Cote D’Azur to Paris on Avalon
The adventure begins …
Casino in Monte Carlo
We LOVE river cruising! We recently returned from yet another river cruise in France. We escorted a small group aboard Avalon’s Poetry II from the Cote d’Azur to Paris. We spent a fabulous night in Monte Carlo at the Fairmont hotel which was right on the bay. We sat at the restaurant in the hotel on the water watching the very expensive yachts pull in for the night. Such a display of wealth! It’s always so unimaginable that there is so very much wealth around the globe.
When you take a river cruise and sign up for the pre-and post-tours you are treated to grand hotels and wonderful tours. We all decided to take the hop on hop off bus to explore this amazing city built into a rocky hill. Later we walked to the casino and one of the women in our party was able to realize a dream come true by gambling at one of the most expensive and lavish casinos in the world. Everything in the area was absolutely stunning! Such an adventure to begin our beautiful journey.
Roman Colosseum in Arles
The next day we were picked up from the Fairmont Hotel in a motor coach to make our way to the Rhone River at Arles, France to embark on the Poetry II for 7 nights. The ship was beautiful! Our cabins clean and bright. We quickly unpacked so we could explore the ship and walk around the area before the mandatory safety drill. Next was the Captains Cocktail welcome aboard and a wonderful dinner and then live music in the lounge. The dinner was delicious and we were always offered several choices of entrees, appetizers and desserts. It was often difficult to decide which one to choose, but then again if you wanted 2 entrees or only 2 appetizers and dessert it was all up to you. There is food and wine aplenty! Everyone is so accommodating and happy to make you happy.
We were set up to embark on our extremely enjoyable journey. The towns in France along the Rhone were some of the prettiest we’ve seen. We often enjoy taking a break after the walking tour for a glass of wine and a crepe or macaroon to simply reflect on what we’ve seen that day. Life is good on a river cruise!
Featured image of the Cote D’Azur, courtesy of Pixabay . Other images from the author.