Page 26 - Explore Magazine Spring 2017

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ROMANCING THE RHÔNE

Vineyards, village squares, amphitheatres and chocolate: Tracey Bluck of helloworld Mt Maunganui
says seven days on a Uniworld Boutique River Cruise through southern France wasn’t long enough!

Last March I joined a group of helloworld agents
who were lucky enough to experience a week on a
Uniworld river cruise in the South of France. Having
never cruised before I was a little unsure how I
would like it, but I went prepared to experience
everything I could.
The week’s adventure began when we joined our
Uniworld cruise ship, SS Catherine, in Avignon.
What a sleek, modern-looking ship she is – and her
interior is even more impressive. We were met by
our room stewards, who showed us to our spacious,
beautifully decorated staterooms. We had a quick
tour of the ship before unpacking our bags – I
couldn’t quite bring myself to accept the steward’s
offer to do it for me!
That night set the evening routine for the next week:
we met for drinks in the Van Gogh lounge where our
cruise director explained to us where we would be
the next day and outlined the sightseeing options
and other activities. We also met the two captains,
and the sommelier told us all about the wines she
had paired with our menu for that evening.
Then it was off for a delicious three-course, silver-
service, à la carte dinner. The waiters got to know
our drinks of preference within a day and the menu
included local specialities from whichever town we
were visiting. After dinner we headed back to the
Van Gogh lounge for a nightcap or to the smaller,
more intimate Bar du Léopard at the rear of the
ship. From there you could watch the twinkling
lights of the small villages and bigger towns as we
cruised to our next destination.
On the first morning of the cruise we woke up in the
small village of Tarascon, gateway to the Camargue
region of Provence. The main sightseeing option was
a short bus drive away: the town of Arles, where
Van Gogh spent 18 months producing more than
200 paintings. We also visited the second-largest
Roman amphitheatre in Europe (still used for
bullfighting today). home, which had many hidden rooms L’Hermitage/Tournon-sur-Rhône, which
The following day saw us back in Avignon, where we that were used to hide Jews from for me was one of the trip highlights.
opted out of the tours and took the opportunity to sit the Nazis during WW2. To finish off, Here we opted for one of the active
in an outdoor bar in the central square and absorb we enjoyed a game of pétanque with options: a hike through the vineyards
the ambience of a beautiful French city in spring. the local men. It was amazing to with two wine-tasting stops. This
That afternoon we paid a visit to the Pont du Gard, an experience life in a rural French village. was followed by a visit to the world-
extremely well-preserved Roman aqueduct. Soon we were cruising to our next famous Valrhona chocolate shop. Tain
L’Hermitage is the home of Valrhona
Our next stop along the river was the tiny village of destination so we spent the remainder chocolate and a lot more tasting
Viviers – Uniworld is the only cruise line that stops of the day sitting in the sun on the top happened! This visit is a must-do.
in this quaint place. We walked through the cobbled deck watching the countryside pass by,
alleyways up to the small 12th-century cathedral and going through locks, a fascinating The next day saw us in Lyon, where
for a pipe organ concert, then back via our guide’s experience. That night we tied up in Tain I decided again to take the active

HELLOWORLD : EXPLORE : SPRING EDITION