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Bit of a Blog - M/S Chardonnay - Cote d'Azur to Paris - August 1st 2013


NorbertsNiece
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As you can see from my sig I have been used to cruising in BIG ships so this will be a whole new adventure for me. My Uncle Norbert and Aunt Alice have flown over from California for a few days pre-cruise with me and the family prior to the 3 of us heading off to Nice to meet up with the rest of the group. We last cruised together in 2008 on Independence of the Seas and I blame them entirely for re-igniting in me the love for this type of holiday, having cruised as a child with my parents.

 

My co-travellers are in their 80s and accessibility may be an issue….. will see how it goes. I am relatively active with hip and back problems currently in abeyance. There has been excellent communication from Grand Circle Travel (GCT) in the lead up to the cruise. All the other passengers appear to be from the US unsurprisingly. We have been provided with a list of all their names and home towns. They have me down as coming from a US town which is where the booking originated from. No biggie. I’ve stuck ‘London, UK’ over the location on my name badge!

 

The original package would have included flights from the US with transfers. Pre and post cruise extensions would have been possible. I tried to drop the 3 day stay in Paris at the end of the river cruise but would not have been refunded that portion…. I know Paris fairly well but as they have organised excursions to Versailles and Giverny which I have yet to experience I am looking forward to gaining even more insight into this neck of the woods. I have family in Paris but August is holiday time and most of them will be out of town!!

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We'll embark tomorrow.

 

Currently writing this in the restaurant of the Grand Hotel Aston, Nice where our first nights accommodation is included. Free wi fi!

 

Not seen the Chardonnay yet but here is a pic. Soooo very different to what I've become used to!

 

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The deck plan..... I will be in cabin #2. I don't know which Norbert and Alice will be in....

 

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Our itinerary

 

Itinerary.jpg

 

This would be a road map of our itinerary..... am not smart enough to figure out how to distinguish the ports of call on the river..... :rolleyes:

 

Route.jpg

Edited by NorbertsNiece
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Linda, I am so excited I saw this on your FB page!! I look forward to following you here on Cruise Critic!! I always love to go virtual cruising with you through your blog! I have never been on this type of a cruise, so I am extra interested to hear what you think!

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Linda, I am so excited I saw this on your FB page!! I look forward to following you here on Cruise Critic!! I always love to go virtual cruising with you through your blog! I have never been on this type of a cruise, so I am extra interested to hear what you think!

 

Just seen it on your FB page too!

 

Will be following along as I was intrigued with them when Viking River Cruises were sponsoring drama on ITV :)

 

Carol

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I like that itinerary Linda...waiting for more.. :)

 

Hi Jason! I couldn't help but notice that you will be sailing on Splendour of the Seas in November. We are going on the October 26th sailing. Looking forward to this beautiful cruise!

Christine

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Hi Jason! I couldn't help but notice that you will be sailing on Splendour of the Seas in November. We are going on the October 26th sailing. Looking forward to this beautiful cruise!

Christine

 

Yes my wife is excited about Venice plus it's a family cruise our 3 sons will be joining us, should be a giggle..

 

Jason

Edited by Jason12
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Yes my wife is excited about Venice plus it's a family cruise our 3 sons will be joining us, should be a giggle..

 

Jason

 

Wonderful! We will be celebrating our 25th Wedding Anniversary. I see you will be doing so in August! Congratulations!

 

Christine

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The day started really well. The cab picked me up nice and early and then on to fetch the others from their hotel. Traffic was not too bad to Heathrow and we arrived in good time to Terminal 5 and checked in without too much delay. Having requested wheelchair assist for Norbert there were none available and there were 6 others in the queue ahead of us. Norbert felt confident enough to manage without…. And he’d lost his cane. It wasn’t in his bag so we guess it’s at the hotel.

 

We walked slowly through security. Things have changed since last I was there….. boarding passes are scanned by machine just after bag drop and again just before hand baggage and human scanning. As usual I bleep. I get the full body scanner thingy for the first time and the security person showed me the image of me and undefinable alert half way down my chest on the right hand side…. Or was it the left? Anyway it wasn’t in the hip area…. Which is where I assumed it would be as I have had hip revision surgery. Norbert has hair gel in a tube larger than 100ml which is picked by the scanners and he is also selected to have his trainers scanned.

 

We pick up some small size items in ‘Boots’ (and a collapsible cane!) and breakfast in ‘Giraffe’. Boarding is about to start and we head over in good time. A wheelchair is called for and Norbert is spared the walk to the aircraft. Flight is uneventful and on time.

 

Disembarking the plane…… they are expecting someone else requiring a wheelchair who also boarded with one…. She has negotiated the steps and disappeared. We are walked over to a high loader vehicle….. step free… and driven over to arrivals. Luggage is already appearing on the carousel… with one exception. Alice’s. The wonderful airport wheelchair assistant accompanies us over to the relevant desk. ‘Ah yes’ she says in French. It’s till in London. It will be on the next plane and with you this evening. Definitely. This happens all the time. Sigh. I’m so glad I speak French.

 

We are met in the arrivals hall by a driver and van and driven to the Hotel Aston, the Grand Hotel Aston. Meh. It’s not so Grand but for one night it’s fine. We have rooms on the same floor though at opposite ends. My room has a pack and play all set up. Very nice but I don’t need it. I’m so glad I speak French. A quick call to reception gets a promise of its removal. It’s in my way so I take matters into my own hands and schlep it into the corridor. It collapses en route. What do I know about such things…. In my day they were made of wood…..

 

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There’s a Met & Greet organised for 5pm, which is now….. we head on down and meet Olivia, our vibrant, charismatic tour leader. She is super-fit, very holistic and extremely professional. No messing with this one! She details various items and then has us introduce ourselves briefly. The first to introduce themselves is a travel writer and his wife…. The next is me and I tell everyone about the blog. Some time later we get to a gentleman who announces his profession and says he is from New York….. now you know that thing where you say you are from somewhere and someone says do you know xxxxx and of course you don’t…… well I did that thing….. and he DID know this cousin of mine in the same profession….. who had happened to hire him and they had worked together for 10 years….. I got very emotional as my cousin has passed away and it was wonderful to have had this crossing of paths…… crazy though right? I’ve signed up for a couple of optional excursions and will write about those when they happen, one with the folks and one without.

 

We had dinner in the hotel as Norbert wasn’t up to walking….. it was wonderful…. I had Asparagus Risotto with Scallops. We then took a walk into town a stones throw away. I have only ever flown into Nice and headed out straight away in the past. The centre is a lively place with an attempt to Italianate elegance. Loads of restaurants, coffee shops and best of all ice cream parlors! Norbert and Alice needed an ATM and Olivia has provided us all with very detailed booklets on everywhere we will be, the history and what to see.

 

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By the time we get back Alice’s case has arrived and has been placed in her room. Yay! I am ready for a shower. It dawns on me that I can see out of the bathroom window to windows directly opposite. I turn off the light. If I can see out they can see in. Right? Right. I play with the blind and there is no way to black it out. I’m glad I speak French. Alexander comes up…… no-one has noticed this before. Really. No-one. There is no way I can use the bathroom. At least the WC is in a room by itself. The hotel is fully booked…. There is no alternate room for me. I call Olivia. She does her ‘thing’ to no avail. Alexander has admitted defeat….. he brings a sheet in and covers the window. He asks if it’s ok. I say it isn’t a Picasso or a Rembrandt. I’m glad I speak French.

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I know we've talked about doing this together, and I sure wish we could be there, but this is going to be so much fun reading along with your adventure!

 

Have a wonderful time! (And if we ever do make this type of cruise, I want you to come along too, because I'm so glad you speak French! ;))

Edited by Lynne95
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Am sitting in a lounge on Chardonnay and have had a wonderful, if extremely hot, day. Although the wi fi signal here appears to be excellent I'm not able to upload pics to photobucket right now so you will have to cope with the written word until I can!! And there's many.

 

Breakfast in the hotel was very good indeed. An excellent choice of hot and cold food and beverages.

 

We were taken on a walking tour to the flower market which was so much more. Fresh fruits, dried fruit, crystallised fruit, fruit still on trees..... Socca, which is a chick pea pancake..... I bought a portion for 3 euros and shared it with those who wanted a taste!! It needed something to pep it up if I'm honest... maybe a salsa dip.....

 

Very, very hot (the Socca and the weather!)

 

We were going to join the others on a tourist train ride to see the view of the town but the walk proved too arduous for my uncle.... we struggled to a cafe and enjoyed a drink instead! We just about managed to walk him back to the hotel. Alice and I will be re-assessing just how much we can reasonably expect him to do.

 

He found his original cane!! It was packed in his luggage.... so now he has 2.

 

I ran out to Galleries Lafayette to buy him a baseball cap.... they only had Panama style hats at around $285..... I don't think so..... found him something altogether more reasonable in the main shopping area and bought us goat cheese baguettes to eat for lunch on the coach.

Edited by NorbertsNiece
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We had left our checked baggage outside our rooms and these were delivered to the waiting coach; around 130pm we headed off to Draguignan, to the American Army cemetery.

 

Bruce, the guide there, imparted his knowledge with great respect and attention to detail. I will tell you the story of one of the graves specifically when I can upload the pics.

 

859 men and one service woman are buried there..... the average age is 22.... they have the names of 294 missing in action soldiers inscribed on a memorial wall..... many of the graves were of unknown solders. There is a beautiful chapel.

 

I have never visited a war cemetery before and found the whole experience incredibly moving. GCT sends a floral wreath every Friday to be placed on any grave. No soldier is ever forgotten.

 

There are 24 graves of Jewish soldiers and marble stones are provided so that they can be placed by visitors on the grave as is the tradition in Judaism on visiting a graveside. Their stone is carved with the Star of David.

 

The original cemetery been used by the Germans. Their bodies were disinterred after the war and either repatriated or buried elsewhere. Other nationalities who suffered losses are also buried nearby.

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Whilst the drive to Draguignan took around 90 minutes the drive to Arles took considerably longer.... holiday and Friday traffic on the road combined to delay our arrival. Olivia did a stirling job of imparting information.... think I may have missed some as I slept.... There is cold bottled water for sale on the coach for 1 euro and Olivia serves us a jam tart each (tartelettes) at 4pm.

 

Thinking ahead she passed round a menu for us to choose what we would like to eat on our last night in Paris.... which is over a week away.... we are being 'treated' by the tour company. Other than breakfast in Paris we will have to fend for ourselves the other days.... I know the perfect steak restaurant.... and I also know where to get the perfect 'mille feuilles'!! Just have to figure out how to get the folks there!

 

We arrive in Arles which appears to be a lovely walled city and board our home for the next 7 days..... we are not leaving for Avignon until tomorrow evening so the pink boa has yet to make an appearance!! I have been bitten by a multitude of mosquitoes this evening.... wanted to sit out on deck to write this up.... ho hum....

 

I love my room. The bedding is in Provencal yellow..... this is Van Gogh country and I am a very happy bunny.

 

We have a meeting within 15 minutes of boarding.... an orientation given by the Hotel Manager Corinne. She is vibrant and enthusiastic. Muster is unlike anything I have ever experienced.... comprised of us sitting down and watching a crew member put on the life jacket..... oh and we heard the siren blast.... We were introduced to the captain and crew and then dinner was served.

 

There is a wine package and a soft drinks package. Meals are all taken together once everyone is seated. I have requested and been served Gluten Free alternates at dinner and have been promised GF bread for breakfast!!

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Linda, you mention Mosquitos. Are you finding a lot of Mosquitos on the river? Are they preventing you from sitting out on the outside decks/terrace? We leave in 2.5 wks for our south of France river cruise and wonder if I should pack bug spray?

Thanks. Love following your trip report

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