Back from France and My Avalon River Cruise
The old port in Marseille
I just got back from France on Tuesday night — I landed at West Palm Beach at 12:30 am, after three flights and a long day of traveling. Thank goodness for phone charging blocks, neck pillows, and compression socks.
I was in France with Avalon Waterways, experiencing the boutique Poetry II river cruising ship and Avalon’s Active & Discovery itineraries. This is my sort of travel. Our itinerary was so immersive and interesting!
To quote my mother many years ago — after I took her on the Chicago Architectural Foundation Boat Cruise down the Chicago River — “Don’t tell me who built the building and when they built it. Tell me who had the affair with the architect’s wife.”
I think of this quote often.
Meeting with a cheesemonger in Lyon
In cruising with Avalon, I met a real-life bull-fighter in Arles, France. In Viviers, I met the truffle hunter who provides Daniel Boulud and Grant Achatz with their truffles…and of course, we also met his super cute truffle-sniffing dogs! In Lyon, we met with a female cheese monger doing amazing things with small cheese producers in France. And in Avignon, we had access to the famous Les Halles food market on a Monday — a day when the market is traditionally closed. At Les Halles, we enjoyed bread and olives and charcuterie, all washed down with white wine from the Luberon.
These immersive tours are all possible because Globus, who owns Avalon, has been operating in this part of the world for over 100 years. They have the relationships to go beyond simple city walking tours with headsets. If you are a more active sort of traveler who can handle a regular 12,000+ steps a day, I can heartily recommend Avalon’s Active & Discovery itineraries.
We did a slightly shorter version of this itinerary. Check out all the cool excursions!
There are so many things I want to tell you about this trip! But le me start at the beginning.
I work with a lot of clients who only want direct international flights. Well, I live in Florida and direct flights means flying out of Miami, seriously my least favorite airport. To fly out of Miami, I need to leave my apartment five to six hours before my flight. No thank you. For my 5:30 pm flight from West Palm Beach to Philadelphia, I left my house at 3:30 pm and honestly, that was still too early. I then flew Premium Economy from Philadelphia to London on American and I’m of two minds…1. I like the American Premium Economy product and 2. No one really needs Premium Economy on a 6 hour and 15 minute flight. After all my years of 8+ hour flights, flying from PHL to LHR was a delight! We were there in no time whatsoever!
Heathrow was more packed than I’ve ever seen it. There were absolutely no empty seats in Terminal 3. My T3 advice? Go to the caviar bar. It is a little quieter over there. From London, I flew onwards to Marseille where a wonderful driver picked me up with my name on a sign. (One of my favorite things.)
Ah, and of course, I had an AirTag in my checked bag so I knew where it was at all times. It’s so reassuring to know that your bags have made the trip!
The Intercontinental Marseille Hotel Dieu pulled out all the stops for my arrival and really spoiled me with welcome amenities. Marseille soap, a kitchen towel, olive oil, and tapenade. (We ate a lot of tapenade during our trip.) It was around 5:30 pm by the time I got to Marseille, so after enjoying a shower and a room service club sandwich (my big American hotel chain guilty pleasure), I went to bed.
The next morning, I set out in search of a cash machine and some A313. (If you know, you know.) I had broken my own golden rule the day before and did not get any money at the airport. The skies in Marseille were a glorious shade of blue and even though I’m still really pretty sad about my mom’s passing, it was hard not to feel happy. This was my first time back in France in more than six years. I dipped in and out of the shops and took some photos around the old port. The people in Marseille are a delight — everyone loved my comedy French!
That night, we had a fantastic welcome party at the hotel. (I was there with 50+ other advisors from my host agency.) We made traditional Marseille soap and lavender sachets, and there was an entire oyster bar that no one but me and my amazing French touring partner Phillipe hit up. (Do you want to organize a private French shopping trip at all the best luxury houses? Phillipe and I can do that for you.)
My room on the Avalon Poetry II. The beds face the windows. Some people think it’s weird to travel against the water but I liked the view!
The next morning, we made our way to Arles to board the Poetry II. I loved my room — Avalon rooms are more generous in size than other cruise lines. The bathroom in particular. The sacrifice is the balcony but…if given a choice between a balcony and bathroom counter space, I will choose bathroom counter space all the time. I never sit out on the balcony. And in March, it was too cold to sit outside anyhow.
While we were traveling with Avalon, we were often in port with a Viking ship and the differences were striking. Some Viking tour groups had 40 participants. I’m a 24 max kind of gal. They also didn’t seem to have much access to anything. They toured the bull fighting stadium with us, but we met the matador and they didn’t. We both did walking tours of Lyon, but we went inside the food market (on the day it was closed) and they didn’t.
I think Viking river cruises are great for older travelers or more budget-conscious (and deal-conscious* ) travelers, but for other travelers, I’d really suggest AmaWaterways or Avalon Waterways. (Viking Ocean is a totally different product that I would recommend to anyone who likes to nerd out during onboard presentations.)
The food on Avalon was very good but maybe not as good as I wanted it to be. It will appeal to more standard palates. Sorry, but I want some curry and some Asian food!! The omelets at breakfast were great, and the beef tenderloin at dinner was also great. I remember Ama had breakfast burritos in the morning and they were outstanding! More of that please.
You know what was really amazing on Avalon? The bands!!! Avalon brought some truly great bands on board. The bands played more modern music which was a better fit for the age range we had on board (30 to 60). I really loved this.
Things I was glad I did:
I was glad I said yes to this trip! Traveling the Rhone was a DELIGHT!! The Danube gets all the attention but the Rhone is very beautiful. In many towns, you dock so close to town that you don’t even need to do the ship tours. You can just walk around.
I was glad I paid T-mobile $35 for a 10 day international data package. The wifi on the ship was iffy, even though it was purported to be Starlink. Remember: Do not be cheap with your phones abroad. Pay the money so that they work like they work at home.
I was glad I did laundry on the ship a few times, so I came home with mostly clean clothes. Getting laundry done on Avalon was pretty affordable. I don’t understand people who are against doing laundry while traveling. Let people take your money and iron your underwear!
Things I wish I had brought with me in hindsight:
Snacks. Every so often, this girl needs a pretzel. I had planned to stop at a grocery store in Marseille for some chips and nuts but never got around to it. Avalon had sweet treats between meals but…not what I was looking for.
More comfortable shoes: Again, my shoes failed me. After walking 16,000 steps a day in Spain, I had thrown out my old sneakers and bought new ones. Well, there were just a tiny bit too small. I wish I had brought my Dr. Scholl’s Time Off Sneakers.
Honestly, if you like Asian food, bring some Shin ramen with you on your next European river cruise!
A portable speaker. Normally I travel with one of these but somehow, I forgot it. I had some downtime in my room towards the end of every day and some music would have been great.
Facemasks and Emergen-C. Everyone on my flights and in Heathrow in particular was coughing up a lung. I came home with a terrible cough. On my flight from London to Charlotte, a guy walking down the aisle of the plane seriously coughed in my face. Luckily, whatever I have isn’t too much in my nose/throat but it’s all in my chest and I am annoyed!!
Traveling home…
In traveling back from France, I flew Marseille to London to Charlotte to West Palm. I was worried about three flights and two connections but It all worked out great. I was my own best client!! I trusted me and it all worked out. With three hour layovers, I had just enough time in each airport to change flights and do a little duty free shopping. This West Palm Beach travel agent was so tired when she got home though! But hey, my laundry was clean and my Chateauneuf-du-pape survived!
Ready to book your European river cruise? Or your next trip to France? Book a complimentary vacation consultation here.
* Viking is infamous for their “free flights” promotions. If you have ever studied economics, remember there is no such thing as a free lunch.
About Krista
I’m a Virtuoso luxury travel advisor based in West Palm Beach, Florida. Prior to moving to Florida to take care of my elderly mom with Parkinson’s Disease, I spent over 11 years living and working in London, England. My career and personal travel have taken me all over the world. To date, I’ve been to 78 countries. Now I bring the joy of travel to others as a Virtuoso travel advisor. I offer a 30 minute complimentary vacation consultation for anyone looking to plan their next trip.
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