We see more of the Rhône

By French standards it was an early start, with our buffet breakfast at 8am and on the bus at 9 o'clock. We were heading to Les Baux-de-Provence, a very picturesque medieval village about 40 minutes' drive away at a fortified rocky site between Arles and St Remy-de-Provence. There is the ancient village, the extensive fortified-chateau area and the magnificent setting and views. The rocky limestone landscape is quite different from anything we've ever seen before, and the village itself is built on a high point overlooking a large area of the surrounding countryside. Fortunately, we arrived quite early and the guide gave us a good tour of the village while things were quiet.

About an hour later, the hordes started arriving in their bus-loads, but we'd largely seen what we wanted to. The place contains many shops and restaurants, but what they were selling was more touristy than authentic. Nevertheless it was an interesting and worthwhile visit. One certainly wouldn't want to be there at the height of the tourist season. Apparently it is absolute chaos then.

Around midday we set off on what was our longest boat trip so far, about 4.5 hours downstream, to the town of Arles. It was a pleasant ride, the weather was warm and after lunch we were able to sit out on the deck and observe the great variety of commercial and tourist river traffic. Barges can be up to a massive 190m long, and we saw some which would be close to that limit. A highlight was when we went through the Beaucaire lock, where we dropped a full 17m. Quite an experience. Eventually, we reached the historic city (which city in this area isn't??) of Arles, otherwise known as the open-air museum of Provence. Being in a more enlightened place than Queensland, we were able to enjoy the benefit of daylight saving and take a leisurely walk through the old city. We were particularly taken with the Roman amphitheatre, which seems to be used as a modern-day stadium. We'd have liked to have taken a look inside but simply ran out of time. Like all of the historic cities and towns in France, the place is full of tourists - and tourist traps - but we serious travellers were still able to take in much of its beauty.

It was then back to the boat for the routine we've become accustomed to; pre-dinner drinks, a very tasty gourmet four-course meal with unlimited drinks, all followed by much merriment and talk until around 1130pm.Read more