Wednesday 25th June

Its D-Day minus one, all packed and ready to go. Flying cattle class with EasyJet as its only 1.5 hours, and amazingly we have two hold bags weighing less less 20kgs each..... what have we forgotten? No cabin bags either just one rucksack..... all very strange.

Alarm set for 4am - here we go.....

Thursday 26th June

After a very early start and a quick breakfast in Wagamama, we left a rainy Gatwick for a rather sunnier Lyon.

It shouldn't be too much of a surprise to find that two cold poached eggs on a bed on avocado served on a very small slice of sourdough bread with a cup of tea for two can rattle up a bill of £30 (granted that was for two!). 

Flying EasyJet was an experience too. Queuing for the bag drop off, was like a Disney ride surrounded by mega amounts of young people - boy did we feel old! But it worked well. The self service bag drop off was mastered by old farts as well as young people - the only difference being was the vast array of bare midriffs on show!

The departure lounge had youngsters sitting on the floor cross legged and chatting to each other - us sitting quietly complaining about the hard chairs and commenting how lucky these youngsters are that not only can they sit on the floor, they can get up again!

Flight slightly delayed by a lack of border control staff at Lyon on the outbound leg to LGW resulting in the inbound plane having to wait for 60 passengers to get through to board. EasyJet captain not a happy bunny but he did his best to catch up lost time.

Bags arrived ok and after a 50 minute transfer to the ship through the centre of Lyon which more traffic lights per square mile than anywhere else we have encountered, we arrived on board.

Lovely view from the cabin.

Drinks are included from 6pm so as you might expect we weren't slow in taking our seats in the lounge bar. In fact it is safe to say, we were the first to arrive! 

Over the course of the afternoon and evening we have met three couples, Alfie and Rita from Cheam, whom we met on arrival waiting for our cabins to be ready. Afternoon tea, which was very pleasant and needed as we had missed lunch due to the delayed flight, saw us joined by Tina and Simon a brother/sister combo from Brighton and South Norwood. 

Dinner was a Surrey/Essex affair having been joined by Sue and Pete from Chelmsford formerly from good old East London. A lively couple and great company. They joined us in the bar and stuck with us till the end of the evening. Great company and good fun. Bodes well to the rest of the trip.

The average age of the group, with the last plane load to arrive from Manchester around 8pm is definitely such that we do not feel out of place! A polite way of saying the on board gym is unlikely to be packed out.

We started sailing overnight and let's see what tomorrow brings.....

Friday 27th June

We left Lyon over night on route north along the Saone River towards Macon and Cluny Abbey.

We encountered our first lock just after 8am - remarkably quick going up river but my word.... all very tight and not much space.

At 9.30am we were treated to a presentation from the Hotel Director, a big lad from Bulgaria who explained about what to put down the toilet - the three 'P's ..... paper being the only one he was prepared to openly describe. My thoughts immediately drifted to the more commonly noted habits in the bathroom.... the three 'S's!

A complicated chat about the upcoming trips followed, trying to explain the number of steps involved for those with mobility challenges, and then he tried to explain distances by referring to multiples of the ship's length.... all a bit too much. The final coup de grace came when he explained how to use the audio sets..... amazingly you have to switch them on first.... well no shit Sherlock!

We decided to take a stroll into town, starting off in a gentle heat which suddenly ramped up big time. Safe to say we didn't get to town but we made the bridge.

Macon is a very pretty place which considers itself to be the centre of the world judging by the signpost.

After an exceedingly pleasant lunch of freshly cooked pasta served with a spinach and pesto sauce washed down with a highly disagreeable glass of the local Chardonnay ( I really can't get on with this wine, it just doesn't work for me), we prepared for our afternoon excursion.

We had been told in the morning to meet in the lounge at 1.30. When Viv and I reached reception on our way to the lounge, you couldn't move in the reception area for hordes of old people gagging to escape the ship. So much for waiting in the lounge!

Boarding bus 2 was not as straightforward as you might think. When the first bus has a white label marked with a 2, you can be forgiven for thinking this is the bus we need. The fact that the guide holding a lollipop with a blue 2 is standing some 200 yards away is perhaps a clue to the fact all is not well!

Correct! The white label is a red herring. 

Our trip to Clint Abbey is relatively trouble free except for a dear old lady who obviously didn't listen to the morning briefing cant work her headphone. Can't switch it on!

Cluny Abbey is, according to our local guide, one of the largest abbies (is that the right spelling?) in the world or at least was. Built and extended over many centuries, what remains now is mightily impressive.

The second picture shows the use of the first 'flying buttresses' in the world to allow extra windows to be installed without the walls falling down. The bits in orange are depicting what is left of the Abbey today compared to the building itself in its heyday.

All very impressive and we were even treated to a verse of Frere Jacques sung by our tour group to demonstrate the wonderful acoustics in one of the naves. Apparently the people visiting in the height of its fame numbered over 2500 and they used to sing! I bet they woke up the Good Lord with that noise. Not sure we had quite the same effect...

Onwards afterwards to the George Duboeuf winery, a longstanding Beaujolis wine producer of some merit and longevity.

I am sure it was George Duboeuf's place that guys I used to work with in London back in the day, went to on the third Thursday in November to collect the Beaujolais Nouveau. They would leave on the ferry across the Channel drive down to here, collect said treasure and head back to reach the office by lunchtime - a race to bring home the treasure before others. The only problem was, the wine was dreadful. 
The guide explained Nouveau was only fermented for six days! She called it 'Party Wine'; far too polite if you are being honest!

We sampled three wines, a Chardonnay which confirmed my long held opinion that I don't like it, a rather rustic red which, again, didn't impress and finally a St Amour red which saved the day. Good news..... we passed through the shop with our credit card intact.

We returned to our ship at 6.15, hot, tired and in need of a shower. With dinner at 7.30 preceded by a Captain's Cocktail party which we happily missed, we tried to sneak into the restaurant before the Cruise Director had finished his second speech of the day. Alas, no luck, we were diverted into the lounge to hear the last few 'welcome your chef, welcome your reception manager, welcome your captain...' 

He then proceeded to explain, in fact, it was more of a telling off.... which bit of 'please wait in the lounge do you not understand', he is French and suggested Brits are good at queuing and doing as they are told so don't clog up the reception area! Time will tell whether he has succeeded in getting his message across!

A pleasant dinner followed being joined by Ian and Stephanie a late in life connected couple who enjoyed walking in the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales.

Saturday 28th June

We arrived in Chalon Sur Saone overnight and after a leisurely breakfast, made even more leisurely by the decision taken not to go on the organised tour after the effort of the previous afternoon. We decided to wander into the town which was a short walk in 30 deg C heat even at 9am!

A look inside St. Pierre church in the square was a nice place to cool down a bit. A wonderful building full of charm and calm!

As we walked over the bridge spanning the River Saone, we encountered a lovely old part of town perched on an island. Full of old quaint houses and memories of times past. A strange tower, purported to be built in the 15th Century but I have my doubts that it was actually the one standing there now, the brickwork looks too modern, more like the 19th Century. Spoken like a knowledgeable expert of architectural design which I'm not!

As we ventured back over the bridge, we decided to seek out the Cathedral which was set back in the Square. An imposing building!

The only slight problem was the sign advising that the Cathedral was not open to the public until 2027 due to a complete interior refurbishment. Nice of the  Cruise Director to mention this in his briefing! Not to worry as we sat ourselves down and enjoyed a drink before heading back to the ship as the heat was building up!

A pleasant relaxing afternoon as we started to head back towards Lyon.

The evening briefing from our French Cruise Director, was hilarious. He was trying to explain that we had four buses and five groups. Two groups in one bus, a slower moving group to accommodate those with mobility issues. The buses had letters A to D, the groups numbered 1 to 5. A recipe for confusion! The funniest thing was he put up a map of Lyon on the screens showing the confluence of the two rivers and the mooring area. He then announced we weren't mooring there!! The whole room dissolved into laughter!

We had booked an evening meal in the Brasserie a small intimate area at the back of the ship. We had read the menu and realised it was a charcuterie, with pate, bread, cheeses, French onion soup which was fine for us. It was supposed to be operated for a minimum of ten people and pre booked. We arrived at 7pm and were met by a waiter, nice man very chatty who showed us the spread. Another couple arrived and that was it! Just the four of us, pampered by the waiter! The other couple, regular Riviera cruisers has used the Brasserie before when it was very different - gourmet food etc. How times have changed! They weren't very happy. 

The whole thing was a bit bizarre truth be told and really should have been cancelled with such few people.

Sunday 29th June

Arrived in Lyon late last night and awoke to find we were moored alongside another ship.

A short trip of three hours in the morning was enough in the heat. Sightseeing around a very impressive Basilica (what is the difference between a Basilica, a Cathedral and a Church? - no idea must look that up and let you know later as I'm sure you are desperate to know).

Quite a sprawling town, probably a city, with a myriad of roads and crossings. Our second stop was a visit to the old town, alongside the river with three districts. Attempts were made to destroy the whole area as it had, in years gone by fallen in disrepair. The latest was in the 1970's when a close vote to destroy the area was overturned and since then, many buildings have been repaired and refurbished to look like they did when they were built in Renaissance times.

A series of strange doors at street level lead to other parts of the old town. Arrangements between the tenants and the city noblemen meant that in return for less taxes, the doors of these properties were available to be opened by anyone in the town and a short cut achieved. These were called Trabouies and were traced back to the Renaissance period and last used famously by the French Resistance in the Second World War.

Lyon boasts its own famous cuisine in France, a blend of rich and quite heavy meals. Prices seem reasonable at around 23 € for a two course meal, served in many bistro style cafes and restaurants called Bouchons.

With the heatwave in full flow (if that is the right expression) we seem to be developing a bit of a pattern. A morning trip, back for lunch, then had we been in Spain, an afternoon siesta, but as it's France it's called a Kip!

Another scintillating talk by our cruise director before dinner explained, somewhat awkwardly, how we were going to The Ardeche the following morning, with options no less, previously selected, one choice being the chance to roast in nearly 40 Deg C heat looking at lavender fields or the other, to visit a grotto of limestone caves called after a lady called Madeleine. No brainer, the caves it was for us. 

We set sail to Le Pouzzin and arrived overnight after a couple of bumps into the lock sides suggesting perhaps the captain had enjoyed his vino too much the night before.

Monday 30th June

Another morning rush with breakfast just after 7am and up and out at 8.15am. This time, to confuse everyone, we emptied the lounge by bus number. Not as you might expect .... Bus 1 the 2 then 3... nothing as simple as that for our Cruise head honcho, oh no, buses 2 and 3 called first!

Bus boarded and our guide duly counting the numbers. It's always surprised Viv, why the guides don't count the empty seats. You know, you are expecting 44 people, bus seats 52, therefore count 8 empty seats off you go, job done. No, you have to count heads, un, deux, trois, quatre etc.... just realised by spellcheck set to English doesn't like French numbers.....

Pete and Sue, Viv and I had thought we had lost Roy and Pat and we started to pull away from the ship after the guide had proudly announced we had all on board. We nearly stopped the bus but thankfully didn't as the silly sods had boarded the bus from the back door and we've missed them getting on!

Off to the caves, an hour and fifteen minutes drive past some wonderful countryside. Our guide, Valerie kept us informed and kept referring to the 1970's when hippies in nudist camps revitalised the area and now the Ardeche is one of the most popular parts of France, according to Valerie who happens to live there!

The caves were impressive, agreed much like any other cave but at 14-16 Deg C they were spectacularly cool in all senses of the word.

The outdoor scenery in many ways was just as impressive with the Ardeche Gorges looking splendid from not only the coach windows but the various viewpoints.

Sorry about the two idiots who got in the way of the scenic view!

Our afternoon highlight was the navigation of France's second largest lock. An impressive piece of engineering with the ability to displace 50 million litres of water in less than 10 minutes.

Not sure who the owners of the bikes are but we are heading to Avignon for a chance to sing......

Tuesday 1st July 

Goodness me, July already.... where has the year gone? Avignon today and another early start. We think we will need a holiday when we get back.

This morning started with a walking tour, leaving our ship and heading into town following our guide. Surrounded by the old city walls, Avignon is a picturesque little place with cobbled stones and narrow streets. The Clock Square houses the City Hall, called the Hotel de Ville.

Most things seem to be called Hotel de something.... Hotel de Justice (Law Courts), Hotel de Gendame (Police Station) and so on!

A poor relation of the London Eye sits just outside the City Wall, no pods just canopies so I'm guessing it gets very hot on a day like today.

Avignon of course is famous for its bridge, built many centuries ago and so the story goes, was designed by a twelve year old boy called Benezet, who some seven years earlier had experienced a dream from God. The message from God was to go to Avignon and build a bridge. When he got there, no one believed his dream (tough call that!) so he threw a rock into the river and the locals decided to help him build the bridge after all! According to the story, all the bridge was built across the river but as you can see half of it has collapsed....

Everyone was clearly so impressed by the bridge, no bugger as ever bothered to rebuild the missing bit. Apparently, even the song is wrong..... Sur le point d'Avignon..... l'on e dancer etc is incorrect as the bridge was too narrow and dangerous for people to dance on the bridge, they danced under it..... typical French!

What they do have in the town is a delightful 'petit train' which takes 45 minutes to take you round the town. Well it does when its route is not blocked by delivery or workman's vans!

Before our train ride we were invited to take part in a little playlet, organised by our guide who used several of the group to explain how the town became the centre for the Papacy in the Middle Ages. This was a time when the King of France and the Head of the Church had their issues. There was a falling out with Rome and it all went a bit 'pétanque'. The French popes, there were 7 in a row, largely because the voting Cardinals at the time were all French and the Pope's Palace was built in Avignon - all very odd but again that's the French for you.

Only took 17 years to build and not a bad gaff really. Note the artistic skill in the photo of the sun behind the tower.

Sadly the morning didn't end well for two of our guests who managed to trip over a water pipe lying across the pavement on the way back to the ship. Both went down with some gusto and the ships first aid kit was given a serious work out. Lots of grazes and bruises and who knows, maybe some compensation if they decide to take it further as there were no warning or hazard signs to be seen.

After a brief lunch, I ventured back out into the searing heat. Viv decided to rest up, very sensibly, but I did want to see the Pont Du Gard, the famous Roman aqueduct.

It is amazing what you can create from a relic of 2000 years ago. A museum, cinema hall, restaurant, you name it. All very impressive!

It's very well done with an excellent air conditioned museum explaining how and why the aqueduct was designed and built. The whole area is now used by local people for swimming, canoeing and relaxing beneath this mighty structure built from limestone and containing not one smidge of mortar - you may well ask 'what did the Romans do for us', well for the French at least, they built this amazing structure.

A quick drive afterwards to a small village for a drink, which to be honest was a waste of time and so much so, I can't even recall the name of the place! Arriving back at 6pm was, even for me, a step too far.

One of the highlights of the evening was the six of us, Pete and Sue, Roy and Pat and me and Viv trying to master the techniques required to set up a WhatsApp group. It wasn't helped by our former consulting engineer and major project manager, Roy, giving us an incorrect mobile number which sent us of in totally the wrong direction. Combined ages of getting on for 500 years is not recommended for sorting out things that six five year olds could do in nano seconds. A good laugh but dear God it was a struggle!

Wednesday 2nd July

The Camargue beckons. Hopefully the highlight of the holiday. It didn't start too well when the coaches were delayed for over half an hour but these things happen. Armed with mozzie spray and sun cream we finally, after an hour's drive, reached the orne.....ornath...... orni...... the bird park. Over 250 species of bird and wild life in a very natural environment.

Views of the famous white horses, black bulls and other varieties of wild life were to be seen, mainly from the coach. The park is very wild and natural, which is to be applauded but it was very hot 🥵 and this took the gloss off the trip. When I say took off the gloss, it rather melted!!

Again, the powers that be felt it necessary to add on a visit to another village, this time St. Maries de la Mer. Just time for a quick wander and small beer then back for lunch. In an attempt to finish us off, the bus was 10 minutes late collecting us, which having stood in the hot sun was not terribly clever.

We have had better days to be honest!

Thursday 3rd July

Better day in prospect, we thought. A little rain last night might have cleared the air but not really.

A walk in Arles was the tour with an emphasis on Vincent Van Gogh. Should have started at 9am but the boat moored next to us (amacello) had folk leaving and joining and as we had to traipse over their sun deck to get ashore, we had to wait for the suitcases to be moved.

Heading ashore with our guide, Isobel, a flighty 62 year old single lady from Avignon, she started to entice us into the world of Van Gogh who we quickly learned had moved to Arles from Paris in the early 20th Century. Most of the historical references to Van Gogh related to places of interest that no longer exist. Here is the house he lived in - not there now, he is the cafe he painted at - not there now, have you seen the Van Gogh exhibition in the National Art Gallery in London - it's closed now!

At least this Van Gogh cafe is still here, except it closed two years ago for not paying its taxes..... oh well ..... nearly went in.

The hospital where he spent a month after cutting of his ear has a beautiful garden.

A prolific painter who created over 300 paintings in the year or so he lived in Arles. Sadly a tragic man with many issues leading to him shooting himself at the age of 37.

A lovely town with fine buildings, a lovely church and many fascinating properties some shown below

The town hall, or for those still awake from yesterday, La Ville Hotel.

The next, an impressive church with a combination of architectural designs, one Gothic and the other, sorry but I must have dozed off and I have forgotten!

We returned to the boat for an early lunch as the heat was building up. Our lunch was interrupted by the terrible news of the car crash in Spain which cost the lives of Digo Jota the Portuguese footballer who played for Liverpool but was formerly a Wolves star before his move. In 2018, he played for Wolves against Crystal Palace and I managed to get a selfie with him.

He was only 21 then and now dead at 28, married only two weeks ago and with three young children. How terrible and cruel life can be. RIP and thanks for the old gold memories.

We tried a quick walk back into town after lunch having decided it was too hot to go on the tour. We only lasted 20 minutes before the 36 Deg C (feels like 40 Deg C) temperature got the better of us and we returned to the sanctuary of our air conditioned cabin.

Friday 4th July

Yet Another early start, brekkie at 7.30am then out at 8.45 for a trip to Orange, another interesting town in the Rhine Valley. 
Lovely streets with beige stone buildings with an amazing Roman open air theatre which has various modern day productions.

A wander around the nearby streets was fascinating and topped off by listening to a busking flautist who provided a gentle rendition of a couple of songs from Les Miserables.

There is a common theme about every place we have visited, they all have a square with cafes to sit and watch the world go by. Shady areas provided by centuries old trees, providing the chance to chat and mingle.

We drove on to what we thought was going to be a wine tasting but our taste buds were kept waiting - we were too early! A quick detour along a scenic narrow winding road through Châteauneuf-du-Pape's finest vineyards which caused havoc with the local traffic took us up a hill to enjoy the ruins of an old Chateau.

Impressive structure and lovely views over the Rhone countryside.

At last we arrived at our yearned for destination, one of the 300 wineries in the little town of less than 2000 inhabitants. Chateauneuf du Pape - most people's instantly known wine.

Did you know, the wine from this small area is closely controlled, to be accepted as CDP ( sorry I can't keep typing Chateauneuf-du-Pape), the grapes must be harvested by hand, must be made from one or more of only 13 varieties of grape, 🍇 limited to so much production per hectare and not watered other than by nature. The roots of a vine can go down over 25 metres and the vines are surrounded by stones brought from the Rhone river.

Finally, the tasting, this after an interesting presentation by Nicholas a die hard Frenchman who had worked in the winery for years, having a 'lived in' face but, we think, had a secret yearning to be a Brit. Three times he used the word 'bloody' in the correct context, in a attempt to align himself with his audience. 
He was interesting and did explain how to taste wine but not before you have used the senses of sight and smell to ascertain the age and not one but two 'noses' after swirling the red or white nectar by holding the glass by the stem not the goblet bowl.

The white wine retails at a very reasonable €6.90, the middle red at €10.50 and the red on the right, a Special Edition CDP at €35. All very encouraging and there is a Brexit 'Brucey' bonus of a 20% tax reduction for non EU residents.

Sadly, the cost of shipping at €170 for a 12 bottle case rather takes the gloss off! We decided to wait until the next Sainsbury's 25% off for 6 bottles offer! Cheapskate or what!!

The dinner should have been a highlight, a five course extravaganza, but sadly the air con in the restaurant suffered a malfunction and with 130 people in one sitting, it all got a bit too hot.

Saturday 5th July

Heading back to Lyon overnight managing a couple of bumps in the locks which is not surprising given its dark and there is not much room either side of the ship.

Usual breakfast but thankfully not going out this morning, instead we have a disembarkation talk at 9.30 from our Cruise Director who can turn the most simplest of messages into something used for a NASA space launch. Fair to say, he has been abysmal all cruise. 

It does not take a genius to explain you need to get a coloured luggage tag (pre determined), put it on your own luggage (pre determined), put the cases outside your cabin door (you guessed it, pre determined), at the appointed time (yes, that's correct, pre determined) and finally leave the ship.

The very good news is, out of your cabin by 9am, but we are not being collected to go to the airport until 3.15pm. Lunch, a light one, is available in the lounge so that's even better.

A small bar bill settled, cruise survey completed, and a trip arranged for this afternoon, so a good finale in prospect.

Our trip to Perouges was the only one we opted to pay for. Slightly concerned it was due to start at 1.30 we chose a light lunch and sure enough, true to form, the Cruise Director's announcement came early! 
A 40 minute coach ride with not a lot to see as it was mainly motorway, seemed to go quickly as we were royally entertained by Stephanie, by far the best guide of the whole trip. Was this because we paid for the excursion! Perhaps rather cynically it may have been!

Perouges is a delightful 12th century village, most of which has been beautifully preserved.

Walking mostly on cobblestones providing a wonderful foot massage, this village has much to offer including being used for a film set for The Three Muskateers.

The undoubted highlight and something most unexpected was the moment our guide, having explained the wonders of the village church, suddenly announced she would, if we didn't mind, offer us a song.

Many of you may recall the moment when Susan Boyle took to the stage in Britain's Got Talent, and the judges and the audience, to a man and woman, had an extremely low expectation of what was to follow. We didn't know what to expect from Stephanie.... and then without warning she delivered the most beautiful aria in Latin enhanced by the wonderful acoustics.

I managed to record the moment but sadly can't attach it to the blog. I will let you know if I can find some method of allowing this exquisite rendition to be posted.

A local delicacy, galette was served for tasting accompanied by a glass of local cider inside a beautiful 13th century inn.

A wonderful afternoon and a timely return to the ship for the customary G&T and canapés at 6pm.

This last picture may look a little odd.... indeed it is. As we left the village we encountered a group of people dressed in 1940's outfits and a number of US Army jeeps..... I couldn't resist a picture next to one.

Sunday 6th July

Our last morning in France, well we hope so anyway. Read on to find out more.

After breakfast, as most of our fellow passengers were departing, we walked up to the local square, partly to use up some time and partly to see some of the sights we had missed on earlier sorties into Lyon.

As we waited for our 3.15pm pick up, we enjoyed a light lunch with many of the new arrivals. A strange scenario as on ocean cruises, you get ejected from the ship by 9am, but on this occasion, we were allowed to remain until much later in the day.

Seems very odd talking to people you don't normally see and being asked ' what's it like?'.

We met a young lad named Chris, a Bulgarian, who explained he was the new 'Entertainment Manager'. Accompanied by another guy, they are trialling a new package of entertainment offerings by Riviera. These include an interactive quiz based on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, using handsets no less and given the quizzes 10 seconds to make their choices. Further offerings will include a book club, Pilates, Yoga classes, a DJ Disco and dancing.

Now forgive my cynicism, but as I look round at the clientele in our cruise, the use of handsets with six buttons for A-D (four choices) within 10 seconds is an interesting concept. Dancing to disco music could put unnecessary strain on new hips and knees as well as those old hips and knees awaiting surgery.

We wished him well and would love to be a fly on the wall as he tries to get the oldies firing in all cylinders.

Arriving at the airport before the 2 hour before scheduled departure meant a wait with bags! After check in we learned of a 20 minute delay. Boarding started then stopped...... a technical issue with the plane which turned out to be a damaged tyre..... a 45 minute delay.

Once we boarded the plane, the Captain announced a further 1 hr 10 minute delay due to air traffic delays and bad weather over London. As I type this we are still on the ground awaiting clearance. EasyJet delay policy has swung into action..... a delay of more than two hours means a free snack and hot drink of your choice! Who know what time we will get home..... hopefully the Captain has enough flying hours left!

Summary

This cruise holiday is a tough one to analyse if I'm honest. Our first Riviera river cruise and probably our last. Curate's egg springs to mind. Some very hard working and attentive staff, a nice but very bijou cabin, a choice of dinner menus which were restrictive and repetitive and lots of little nice (and should) haves, simply not there.

Breakfasts were good although the common complaint of cold plates were very evident. Lunch, again, buffet style was generally good. Choice of meal time wines were non-existent but on the whole drinkable.

Entertainment dreadful - an awful pianist who, on leaving the ship as we did, took the ship's microphone!

The cruise director, was a complete non event. His presentation skills were those of a complete numpty and he managed to turn the simplest explanation into a jumble of utterly incomprehensible gibberish.

All of that said, we saw many places of beauty and interest and would urge anyone to visit this part of France, just be careful of the carrier you choose.

Thank you for reading and we look forward to meeting up again in late September. Au revoir everyone!