September 22, 2022 Another gorgeous day in Provence. Today we walked past the Rampart Wall to the banks of the Rhone, strolling along its banks to Pont St. Benezet. Because we can spend so much time traveling, we do not have to rush from one place or attraction to another each day. Instead we spend our time really savoring where we are and what we are doing. There are tourist and travelers. We think of ourselves as travelers. In our former life we were tourists, Those days had us leaving on vacation at noon on a Friday, driving a 1,000 miles by the afternoon of the next day, Staying in one location for the week doing hub and spoke day trips while racking up at least another 1,000 miles, then driving back home the same way we drove to our destination. Now those days are only distant memories of another life as we travel and experience, not rush and see as in the past

Why we so much enjoy staying in apartments rather than hotels. Breakfast our way rather than their way.

In only one hotel during our years of traveling outside of the US have we had a hotel where we could eat breakfast on the patio. It was the most unique hotel we have ever stayed at, ever, ever. Grüne Zitadelle von Magdeburg, Germany was the place and it unique in all the world. If you ever get the chance, you MUST stay there, even if for just one night because everything is not as one expects it to be. Really, Really.

Someone on our family loves the fact the apartment has a clothes washing machine.

My wife would never let the fact there is only a washing machine and no clothes dryer stop her.

The river boats on the Rhone are beyond huge.

The stern of the MS Amakristina.

Ship Specifications:

• Built: 2017
• Built in: Netherlands
• Length: 443 feet
• Width: 38 feet
• Crew: 51
• Staterooms: 78
• Suites: 4
• Registry: Switzerland

Busses lined up to take the river boat passengers on their day trips.

River boats double parked.

Originally built in the 1200’s only 4 of the original 22 arches remain standing of the Pont St. Benezet. It was named after the patron Saint of bridge builders, St Benezet who Jesus commanded he build a bridge across the Rhone at this spot according to the Catholic Church mythology.

Palace of the Popes is here somewhere. The dichotomy of the history of the Catholic Church between the Catholic version and the non-Catholic version is eye opening.

4.3 kilometers of Ramparts still remain.

We chose not to walk out on the remaining section of the bridge, it being more tourist trap than anything else.

Walking into the old city near the bridge we spied this innocuous sign.

It lead us down to one of those places we have over the years called “Stumble Upons”. Places you would never expect to find, but thru shear luck discover.

My oceanic salad. As much seafood as lettuce. That is contrast to the US where it would be mounds of lettuce with a few bits of seafood. Of course it was three times more expensive than the one in the US would have been. On the other hand it was ten times better that the one in the US would have been. It doesn’t take a math genius to determine which was the have better meal, both in taste and in value. In the US we are so used to garbage food we think it is normal.

Please, everyone, take a chance, you never know what you will stumble upon.

It was so good they won’t even have to wash my plate.

As if to further add credence to how special this little hidden spot was, as we were eating the Le Petite Train can down the narrow street beside our table.

Homemade Crème Brule for my wife with Calvados and Tiramisu with Marc de Provence for me made for one of the most delicious meals we have had on our trip. The Calvados was as good as any we have experienced in our travels in Normandy. When I ordered the Marc de Provence I only knew it was a specialty of the region. It took a couple of sips to realize how complex it was, but from then on it was a true treat to the palate. All of our best experiences in our many years of travelling outside the US have been when we took a chance on something or someplace we knew nothing about. To those that only experience the top five Trip Advisor restaurants, etc., our experience venturing off the path of the travel lemmings is so much better and you have no clue as to what is really out there to be experienced.

All we knew when we ordered.

deserted old town.

Whenever I see something like this I want to explore.

September 21, 2022 Today we traveled by jam packed train from Sète to Avignon, a trip that took 1.5 hours. SNCF doing their usual, cancelled the train that was to be scheduled one hour behind the one we were going to travel on. That meant there would be two trains worth of passengers traveling on out train. It is unreal how incompetent the management of SNCF has been over the years we have traveled in France.

We will miss the beautiful blues of Sète.

From jam packed Gare on Saturday to nearly deserted Gare on Wednesday morning.

Not many people when we arrived a half hour before the train was scheduled, but shortly that would change.

We Americans have no clue as to to horrible toil of deaths that occurred during WWI and WWII.

Our train is at the top of the list.

Passenger train screams through the station never stopping.

A freight train comes roaring through the station.

Freight trains in each direction roar through the station.

And another freight train comes flying through the station.

Two train’s passengers packed into one train. Look through the door and just as I was standing in this car you people standing in the cars in the distance.

As so often happens, a young person gave up their seat so my wife could sit down. It turned out the other three people were from London and she had a great time chatting with them during the 1 1/2 hour trip.

At the second stop of the trip many of the passengers disembarked, so I was able to get seat across the aisle with a place to set our luggage.

In the US trains are pulled by diesel electric locomotives. Here the locomotives get their power from overhead wires.

A gallery of our apartment in Avignon. It is huge and very well located and only cost Euro 117 a night. We don’t have a car, but it also included secured underground parking. Being used to living in the small spaces of our two RV’s and the 12 ft x24 ft coach house, we find ourselves going into the wrong room at times. We haven’t had multiple rooms since 2006. The weather here is perfect and we are really enjoying spending time on the balcony.

The large private green space gives off a quiet peaceful sense to where we are.

Toasting our good fortune to be able to experience Life as we do.

Happy wife, Happy Life.

Built in the 1300’s the old defensive wall of the city is only a few meters from the entrance to our building. And it was only 4 days ago that we found and rented this apartment after two other places had cancelled on us. We are finding Airbnb to be much better than VRBO that we have normally used. And the apartment in Sète was only listed on Booking. While the transportation side hasn’t always worked out the way we wanted, the living quarters side has been beyond our expectations.

September 20, 2022 Another gorgeous day on the Mediterranean coast. We just can’t get over how the Mediterranean is, so today we ventured out on it, taking one of the tourist cruise boats.

Each morning I walk down the street a short distance to by each of us a freshly baked Pain au Chocolat. This morning the shopkeeper recognized me when I stopped in, As for the delectable morning treats, they may be the best we have ever had during our various times in France.

Interestingly enough, we have yet to buy a baguette while in Sète.

Sometimes you just want to step back from all the butter and sauces of those fabulous French restaurant meals and have something simple.

So we put the kitchen in our apartment to good use and had a simple meal with plenty of vegetables sans sauce.

Someone photo bombed my selfie I took aboard the boat.

I think sometimes Capt. Jeff need this sign on our Canal boat, lol.

Hard at work.

Could it be called triple cleaning?

A large jellyfish near the boat.

A harbor cruise boat.

Where there is water there are fishermen.

The shore was rocky.

The water is so intensely blue.

Cemetery.

The farther from the harbor break wall we traveled, the choppier the water became.

Too far away to tell the state of dress or undress.

One of several ships we could see farther out on the water.

The first fishing boat of the afternoon returning to port with its catch.

Maybe a beacon ship?

The second ship to return to port with its cath. All the narration on the boat was in French but sometimes we could get a sense of what was being said.

The arrows show the building our apartment is in and the alleyway we take to get down to the promenade along the canal.

Our boat, and with that our last full day in Sète (which is pronounced ‘set” comes to a close.