20220427 Avignon and Les Baux: Some tidbits before I begin today’s adventures. At supper last night in the main dining room, Compass Rose, we noticed that no more than a quarter of the room was occupied. The whole center section was empty. We asked our butler about this and he told us that there were only about 400 passengers aboard…the ship holds a bit over 700. Yikes.
Second tidbit. Our guide on our trip to Avignon was talking about the customs in Provence. One is that if you put three cypress trees in front of your house, it is a sign that all are welcome and to come in. I thought of Louise Penny and Three Pines and wonder if this is where that came from.
Third tidbit. I was taking a picture of a manhole cover (is this still an okay term) in Avignon and one of our group told me she does that as well…and takes pictures of license plates!
Getting back to today, we got up at 7:00, dressed, watched from our deck as the ship pulled in to dock in Marseilles. Breakfast in the room, down a few decks to check in for our excursion, onto the bus, and off we went. It was a bit over an hour drive to Avignon. we got a not-too-close look at the famous bridge, and then into the city. We got some history from Julia, our guide, and then headed uphill for a full tour of the Palace of the Popes. Interesting the whole story about why and how this ended up here. After going through the palace, we walked into the center of the city for a lovely lunch. Jeff and I ask the guides what’s the best place to eat. And we go there. It was lovely. Carre du Palais. Walked around the central square, got gelato, met the guide and walked downhill to the bus.
Off we went for an hour’s drive to Les Baux de Provenceand a too-short time to really do what we wanted to do. We were given the history and then walked uphill to the church. Jeff and I did not stay for a talk there, but headed WAY uphill to the castle, Chateau des Baux de Provence, where we wanted to climb to the highest point for views. Well, it was all uneven rocks, steps really high, and a hard climb. At about halfway up these steep stairs to that highest perch, I knew I could not make it. Tired legs and knees. Jeff went all the way up and said it was worth the climb.
We were supposed to be WAY downhill at the bus at 3:30, but, given the short time period we had, it was 3:30 when we started downhill. Yes, we were the last ones in the bus for the one-hour drive back to the ship. Anbu, our butler, brought us a big tray of shrimp as a “snack.” We downloaded images and headed up to Deck 11 to Sette Mari, the Italian restaurant on the ship for another fine meal. Around 8:30 we headed to our suite to tag images, do email, and write this piece.
Tomorrow is another long day – eight-hours, I think. We dock in Monaco. Our excursion takes us to Nice, Saint Paul de Vance, and Eze. More walking on cobblestones! Such sacrifices we have to make.
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