Monday, September 5. Yesterday I wrote that the guide was a firecracker. Today’s guide was the opposite. Granted, she knew her history, but if I’d been on a bus, nothing after the first sentence would have been heard. Zzzz. Monotone voice.

First stop (sort of) was to the famous bridge that was the focus of a famous French children’s song “On the Bridge of Avignon”. I’d never heard it, but Yoriko had. The stop was too short to have any meaning. The photo I have was actually from a drive-by later in the day.

Next was the main focal point of interest. The French Pope’s “Vatican”. Described as the largest gothic building in the world, it was certainly impressive. Unfortunately, during the early 19th century the agnostic French turned it into a military barracks, whose soldiers destroyed or defamed many rooms in the building. Much of the tour involved imagining what it had looked like. Moreover, it seemed that the complex was not built in a consistent manner, which added some novelty to the whole. There was a disorganized feel to it all. But overall, it was very interesting.

Most of the remaining tour was lost to me. The guide was that boring. When free time was announced, we departed the group and wandered through some shopping areas, though many stores were closed (Monday). The famous(?) farmers’ market was also closed on Mondays. We had a very slow lunch (ribeye and a really nice looking grilled cheese sandwich). Visited the old city walls. Eventually, we joined our self-arranged (Viator) wine tour.

Long story short, visited three wineries, tasted 14 wines, bought a case to be shipped, saw some great views, and learned some things about making wine in France.

We returned to the ship too late to join our regular gang of Canadian, Welsh, and British misfits, but had a great dinner with four people we hadn’t met before. Saw our friends long enough to say goodbye. Packed. Tomorrow we head to Paris by Train.