We were still moving when we woke up that morning, set to dock at 8:00 AM. I opened the drapes in the room and was greeted with (ho, hum) yet another castle… I kid! It truly never got old. Each and every one took my breath away! So, we had the choice that day of staying in Tarascon to wander or going on the excursion. Again, I thought I would wander later. This was ALSO a pattern where I should have known better. It seemed most days once we returned to the ship, we stayed.

Today began with one of the longer bus rides (about 40 minutes), into the town of Arles. In my mind, I kept pronouncing it “Are lay,” but it’s actually “ARRRRRL” (with just the tiniest hint of “uh” on the end…). If you were thinking another Medieval town with another gorgeous square, narrow streets, steep inclines, and a gorgeous church, you would have guessed correctly. This one was somewhat different though because it has a more Spanish influence, even to the point of still having “real” bullfights (yes, they kill the bulls; no, we did not go) and bulls in the streets (also which we did not see).

This is also the area of France where VanGogh stayed. He had invited MANY friends to come visit, but only Gauguin showed. (Poor VanGogh). Still, it’s said that the lights and the colors of this city inspired some of VanGogh’s most famous paintings, including Starry Night.

Much to my epicurean husband’s delight, we were there on Saturday, so it was farmer’s market day! The quality, quantity and price of the goods were phenomenal! Whether you wanted a mattress, or a dozen gorgeous oysters, they were all there to take your pick! Row upon row of artisans and goods, all with street performers as background music. When we return, I’d love to come to this market to shop to stock our Airbnb.

Our last excursion complete, we returned to the ship to pack and have our last dinner. We gave tips in envelopes to the people who had been truly helpful and impressive during our stay. Yes, the tips ARE included, but you are allowed to give extra. Special “shout out” to Miro, who was our amazing waiter for just about every meal. There was another Masterpiece extra excursion that afternoon to an olive farm and a light display. This was the ONLY extra excursion we didn’t book. Our friends said it was likely the best. It sounded wonderful to me, but it also sounded similar to the traveling VanGogh immersive experience that we had been to in the US – just in a more gorgeous venue. I didn’t feel like we missed out TOO much, but I’m happy for the friends who enjoyed it. We had the last dinner that night and the last drinks, talked about doing this all over again, and were so glad to have spent a week together.

Our bags had to be outside of our room at 3 AM and our transfer to Marseilles picked us up promptly to take us to the airport at 3:30 AM for our 5:50 flight. (Yawn!) We got to the airport just before the checkin lines were open. Marseilles is very small airport, and we were able to spend just a few moments in the Lufthansa business class lounge before boarding flight number one of three for the day Marseilles>Frankfurt>Houston>Austin. Funny enough, the other couple in the transfer van was taking all the same flights and live in a the same town where I teach! Small world! I had heard all the horror stories of summer European travel this year with missed flights and lost luggage, so we bought Airtags for our bags, just in case. And, in Frankfurt, I scheduled a gate to gate guide for $30 a piece. To us, this was SO worth it. Yes, it was just a walking guide. She met us at our gate with a sign with our name on it. (If we had been bussed to the terminal, she would have met us there). Was this necessary? Maybe not… BUT she walked us QUICKLY to the front of all three security lines, no waiting. She made sure we didn’t go the wrong direction in one spot where we thought we were supposed to go, and took all the worry out of our TIGHT connection time (55 minutes between disembarking and boarding). I would probably do it again.

It was time for the LONG leg… 10 hours and 23 minutes. We spoiled ourselves this trip and flew business class. The bad news is that I don’t ever see myself being able to do a 10 hour flight in economy class. I looked back at those five-to-a-row people and thought… “I just can’t.” For us, we could lay down flat, get up and walk around easily. Even the bathroom was bigger and more comfortable. I decided that economy is for the young and fit, not the middle aged and lumpy…

Because this flight took off late, our connection time in Houston was close. I was glad we got off the plane first, and I was also glad for Global Entry. I’m also glad my Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card pays for my Global Entry! I love that credit card. We put everything on it, pay it off every week so never pay interest. Even though the yearly fee is over $500, it still pays for itself. I don’t mean to sound like a commercial, but it has been so good for us, I wanted to share it with others. Anyway, Houston is familiar to us, but most of the Global Entry kiosks were closed as were most of the immigration stalls. Even the Global Entry line was backing up until they called another agent over to hustle us through. We thought we were going to have to pay customs on our seven bottles of wine, and we were prepared with receipts (we’re rule followers), but the agent told us not to worry and sent us on our way.

The airport is under construction, so we had to hoof it through two different trams and into a temporary terminal. We began boarding three minutes after we arrived at the terminal.

A quick up and down back to Austin, and we were home. All of our luggage arrived moments later. Twenty hours of travel complete.

And now it’s been three days since we got back, and that’s the end of the journey! We loved our first time in Europe and are considering a Tuscan/Piedmont land adventure for next year. The river cruise was excellent, and we would definitely do one again! Like any trip, it wasn’t perfect. Like any trip, if you look for the good you’re likely to find it. On this trip, it wasn’t hard to see the good!

To everyone who has yet to go, “bon voyage!” and to those who have gone and returned, I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! For those who only traveled vicariously through us, I hope you enjoyed your journey and I hope for the opportunity to share more!