. Got to our hotel, registered, and found out there were no eating places opened where we could walk to so we called a company which delivered sandwiches to our room.   By this time, it was 1:30 in the morning and both of us were exhausted!

August 13:  After waking up, we placed a call to our travel agent. She had already gotten us seat assignments for the evening flight, had contacted the hotel that we would not be there this evening (we still had to pay for the night since we did not give 3-day notice), and was in the process of  contacting Travel Bound, the tour agency where we had paid for a full day tour of Paris, to see if it could be moved from Thursday to Saturday plus include Allan and Jeannette. We checked out of the hotel, took a taxi back to the airport, checked in, got through security, and had lunch at Wolfgang Puck; each of us had $24 worth of vouchers from American but we still had to add some of our own money to cover the cost of lunch. Ventured to the Admiral’s Club lounge where we spent the afternoon waiting for our 5:50 flight; while waiting, I heard back from our travel agent that the tour had been moved without any additional expense and would include Jeannette and Allan.  The flight was announced, we wandered down to the gate, got on board, found our seats, had a glass of champagne, and the plane took off on time. After having drinks, appetizers, and dinner the cabin lights were lowered and I went to sleep.

August 14: Woke up to the cabin crew distributing breakfast; mine consisted of fruit, yogurt, and french rolls. Landed in Paris on time, got through passport control, and picked up our luggage (no Customs to speak of); our driver was waiting for us. At this point, both of us were all smiles! Got to our hotel, Montparnasse Pullman, checked in, and then decided to take a nap before adventuring outside. After three hours of napping, we got ready to explore. From what I had read and heard, the Montparnasse Tower, provided an excellent view of Paris for a lower price and less lines than the Eiffel Tower. So we headed to the tower but, on the way, found a cafe whose special was beef burgundy…it was excellent! Got to the tower and rode it to the top. A little history about the tower:  it was inaugurated in 1973 and reaches 689 ft. in the air. The lift that connects the ground floor to the 56^th floor reaches it in just 38 seconds. What an amazing view! After taking in the sight on the 56^th floor, I walked up to the outdoor terrace on the roof (3 more floors up).  On our way back to the hotel, we found a store where I purchased socks plus both of us wine for our room. Got back to the hotel and decided to have a couple drinks in the hotel lounge which proved to be interesting. While sitting by the windows, we saw hotel security being very active outside. This went on for awhile and we finally learned that the President of Sudan was arriving. His family was dropped off at the front of the hotel but we never saw the president; guess he was taken in a “secret” door. Tomorrow we are going on a tour of Giverny and Versailles Apartments.

Paris, we’ve arrived!

On our way to hotel

Beef burgundy, YUM

Our hotel from tower

Know what this is?

View of Paris from tower

August 15: Had breakfast in the hotel dining room, found a taxi, and made our way to the city center where we got our tickets for the tour and boarded a bus. It was a beautiful day with sun and blue skies. We drive to the village of Giverny where we visited Monet’s home with its beautiful gardens. Monet’s house is pink and has colorful décor along with charm. The beautiful flower gardens and famous Japanese bridge spans over 2.5 acres. On our way to Versailles, we stopped at a country inn for lunch. What a beautiful setting with green countryside, an old mill, and water flowing by. And it was now time for Versailles, a reminder of the grandeur of classical French architecture. The decoration and layout of the entire site reflects the will of King Louis XIV, who was known as the Sun King. The beautifully decorated State Apartments (which contain the Hall of Mirrors and the Queen’s Apartments) would have been more enjoyable if there would not of been wall-to-wall people who were rude and obnoxious! The tour guide said the sight receives 27,000 visitors per day…and I believe they were all there during my visit. When we got back to Paris and our hotel, we hooked up with Jeannette and Allan who had flown into Paris that morning. After getting a drink and toasting to Tom’s memory (he passed away 2 years ago today) we decided we wanted to find a “local” eatery for our evening meal and found it at Les Tontons; part of Montparnasse that is not touristic so it was mainly locals we saw. Good atmosphere, food, and conversation. After dinner,  we decided to go into a place down from our hotel that had live jazz for a drink. Good time was had by all!

Monet house and garden

Garden at Giverny

Myself and Japanese garden

Lunch site

Enjoying the moment

Courtyard Versailles

Statue of Louis XIV

One of many fireplaces

Queen’s bed chamber

Waiting for food

August 16: This morning we were scheduled for a full day tour of Paris and our driver, Max, appeared at the hotel right on time. Allan and Jeannette were going on the tour with us. Max took us to see major sites; Notre Dame Cathedral where we had time to walk through and around, Marais district, Louvre museum, Garnier’s Opera, Vendome Square, Concorde square, Champs-Elysées avenue, Arch of Triumph, Invalides, Montmartre and the Place du Tertre, the Sacré Coeur Basilica which is on top of a hill and provides a fantastic view of the city. After three hours of Max providing an excellent history lesson on Paris, he retrieved tickets for us to go up to the first level of the Eiffel Tower later in the day and provided us with tickets for lunch on a boat of the company “Bateaux Parisiens”. The boatfrom the River Seine gave us a completely different view of Paris; we viewed the miniature Statue of Liberty given to the French by America. There was live entertainment on board after lunch. When we docked, we proceeded to the Eiffel Tower where we got a marvelous panorama view of Paris. Then made our way back to the hotel via the subway; thank heaven Jeannette and Allan seem to know which one to take. That evening we found a seafood restaurant, Vin et Marée, for our evening meal. Everyone was quite pleased with their food except for me; I had a hard time eating fish that still had a “little” wiggle to it.

Notre Dame

Arc de Triomphe

Opéra de Paris

Place du Tertre

Sacre Coeur Basilica

Paris view from hilltop

Bridge over Seine River

Mini Statue of Liberty

Cruising Along

Under the Eiffel Tower

View from Eiffel Tower

Another view of Paris

Ginni and I

Jeannette, Allan, myself

August 17: We were to meet Allan and Jeannette in the lobby at 9:00; however,  neither of us  woke up until 9:00 so made it to the lobby around 9:45.   Off  we went to the Orsay Museum which is located in the center of Paris on the banks of the Seine; the museum was installed in the former Orsay railway station and was built for the Universal Exhibition of 1900.  Ginni and I explored the second and fifth floors while Jeannette and Allan went off on their own.  We saw works by Salle, Rodin, Monet, Van Gogh, Degas, Cachin; these are just a few of the artists displayed from collections dating 1848 to 1914.   By the time we left the museum, we were hungry for lunch so we found a place across the street of the museum who made crepes. All of us were really disappointed; lesson learned is never eat at a place across the street from a museum. After lunch, we found our way to Tuileries Gardens which we walked through and had a glass of wine at a table by the pond. Then we made our way to the courtyard of Louvre. Ginni and I decided to grab a taxi while Allan and Jeannette stayed to get more pictures. We made it back in time to attend a Welcome Reception by Avalon for those passengers who had arrived in Paris; out of the 120 passengers scheduled on the cruise, 42 of us attended the reception.  That evening we had dinner at the Losserand Café which had decent food and good atmosphere. However, they would not take my credit card because it does not have the international chip required by some places. Since my credit card company told me before the trip that my card did have the chip, I will have to discuss this with them when I get home.

Tuileries Gardens

Refreshment time

Gardens and Louvre

Pond with Louvre in background

Glass pyramid in Louvre courtyard

Another meal

August 18: Ginni and I decided to explore by ourselves so we headed to the shopping district of Rue Cler; once we got there, we discovered that many of the shops were closed due to the holiday. However, I did find an item for Savanna in one of the few stores opened. After walking both sides of the street, we went into a cafe to look at the map in order to determine where we would go next. The waitress could not speak English but she did send another worker over who did. He advised us to go to Rue du Commerce where there are two blocks of authentic French shopping without tourist shops. As we proceeded to walk toward the area, a gentleman stopped us and explained he was part of the local Chamber of Commerce. He asked us some questions, gave us a survey with self addressed envelope to fill out, and recommended we shop the Rue Saint Dominique street. So we went to both areas; once again, many shops were closed. It was well into the afternoon; we found a cafe where we ordered lunch and tried to figure out where we were located. Unfortunately, the waiter did not speak English so we looked at the nearest intersecting street to get our projected location. After eating a delicious lunch, we headed in the direction we thought our hotel was located. We kept looking for Montparnasse Tower to use as our guide; after walking for what seemed like many hours, we located the tower in the distance so we headed in that direction. We had walked 6.5 miles before making it back to our hotel. Allan and Jeannette joined us for dinner that evening; we went to Le France, a cafe up the street from our hotel. Another good evening which was livened up with another patron getting upset over her bill; a shouting match between her and the waiter entailed. She left the premises but came back with another gal; both of them started yelling at the waiter and the manager. Both waiter and manager kept walking away, probably to gather their composure, and would return to the women for more shouting. Finally, the waiter pulled out his wallet and gave the woman some money; both the manager and waiter walked away while leaving the two gals sitting on the stools. They wanted to argue some more but gave up and left. I don’t think I have ever heard such loud confrontation in a restaurant; all of us felt sorry for the waiter so we gave him an enormous tip. Since we were leaving Paris the next morning, we said our good byes to Allan and Jeannette and went back to the hotel for our last night’s stay there. I was glad for the time spent in Paris but, to be honest, I will be glad to leave.