Burgundy and Provence River Cruise with Carole Alberda and Diana Blind

Burgundy and Provence

Day 1...After arriving in Marseille we were greeted by our Uniworld representative and transferred to our ship docked in Arles. Looking forward to our river cruise up the Rhone through Provence. Here is the Map of the Area.                                       

We were up on deck with a glass of wine...    Toasting our safe arrival... No luggage yet but we are on board... Looking forward to our river cruise through the French countryside and experiencing the fine cuisine, wine, art, nature and history... We are ready for our first night’s sleep before we take a tour of Arles.

Day 2

Breakfast was fresh fruit, meats, cheese, French bread, blueberry pancakes and then off for a walking tour of Arles...

Here you can find the actual spot where Vincent Van Gogh painted many of his famous works, including “Starry Night.” Arles has impressive remains from the Roman and medieval past, including the amphitheatre, where they still hold bullfights today...

Day 3

Avignon-- famous for the Palace of the Popes and Avignon bridge... The old town is surrounded by a 3-mile long wall with 39 towers and 8 gates. The walls were built from 1350 to 1368. Very windy but the sun is out...

Expanding on Day 3 in Avignon... Just to let you know that Carole received her luggage on Monday and Diana received hers on Tuesday – both delivered to the ship courtesy of Air France. Our cruise director Christian was on top of things with Air France.

In Avignon we enjoyed a ride from the ship thru the town to the Popes Palace on a “train” with a delightful commentary by our guide Nina. Once again the weather was cool but dry. We enjoyed the leisurely walk back to the ship which took about 20 minutes after our sightseeing. That evening we left on our next stop of Viviers. It is really a nice way to see Europe without packing and unpacking.

Day 4

We docked in Viviers at about 700 am. During the night we passed through the deepest lock on the Rhone River which is about 75 ft deep. We pass through a total of 15 locks on the journey along the Rhone and Saonerivers. Once again we enjoyed a marvelous walking tour with guide through the quaint little town up to the smallest cathedral in France.

We were afforded a marvelous organ recital for about 30 minutes before walking down to the city hall and were presented with a brunch which consisted of the local specialties provided by the tourist office and the townspeople. After the 25 minute walk back to the River Royale we then left for our next stop Tournon. That afternoon and evening was spent relaxing and enjoying a presentation given by our Hotel Manager Eric. All of our presenters were very informative, and we enjoyed their quick and very dry sense of humour. We have been very impressed with the crew and the high quality and selection of the food. When they say wine with dinner, they really mean it and are very generous with their refills. That evening was spent participating in games with Christian and Eric.  Most of the passengers joined in, and we all seemed to have a great deal of fun. Evenings such as that really bring the passengers together, and it becomes like a really large family cruising together.

Day 5

This morning, which was rather a cold and damp day, we arrived in Tournon which is famous for its chocolates and wine. In fact, the film ”Chocolat” had some scenes filmed there. We toured the town and winery before reboarding the ship. We had people from one of the local chocolate “factories” come on board and explain how they make it and the difference between the different flavors. 

Day 6

We were all looking forward to our arrival in Lyon, which has much to offer in the way of history and shopping. Lyon is a city of cathedrals and bridges as both the Rhone and Saone flow through it. Lyon was also the heart of the French resistance during the Second World War. We boarded our coach for a ride through the town up to the basilica at the top of the hill, which gave us a wonderful view of the city. The weather was quite chilly and the wind was strong but at least no rain. Our tour guide Pierre showed us the passageways that the resistance used to escape from the Germans, and we walked through a couple of them and we could see that they started on one street and ended up on another. We walked around the old town after lunch before going back to the ship. That afternoon they had on board two representatives from a local silk company. They demonstrated silk screening and how they added color with hand painting. This particular company makes the scarves by hand and only makes about 30 per day, whereas at the Hermes factory they are made by machine and they make 7,000 per day. After another sumptuous dinner we sailed for Chalon-sur-Saone.

Day 7, The Final Day of Our Burgundy Cruise

Our included tour was to the town of Beaune in the heart of Burgundy.  After about 45 minutes by coach we arrived in the town of Beaune. We were given a marvelous tour of the extraordinary Hospices of Beaune which was a charitable hospital founded in 1443 and run by the nuns. After the tour we had free time to explore the town. We were in luck! It was Saturday and it was market day. The stalls were stacked with fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses and breads, along with clothing, and assorted houehold goods. We bought some wine at very reasonable prices – for France – to bring back with us. In the town square there was a lovely old carousel and a band was playing some great music for the enjoyment of the shoppers.  The sun was shining and it was a delightful way to spend the morning. The bus took us back to the ship for lunch after which we had time to explore Chalon-sur-Saone. We knew that we had to pack as we had an early departure the next morning. It was hard to do as we really felt we would miss the new friends we had made. The small size of the River Royale made it easy to meet people and we had quickly become friends with many of the passengers. It is quite different from a large ocean-going cruise ship, but I think more charming and a lovely way to experience the smaller towns of Europe.

We have thoroughly enjoyed this river cruise and Uniworld did a great job from start to finish in the quality of the crew, shore excursions, and quality of food. There was something for everyone from music in the lounge for dancing to wonderful lectures on the politics of France, and Christian the cruise director was a fantastic narrator and really knew his history. Although he was French, he even made fun of the French and their idiosyncrasies.

The cabins  are well appointed although small compared to some of the ocean cruise ships. We did not need for anything. Bottled drinking water was provided in all of the staterooms along with a bowl of fruit, and the bathrooms were equipped with a hair dryer, shampoos and body lotions. With the rate of exchange between the dollar and the euro, this is definitely the way to travel if you are going to Europe because everything is included. The euro is enjoying its best rate of exchange so shopping is more expensive, but we were still able to find a few souvenirs. We arrived home in Tucson tired but with very fond memories of a wonderful vacation.