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Wednesday - DAY 15 | Heading Home

9/18/2016

 
After breakfast we disembarked and most of us proceeded to the Marseille airport for your return flight.  Two people from our group continued on for the post trip in Nice and the French Riviera and another couple headed back north to spend more time in Normandy.  We hope they enjoy their extensions as much as we've enjoyed the trip.

The rest of us look forward to arriving home, jet lagged once again and carrying a few pounds of the delicious French cuisine around our waists.  We'll all say, "I'm not traveling again for a long time."  But after a couple weeks we'll each begin looking forward to our next adventure because we are travelers, and that's what we do.  We explore this wonderful world we live in!
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DAY 14 |Tuesday - ​Arles 

9/14/2016

 

We spent our last day in France in Arles (pronounced “Arl”).  The morning started with a walking tour featuring diverse ancient architectural highlights.  Arles is the site of some impressive Roman ruins, including Les Arènes, an arena that seats 20,000 and is still in use.   Vincent Van Gogh spent time in Arles and many of his famous paintings were created there.  Sadly, today none of his originals remain in Arles.
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The Arena
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Statue of Vincent Van Gogh
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Restaurant that Van Gogh painted in "Café Terrace on the Place du Forum"
In the afternoon several of us took an optional tour to see a remarkable multimedia art installation in a former quarry near Les Baux.  The white limestone from this cave was used to build parts of Les Baux and other surrounding villages. Today, it is a stunning venue for art shows; 2016’s innovative exhibits are devoted to Marc Chagall and the imaginary world of Alice in Wonderland. I can't begin to describe, much less photograph this amazing display.  Click on this link if you're intersted in seeing what we experienced -  Carrières de Lumières.  
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The hills near Les Baux
We then meandered into Les Baux to explore this picturesque village with it's dramatic and hilly cobblestone lanes.   Beautiful sites and lots of shops.  I "scored" a great pair of espadrilles!  The drive to and from took us through the bucolic Provençal countryside, where we viewing olive groves and rice fields.
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DAY 13|Monday - Palace of the Popes, Avignon

9/13/2016

 
PictureWhimsical umbrellas decorate a side street
This morning, most of our group set out on a guided walk of Avignon, nicknamed “City of Popes” because it was home to seven popes from 1309 to 1377.   They strolled through the historic center, stopped at the picturesque Pont d’Avignon and walked the Place de l’Horloge.   They continued to the renowned Palace of the Popes for a guided tour through this rambling maze of Gothic architecture that served as papal residence, fortress, church and palace.

Some then joined the optional tour to Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the afternoon, visiting the vineyards and tasting the famous wine.  I've no photos of these events because I was with the other half of our group who signed on for the all-day "Tastes of Provence" option.  

Our culinary adventure started with a brief city tour but quickly focused on the culinary aspects of the region.  First stop - La Cure Gourmande, a paradise of confections, chocolates and biscuits. After sampling some of its sweets, we continued to Les Délices du Luberon, where savory tapenades and olive oils gave us a true taste of the countryside. ​  We loaded up on delacies to bring home.
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We continued following the Passage de l’Oratoire to the elegant Rue Saint-Agricol and Rue Joseph Vernet, two famed shopping streets lined with luxurious shops.  Then, on to La Maison de Fogasses for a cooking class.  With your Provençal chef, we prepared the local specialty, fougasse, and enjoyed it as a starter.  We also created handmade éclairs and concluded our technique needs a bit of work!   After a satisfying and rewarding meal, we returned to your ship to rest up for the farewell dinner tonight.  We're promised a 5 course meal.  Where will we find room in our stomachs for it?

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Entering La Maison de Fogasses
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A taste of delicious rose in the courtyard
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Our attempt at fougasse wasn't very pretty, but delicious
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Natale introduced us to Pétanque, the Frence version of bocce ball
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Terry set the cochonnet well
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but, Don threw the winning shot.

Many of our travelers have asked about my husband Randall - why isn't he on this trip with me???  He'd planned to come but about 2 weeks after we made our reservation he received the invitation to his 50th HS reunion.  He was willing to give it up, but clearly wanted to go.  Fortunately, my friend Sally also wanted to come and needed a roomie.  She graciously she filled in for Randall.  Lucky for me, Sally is the second-best roommate possible, after Rand.

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As we are enjoying France, Rand is visiting friends, relatives and enjoying his reunion.  I miss him and look forward to traveling with him for a month in southern Africa in November. 
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Terri and Randall in Iceland a couple years ago.

DAY 12 |Monday - Tournon

9/12/2016

 
 gWe sailed during the night and awakened in Tournon.  After breakfast we had a short walking tour of the area, learning about the local culture and the region’s wine-making traditions.  Our guide was a British woman, married to a Frenchman.  She had a wicked sense of humor we all greatly enjoyed.  

After the walking tour we enjoyed a train excursion into the wilds of the Doux Valley. We boarded the Train de l’Ardèche, a meter-gauge steam train and engine which are listed as French historic monuments.  We had panoramic views around every turn. This untouched region is inaccessible by road, making it a pristine wilderness of unrivaled beauty and clean air.  I was reminded of the Durango - Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway that Randall and I took earlier this summer.
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After dinner we cruised into Viviers, my favorite town in all southern France.  This charming village is the setting for the movie Chocolate and the site of the smallest cathedral in France.  Since our tour was in the evening and our lighting was flashlights and streetlamps,  I have no photos to share.  You'll just have to put a "visit to Viviers" on your bucket lists if you want to see it.

Saturday - DAY 11 | Vienne

9/11/2016

 
After several nights in Lyon, we sailed to Vienne where we enjoyed a walking tour of this 2,000-year-old city in the heart of France.  We visited the Temple of Augustus, the Roman amphitheater and the Gothic Cathedral of St. Maurice.  We boarded a trolley to the top of Mont Pipet for a view over the city and the Rhone valley.  Back down the hill to the town center where we encountered the weekly market.  I know I had my camera with me, but I got so caught up in the experience I forgot to take pictures.  Hopefully some of our other travelers will share theirs when we return home.
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View from Mont Pipet
We sailed again in the afternoon.  With a bit of a lull in our activities we took the opportunity to bring our Travel Our World group together for one last gathering.  This has been one great group of travelers.  We've formed lasting friendships.
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A reminder of where we are.
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