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Arles et Les Bateux

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I had a big day Tuesday, two major excursions.  The morning tour in Arles was a great walk in the footsteps of Vincent Van Gogh in Provence, where he spent a couple of years visiting and painting in the south of France because he “liked the light.”  The afternoon tour was to the tiny mountain-top town of Les Bateaux. But the highlight of the afternoon was the sound and light presentation at a nearby abandoned limestone quarry, La Lumière.  Arles The riverside town of Arles (say AWRL) has a couple of major draws.  One is the Roman Colosseum, where various forms of bull fighting are still practiced. It is only a short distance from here to Spain, after all, so the Spanish influence is very strong  In one form, held only two weekends a year, the fight is traditional and the bull is killed. In the other, young boys tease the bull, running past it, trying to grab a ribbon tied between the horns without being gored. It’s quite exciting, and if you are interested, ther...
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Wine and Chocolate at Toulon-sur-Rhône

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If you are a connoisseur of wine, or even just want to learn more about the history of how it is grown, and how it is paired with certain foods, in our case, chocolate, then the stop here and the tour of the castle with the wine and chocolate tasting in the cellar room is an absolute must. Our teacher, Gilliam, and his chef/sommelier partner Emily, were so knowledgeable and willing and able share that knowledge with us that our morning excursion was by far the most fascinating yet. This small town is at once both historical and charming.  The scenery across the river from where we spent the night docked includes two gigantic hills, totally covered with vineyards that produce some of the finest wines in the world. (Try to ignore the construction crane in the foreground and just take in the beauty of the hills.) See how the lines of plants follow the contours of the land, see the sheds scattered about so tools can be stored rather than hauled back and forth, up and down each day. See...
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Viene on thé Rhone

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Sunday morning dawned bright and sunny in Viene with the promise of a great morning hike up the slope of Mount Pipet (say “pip-PAY”) for a great view of this small city.  But let me return to Saturday evening. As we prepared to leave Lyon and head south on the Rhone to Viene, I spent some time in the pool with some of the new friends I’ve made on board. Everybody is having a good time, and having a drink and a few laughs in the pool goes right along with that.  Then, after a nap and cleanup, our group got to spend a special evening having dinner at the “Chef’s Table,” a small private room at the stern of the ship, where everyone aboard gets to spend one special dinner. This is haute cuisine at its finest. I’ve never experienced a dinner with so many extraordinary courses and so much fine wine.  Don’t get me wrong; dinner in the “regular” restaurant is really nice. But this is a special experience for all. Here are a couple of shots from our table: There’s something else...
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