Friday was our final day on the Cote d’Azur. After breakfast, packing and check-out, we relaxed with others in our tour and met some of the tour members that weren’t there for the pre-trip extension in Nice. We went with Penny and Ivan for a final stroll down the main street to the beach, and explored a few side-streets that we hadn’t seen before. Retail and sidewalk cafes were everywhere, and we stopped at a cute one for lunch.
We boarded the bus around 1:30 for a trip to Arles, where we were to board the MS Chardonnay. On the way, we stopped in Draguignan to visit the Rhone American Cemetery and Memorial. This is the final resting place for 861 soldiers (including 62 whose names are “known but to God”) who lost their lives in the war in southern France that was to complement the D-Day invasion in the north. The memorial is also for 294 soldiers who were missing in action during that campaign, and whose remains have never been found.
The campaign is memorialized in a large bas-relief panorama that shows the participants and the battle lines as the campaign progressed, and this was described by one of the staff people at the cemetery and memorial. We then went into the chapel, where Grand Circle Foundation had provided a memorial wreath. At the request of our tour director, two veterans (Viet Nam) placed the wreath on the altar. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the place. It was very moving.
We arrived at Arles and our ship around 6:00 p.m., and were surprised at how large our room was – even larger than our hotel room in Nice. We had a short orientation meeting (what to do when the alarm goes off, etc.), followed by dinner on board (and a quite good one), with more than ample wine. Following dinner, we went on a short nighttime stroll through the old walled city of Arles, which contains a Roman amphitheatre that is 2,000 years old. Arles was also the home for Vincent Van Gough for many years, and he produced many of his significant works here. We will have a more formal tour and lecture on Arles tomorrow.
We boarded the bus around 1:30 for a trip to Arles, where we were to board the MS Chardonnay. On the way, we stopped in Draguignan to visit the Rhone American Cemetery and Memorial. This is the final resting place for 861 soldiers (including 62 whose names are “known but to God”) who lost their lives in the war in southern France that was to complement the D-Day invasion in the north. The memorial is also for 294 soldiers who were missing in action during that campaign, and whose remains have never been found.
The campaign is memorialized in a large bas-relief panorama that shows the participants and the battle lines as the campaign progressed, and this was described by one of the staff people at the cemetery and memorial. We then went into the chapel, where Grand Circle Foundation had provided a memorial wreath. At the request of our tour director, two veterans (Viet Nam) placed the wreath on the altar. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the place. It was very moving.
We arrived at Arles and our ship around 6:00 p.m., and were surprised at how large our room was – even larger than our hotel room in Nice. We had a short orientation meeting (what to do when the alarm goes off, etc.), followed by dinner on board (and a quite good one), with more than ample wine. Following dinner, we went on a short nighttime stroll through the old walled city of Arles, which contains a Roman amphitheatre that is 2,000 years old. Arles was also the home for Vincent Van Gough for many years, and he produced many of his significant works here. We will have a more formal tour and lecture on Arles tomorrow.
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