156 The Australian Women’s Weekly|OCTOBER 2019
→shareswithusa littleofvanGogh’s
technique.Thenit’sourturnto
reproduceourownversionsofvan
Gogh’sartworksonsmallcanvases.
It’sdifficulttoemulatehisdeft
brushworkandcolourintensity,soin
theendI dabin myownamateurish
way.It’squitetherapeutic.
Thepaintingclassis oneofthree
AvalonWaterwaysexcursionsonoffer
thatmorning.Unlikeoceancruising,
rivercruisingis moreaboutthe
experiencesin eachport,astheships
aresmaller(justover11mwide)so
theycanfitthroughlocksalongthe
river.PoetryIIis likea luxurious
floatingboutiquehotel,butit isn’t
tooformal.Wedon’thavetowear
ballgownstodinnerandthere’sno
compulsiontodoanything,except
observethesafetybriefingonthe
eveningweboard.
Thisis thefirstyearAvalonhasrun
itsActive&Discoveryitineraryonthe
Rhône,providingfitness-focusedways
tosightseealongsidemoretraditional
escortedtoursandcookingclasses,
whichareincludedin thepriceofthe
cruise.Passengerscansignupfor
activitiessuchashiking,bikingor
kayaking,orkeeptheirfunat a more
sedatepaceif theweather’shot,which
is exactlywhatI didwhenI realised
I wouldnotbecomfortabledoing
a hillytrekin theafternoonheat.
There are further activities for an
extrafee.Intheafternoon,afterthe
paintingclass,weheadtoMoulin
Castelasoliveplantationtolearn
abouttheharvestandsample
deliciousflavouredoils.Fromthe
coachwindows,weseethewhite
horsesandblackbullstypicalof
Provence,aswetravel
tothehillsidevillageof
LesBaux-de-Provence.
I buyfudgeandnougat
andwedrinkbeersand
Aperolspritzesin the
35 ̊Cheat.I cansee
whythetownhasbeen
namedoneofthemost
beautifulvillagesin
France.Onlya few
hundredpeoplelive
herebut1.5million
visiteveryyear.
Thatevening,Poetry
IIsailstoAvignonand
I admiretheriverview
frommyPanoramasuite,whichhas
full-heightdoorsthatslideopento
makemysuitefeellikea bigbalcony.
Inthemorning,I boarda coachin
AvignonandtraveltoSaint-Rémy,
whereCaroline,PrincessofHanover,
hasa home.I wandertheprettystreets
andimaginehowit wasin vanGogh’s
day(thoughit wasundoubtedlya
moremiserabletimeforhimashe
spenta yearin anasylumhere).
ImaginemysurprisewhenI round
a cornerandseea storecalledNew
ZealandRugbySpirit,whichsells
quality classic rugby shirts, polosandcaps,brandedwithNewZealand
emblems.I waitastheFrenchshop
assistantsellsa numberofitemstoa
localcustomer,thenI askif theowner
is a NewZealander.Shesaysheisn’t- hejustlovestheAllBlacks!
Thatafternoon,I slaponplentyof
sunscreenin readinessforoneofthe
cruise’sactiveexcursions– a kayak
adventurethatseesuspaddleunder
thePontduGard,a Romanaqueduct
bridgebuiltin thefirstcenturyAD.
I visitedherewithmyfamilyin the
Europeanautumnof2011,soit hasa
specialplacein myheart.Thekayaking
is funanda goodworkoutforthearms.
I justaboutcrywithhappinessasI drift
underthebridge,takingcarenotto
crashintohordesoflocalsenjoying
theriverin theheatoftheday.
Backontheship,I havea hotshower
andgetreadyfordinner.Ratherthan
beingservedin thediningroom,this
eveningmytravellingcompanionsand
I walkintoAvignonfora mealwitha
newfriend,Heather,
fromSeattle.Sheis a
dynamoandhasmet
manynewpeople,
usuallylatein the
eveningasshe’sdragged
themupfromtheirclub
chairstoenjoylive
musicontheship’s
dancefloor.
WeuseGoogletofind
a squarewithplentyof
restaurantsandsettle
in foraneveningoffun
withinthefortifiedwalls
ofAvignon,relishingthe
chancetoenjoysome
eveningsin porttowns.Twonights
earlierweambledaroundArles,bought
linendressestowearin theheat,drank
cocktailsat a charminglittlebarand
checkedoutthemanyshopsselling
souvenirssuchaslavenderandlace.
AfterAvignon,thenextstopis the
tinytownofViviersin Ardèche.I’ve
signeduptoseeBollène-Écluse,oneof
Europe’sdeepestlocks,whichwepassed
throughearlier.Afterwards,I wishI’d
chosentheundergroundwinetasting
instead,butthat’stheproblemwith
havingsomuchchoice.
Each evening, our charming and
“I cansee why
thetown has
been named
one of the
most beautiful
villages in
France."
Travel
Pontd’Avignonviewedfroma suiteon
PoetryII, wherefull-heightdoors make
the room feel like a balcony.