2015 Provence

 

Fontaine de la Rotonde - Aix-en-Provence, France
Copyright Andy Richards 2015  - All Rights Reserved

THERE WERE a few things on our previous cruise on the Royal Princess that left us wanting. I have mentioned the odd dining experience in previous posts. The Emerald Princess was different. The Emerald is a member of Princess' Grand Class (much like the Ruby Princess we were on for our first Caribbean Cruise); smaller and older than the Royal Princess had been. For us, that actually was a positive. One of the things we had disliked on the Royal Princess was the dining room. Their redesign of that space created some odd (in our opinion) out of the way spaces. We had gotten tucked back into one of those spaces on the Royal. We were seated at a table that seemed more like two end-to-end booths each for 4 people, with 2 other couples (one with us and one at the adjacent table. One of the couples we only saw on the first night. We never knew if they asked to be moved, or just didn't show up for dinners (though we would not have been surprised if it were the former). The other couple was older (than us - imagine 😊) with children our age. But they were very pleasant - if a bit reserved. They were from New Zealand, though their son actually lived and worked in Midland, Michigan, just a few miles from our home in Saginaw. There were no other diners near us, and it just felt odd and isolated.

Emerald Princess

WE HAD Paul and Linda on this trip, meaning our dining experience would be fun, no matter what. But also - a first for us - we also elected the "flexible dining" option for this cruise. This meant we could arrive at any time during dinner hours, but weren't assigned a table or waiters. After the first couple nights, we did find a table we kind of liked, and we asked and were seated there every night from then on. It was a table for 8, so we had 4 new table mates each night, which was kind of fun. Same waiters, though, so we got accustomed to each other. Like a few other things over the years that changed, I had reservations about the flexible dining thing (no pun intended). But I knew it would work to our advantage around our short time schedule. And it did. Over time, I have realized that it works just fine and actually appreciate having some control over the timing and seating.

a first for us - we also elected the "flexible dining" option for this cruise

BY 2015, we had swung our "cruise line allegiance" to Celebrity, and this would be our last Princess Cruise for a long time. Even though we had yet to cruise on a Celebrity ship outside of the Caribbean, I was already thinking about how our next trip across "the pond" would be a Celebrity Cruise. That prophecy came true, and we wouldn't cruise on Princess again until late 2121, as we came haltingly out of the more or less world-wide "lockdown." There were two events early on in the cruise that underscored what to me were important differences. The first was the approach Princess seemed to be taking regarding cocktails. Our boarding process having gone smoothly, we decided to find a quiet spot on one of the mid-decks to watch the sail-away. We found some chairs facing the port, and Paul and I headed to the nearest bar to get us drinks. That happened to be adjacent to the casino. As we approached the bar, I saw something that made me go: "oh oh!" Prominently displayed on the shelf behind the bartenders were a long row of jiggers. That was a new sight to me and not necessarily a welcome one. By this time in our cruising we had decided that premium drink packages worked for us. I had never seen them "measure" them so tightly. Generally, once we become familiar with bartenders in some of the areas we frequent, we can count on generous pours. Apparently not to be on this cruise. Thankfully, we don't usually see that on our Celebrity cruises.

THE SECOND thing was a change that seems to have become a "thing" across most of the cruise lines (warning: rant coming on 😅). Smoking has not only become disfavored in public places. It has become a vile and mortal sin. I get it. It is not good for you. Kind of like 90% of the food offered in the Buffet. And the gallons of alcohol consumed on board. 😏 But seriously, I also get the distinction. You can choose to consume or not to consume the food or drink without that affecting the others around you (for the most part). Smoking can affect others by its invasive and non-stationery effect. I am all on board with the stance virtually all the cruise lines have taken regarding smoking in staterooms, on private balconies, and in most public areas aboard. But I emphasize "most." Today we seem to have a "totalitarian" view (just read some of the comments by the folks who are 100% intolerant of smoking - anywhere; any time - on the various sites like Cruise Critic and FB pages) that I find somewhat astounding. Especially in Europe, where smoking appears to me to be more prevalent (my quick and dirty research suggests that just over one-quarter of the European population smokes tobacco of some kind. Sometime during the past several years, I had picked up the (apparently vile) ritual of enjoying a hand-rolled cigar from time to time. While my habit originated on the golf course, it quickly became a beach and vacation kind of thing. Including cruises. Given that people are going to do this even in light of the fact that it isn't healthy, it seems appropriate to create (or preserve) spaces where smoking is allowed aboard cruise ships. And it seems like most of the mainline ships have done so. My gripe here, is their choice of venues. On Princess, the only real, viable smoking alternative is in the so-called smoking lounges on most of their new ship configurations (though I was recently informed that they have now done away with these humidor rooms in favor of a kid's play area). These areas are (were) cold (physically and as a matter of ambiance), small, and surprisingly not well-ventilated. There are said to be open areas on some of the side decks, but we found them to be small, with little seating, and really purposed for the quick smoke that many cigarette smokers engage in. In other words, uninviting. We did our smoking in the "lounge" but the enjoyment factor is much lower than on other ships (notably, Celebrity - which I believe is the most cigar-friendly line).

Smoking has not only become disfavored in public places. It has become a vile and mortal sin

AS I like to say, "First world problems." Still a good cruise, with a pretty full itinerary. Our first stop was in the port of Marseille, along the French Riviera. We did not ever go into the city of Marseille (and at this point still never have). For today, it would be wine tasting in Provence. Our Somolier-Guide picked up our group of 8 relatively early in the morning at the port. We then drove out into the Provence countryside. Someday, I would love to take a day or two and just drive into some of the small villages and farming communities with my camera. Picturesque. You bet. But we didn't stop because we were on a mission. We had two vineyards to visit, and then a stop in Aix-en-Provence (a city we would learn over subsequent visits that seems to be a cultural center of the Provence Region).

Chateau La Dorgonne - Provence, France
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

OUR FIRST vineyard was Chateu La Dorgonne. Because she was also a sommelier, our guide was not only very knowledgeable, but basically handled the entire tour of both of the vineyards herself. Aesthetically, this vineyard was my favorite. It yielded some nice photography.

Rose - Chateau La Dorgonne
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

THE PREMIERE product from this vineyard, according to her, was its very good Rose'. We tasted a Sauvignon Blanc, and the Rose'. The Rose' was tasty. Every time we do a vineyard tour, we have the opportunity to purchase and carry or ship wines home. We don't generally do so for three reasons. First, carrying bottles back to the U.S. with air flights is a hassle and a calculated risk (potential breakage - though we have done it and so far never had any breakage). Second, historically, getting alcohol back on board the ships has been a hassle. They take it from you and keep it somewhere until your final port, where you have to go claim it. And third, we are just really not that enthusiastic about wine. More recently, I did bring 4 bottles of liquor back - but we were in and out of Ft. Lauderdale, which meant we were driving. At any rate, the vineyard was beautiful, as was the region in general.

Chateu Vignelaure - Provence, France
Copyright Andy Richards 2015 - All Rights Reserved

CHATEAU VIGNELAURE, a short distance away was our second vineyard for the day. In my view, it was not as photogenic (perhaps because not as "quaint") as the first one, but still, there were some opportunities. Importantly, I didn't care as much for the wines there either.

Chateau Vignelaure - Provence, France
Copyright Andy Richards 2015

WE DID, however, get a more detailed tour of the winery, including much of the operations. within. I liked the image of the barrels stacked while aging.

Old Wine - Chateau Vignelaure - Provence, France
Copyright Andy Richards 2015

WE ALSO got to see some really old wine.

Chateau Vignelaure - Provence, France
Copyright Andy Richards 2015

WE FINISHED out the day with a stop in Aix-en-Provence. Our guide dropped us off at the center of the city on a roundabout called La Rotonde. There is a wonderful fountain that is in the center of the Rotonde. It is a great spot in the city to use as a meeting place and we would experience this again whe we revisited this remarkable city in 2022.

Fontaine de la Rotonde - Aix-en-Provence, France
Copyright Andy Richards 2015  - All Rights Reserved

WITH A population of 145,000, Aix was once the capital of Provence. Originally settled by the Romans just before B.C., like many cities in this part of Europe, it endured centuries of invasions and occupation by tribes like the Visigoths, and later the Francs and Saracens. During the Middle Ages, it was ultimately occupied by the Franks (Charles Martel), and by the 12th century had become an artistic and educational center, primarily under the house of Aragon. It became officially part of France under Louis VII in 1487. It continues to be a cultural and artistic center, often habituated by famous historical figures such as Paul Cézanne, Émile Zola and Ernest Hemingway. It remains an educational center, today housing, among others, Aix-Marseille University (widely attended from all over Europe and other countries) and The American College of The Mediterranean.

I generally only drink bottled water when on shore these days

WE DIDN'T know any of that at the time. We primarily were making a stop for lunch. She gave us about 90 minutes, and suggested we walk up one of the spoke-like avenues (Rue Espariat) a ways to a small courtyard with a few outdoor restaurants. We could easily see the charm of the place as we walked both in and out. We learned a bit more about the city from our guide and a short tour he gave us in 2022. The last two photos here incorporated the two unsuspecting couples who had joined us that morning for the tour. They made good subjects for my Aix-en-Provence photos.

Aix-en-Provence, France
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

I WILL close with another one of those "humorous anecdotes" (in this case humorous for everyone except me, perhaps 😒). We found a seat in one of the outdoor seating areas in the courtyard and ordered lunch. When asked what we would like to drink, two of us opted for water. We were given the choice of bottled water or local tap water. Linda ordered bottled water. I had the temerity to tease her about paying the requisite euros (whatever it was) for water, and blithely ordered (and drank) the local water from a carafe of ice water. I cannot guarantee that the water was the culprit. It could well have been coincidental and I may have picked up a "bug" from any of a number of other sources. But my teasing would come back to haunt me. Either way, two days later, I had a case of something, with stomach cramps, headache and perhaps fever. It hung on, and put a damper on the last couple days (and stops) of the cruise. But not right away. For the most part, lesson learned. I generally only drink bottled water when on shore these days.