Day Two - Arles, France

Phil and I were up about 6:00 am -- he went to the lobby for coffee and I posted the blog.  We had a very good breakfast in the the dining room --- Patte and Dave joined us.  We all slept well and felt like were now on Europe time.

Luckily our hotel is just across the street from the "Musee Departmental Arles Antique" which has a wonderful permanent collection going back to prehistoric times (2500 to 1800 B.C.).  In addition there is currently an exhibit showcasing Auguste Rodin -- his own works of sculpture and paintings as well as his personal collection of ancient statuary which gave him pleasure and creative ideas.  It was a thrill to see "The Thinker" in bronze on a small scale and on a massive scale in stone.

After spending the  morning at the museum we checked out of the hotel -- took a cab to the ship, dropped our luggage and proceeded to explore an area of Arles which dates to Roman times. 

It was such a glorious day that lunch in an outdoor cafe seemed like a must.  We chose Le Pitchoune located in a square which shares space with several other establishments nearby.  Patte and I had Croque Monsieur -- excellent, Phil had an Italien Salad - excellent, Dave had a Hamburger with pommes frites -- not so good.   Dave specifically said medium well -- it came back raw and with an unexpected sauce on the top.     I took his plate to the waitress to be cooked more --  she was most accommodating but clearly did not understand what I meant until I said "no red" and pointed to the middle of the burger --- it came back well done -- perfect.   We have learned that the French eat their meat very rare and do not understand why anyone would do otherwise.  Dave says he's switching to chicken and fish for the duration of the trip.

After lunch we strolled around streets holding the ancient buildings and more recent shops of Arles.  We will have a guided walking tour of Arles tomorrow.  I love the colorful tablecloths from this area -- everything is so vibrant -- I just may have to bring one home with me.

We arrived back at the ship about 3:30 pm -- our luggage was in our rooms.  We proceeded to get settled, take a tour of the ship and relax for a bit on the Sun Deck before the 6:30 pm welcome and safety reception complete with champagne.  This really is the only way to travel.

Dinner was served at 7:30pm -- it was excellent -- service, food and the local wine.  After dinner we were entertained by two guitarists and a Flamenco dancer -- they were quite good and so excited to be on board. 

We learned tonight that the ship will not be traveling on the river overnight which means that after dinner we can walk around whatever town we are in --- or even have dinner on land if we want to try some of the local fare.

Another good day  --- looking forward to tomorrow when I promise I will talk about Van Gogh after our visit to the asylum where he spent a year and painted some of his most famous pieces.

Thanks for reading.