We have just returned from another fantastic river cruise in Europe. This time we went on Avalon Waterways and we weren’t disappointed. There were quite a few cloudy days with splashes of rain here and there, and our boat just missed hitting some of the flood areas (early May).
My favorite thing about river cruising…. The lazy days of gliding down the scenic river, the food, and the freedom. I think I noticed it more this cruise than with others. We were encouraged to get off the boat and go for walks around town or down the river walkways. The tours were great but sometimes I chose to skip them and wander around by myself. One day I walked around town alone, hurried back to the boat before the tour groups came back so that I could go updeck and sit in the hot tub. There was no one else around and I sat in that hot bubbling water alone, smiling and staring up at a castle on the hill.
My Highlights of France
- Paris- Montparnasse cemetery, Pompidou Modern Art Musem, and crepes with homemade toffee and vanilla ice cream.
- Wildflowers and poppies growing on the side of the road. In Beaune, there were grapevines growing in the center of the roundabouts.
- Sampling Beaujolais wine at a local winery.
The ship– Avalon Affinity
Pro’s— Sliding full window/door in our stateroom, and spacious bathroom. Daily happy hour with discounted drinks, good food, especially lunch buffet and cheese assortment. This was a smaller ship and we were able to get into smaller town ports that some of the bigger boats like Viking would not fit into.
Con’s— We wished there were better wine variety pairings with dinner. And the breakfast/lunch buffet layout was not the best, very congested in places.
My most favorite part of the trip was Monaco/Monte Carlo. It was about 10 days prior to the Monaco Grand Prix Race. The town was setting up bleachers, banners, fences, and guardrails. We drove the route and walked a good part of it, and our hotel Fairmont was situated right at the infamous hairpin curve. Other great sites were the Exotic Garden, and the Monte Carlo Casino.
