A few people have asked me to describe the ship and the people, and this very expensive river cruise. I say “very expensive” because while for many of our traveling companions this trip is just another day in their lives (a number of people on the ship have traveled with Tauck multiple times), for me it was a huge, uncommon expense, but one which I plan to budget for in the future. I still want to go with Tauck to Scotland and on various other river cruises, such as the Danube.

Each room is about 200 square feet and feels like a small hotel room. The bathroom has plenty of space and the shower is also big. One side of the room is entirely windows.

Tauck is known for its impeccable service and amazing food and wine, and it has more than lived up to its reputation. This is not a party boat or a crowded boat or a boat on which there is always something to do. It is calm, quiet, and the excursions are interesting. Today we walked through Arles, home to Vincent Van Gogh toward the end of his life, as well as many Roman sites, including a coliseum and an amphitheater.

Later, we took a bus to the Camargue which is a protected area of France, as it is home to many animals, including pink flamingos, which we were unable to see. However, we had a lunch and a tour of a ranch on which they raise bulls for bull fighting (but not the kind where they kill the bulls) and where they have horses. The bulls and horses are “wild” in that they graze freely, aren’t vaccinated or shoed, and basically just live their lives (although a few times a year some bulls go into a ring, but if they go in, they get a month off afterward to de-stress.).

We still have three more days on our journey and some of our most exciting excursions ahead, such as a tour of Jewish Avignon, dinner at the Duchy d’Uzes, and a visit to the cooking school of Anne-Marie Pic, France’s top female chef.