Lyon River Cruise: Cruise Day 5

Monday, May 26: Arles + Camargue Ranch + Viviers

I took a lovely walk along the riverfront to enjoy the sunrise over Arles in the morning before my workout.

M and I had decided that we didn’t want to join the morning excursion to the ranch in the Camargue, so Mr. E headed off with his mom, aunt, and uncle for that tour. After a more leisurely breakfast and some homework time for me, M and I set off to explore more of Arles. We started off with the Espace Van Gogh, which again didn’t meet our expectations, since it’s just the former hospital with its garden courtyard where he spent time and painted many of his works. So still no art, but it was definitely a popular spot for walking tours from the other river boats!

We passed the obélisque again on our way to the Tourist Office in search of a poster but with no luck. As we continued on our way to the amphithéâtre, we sort of stumbled upon the théâtre antique and decided to purchase the combined ticket to visit both sites. Eventually, we returned to the boat, met up with the rest of the family for lunch on board, and heard about their morning adventures at the ranch.

During the afternoon of sailing towards Viviers, I stayed in the cabin to watch La Historia Oficial for my Spanish film class while the rest of the family napped in their cabins or read in the Lounge Bar. I was very impressed that the connectivity was sufficient for me to stream the entire film despite being on the move and traversing several locks! And I had a lovely view of the river outside the cabin window as we sailed to our next destination.

Even though today wasn’t the last day of the cruise, the evening was designated as our farewell dinner, with some special food and wine offerings. The boat arrived at Viviers late at night for our overnight stay.