Oct 25 & 26 - Collioure & Banyuls

10-25: Didn’t leave the apartment today. Stuart has more sniffles and feels pretty punky. I worked on the trip album, which I haven’t done in a while. It was a pretty day outside and a little bit warmer. There we lots of people on the promenade, on the beach, and in the water. The water depth goes out very slowly. There are groups of people who apparently exercise by walking waist deep or so in the water. We ate baked potatoes with chili for dinner, and a pizza and a salad for lunch. Hoping to do some exploring tomorrow.

10-26: Stuart walked to a nearby shop and got us pastry for breakfast. We did laundry and then headed out for adventure. The weather is supposed to lovely today in the lower 70’s. We drove to Collioure, which is a lovely city on the sea. It was very crowded there. We drove around trying to find a parking place but we finally gave up and went on to Banyuls. The drive was lovely through the rolling hills and terraced vineyards. We did find a spot to park in Banyuls. We walked around a bit and had lunch there. It seems to have changed a lot since 2000, no surprise. On the drive back we stopped at a little shack for a wine tasting. I bought some aperitif wine for the cousins and a bottle of rosemary vinegar. We just had cheese and crackers for dinner because we were still full from lunch. The full moon tonight is amazing.

Oct 23 & 24 - Canet-en-Roussillon

10-23: Canet-en-Roussillon. I contacted the cousins by email this afternoon and we will wait to hear back from them. Stuart walked to the nearby Carrefour for a few things and noted many restaurants and cafes along the way. Since we have a washing machine it is time to do laundry. The wind wass really blowing and even blew over our drying rack. Yes, a drying rack – dryers as we know them are not common items and homes, but luxury items. Sand is blowing and the water is rough this morning. While we saw many boat yesterday, there are none today. It was windy and cold all day. By evening we have very dark clouds but no rain ever came.

10-24: Canet-en-Roussillon. Temperature is 60˚ today and the wind continues. We do see a few people out in the water walking for exercise. The water is 67˚so maybe it feels warm to them? We also ventured out for a nice lunch. We love sitting outside but it was just too windy. Stuart opted for the hamburger but I had cannellonis de joue boeuf confita, bechamel a la tomme catalane, (which translated to confit beef cheek cannelloni Catalan tomato bechamel), It was superb. The rest of the day we spent inside playing cards and Rummikub. We both have a bit of sniffles, which we hope will go away.  

Oct 22 - Arles to Perpignan

10-22: Today is a day in need of a lot of flexibility! Right at bedtime last night Stuart got an email saying our train will not be running today due to weather. We know the rain has been a bit brutal but we did not know it was to the point of stopping trains! Things are in turmoil on the ship. People heading to the airport or the extension trip are eagerly waiting to go but their busses are not getting through either. Cruise host Clare said we should go to the train station ASSP in hopes that things will rapidly change and we will get a train out today. That was not the case. In fact, the announcement on the board stated things are hoped to be running on those tracks by 10-27. We had a coffee and croissant but figured nothing would move here so we began searching alternatives for the 2.5-hour drive. No rental cars are available. Most taxis need a 24-hour window to secure the reservation. We opted for Uber and lucked out with a great driver. All along the drive we saw nothing that would make you think that things were not operating as usual. We arrived to the Perpignan train station in plenty of time to get our reserved car – Oh wait, they don’t have our car! We can wait an hour or so and maybe they would have the car OR take a larger vehicle, that of course, costs more. That’s not how it works in the US, but wait, we are not in the US! We will try to claim that on our insurance along with the cost of the train tickets, which are now useless, and the cost of the Uber! We’ll see how that works out. Anyway, we secured the car and headed on the 20-minute drive to our Airbnb in Canet en Roussillon. The place was easy to find but the parking took time. There was a designated spot, but instead of being unlocked, it was locked. We finally got that resolved with the host via phone. We’re inside but we can’t seem to figure out how to turn on heat or the stove. We’ve been doing this for awhile and most hosts leave a bit of instructions for the guest. It is a nice enough place. We are on the 3^rd floor (2^nd in the US) with a great view. The beach is right across the street and it is a lovely shoreline. If weather ever gets above 65˚ and windy, we will walk on the beach. Anyway, we had a lovely sunset, we are safely to our destination, and we are thankful for that.

Oct 20 & 21 - Arles

10-20: And even MORE rain! Some of the excursions were canceled both yesterday and today. We sailed through the rain until after lunch to reach our next port of Viviers. It would have been fun to do the Truffle Farm tour if it wasn’t so wet. People came back soaked through every layer and pretty uncomfortable. Neither of us has been in Europe this time of year and we decided we will want to travel in spring or just the month of September before it gets too cold. We are both feeling ready to go home. However, next week will be the south of France and visiting cousins, then 2 weeks on a TA cruise to sail into Florida. So, we do have quite a bit of time left. We are hoping for a little bit of sunshine, but not sure that will happen! Tonight we went to the Chef’s Table for the fancy dinner. There is no extra charge but one does need to get a reservation. It was outstanding for the most part. The only thing under par was the beef dish, the meat was a bit tough. We ate with 2 other couples that were fun and interesting. A very nice day considering the ongoing rain.

10-21: We took the self-guided tour and saw as much as we wanted to see. About Arles: This is an ancient city in southeastern France, with a history spanning over 2,500 years.  Roman Golden Age (1st Century BCE – 5th Century CE): Conquered by Rome around 123 BCE and made a Roman colony by Julius Caesar in 46 BCE, Arles became a major political, economic, and religious center—often called the "Little Rome of Gaul". Its grand monuments—including the Roman Amphitheatre (Les Arènes), the Ancient Theatre, and the Alyscamps necropolis—earned UNESCO World Heritage status in 1981. Van Gogh spent time here and did over 200 paintings and over 100 sketches and water colors. There are plaques with some of his paintings on them. They are placed where he did the exact painting. As much history as Van Gogh has in Arles, not 1 original painting of his is in this town! It is chilly and windy. It was about 6p and we wanted to eat dinner in town. However, typically restaurants do not open for dinner until 7p. That was the case today. We went back to the ship and had dinner. Time to pack also! We did most of that before bed. We have a few last minute things to put in tomorrow morning.