By GERRY BARKER Photos/Video by Gerry Barker It's Day Three of our AmaKristina cruise, and after a morning walking tour of Avignon, we are boarding a bus that will take us to the nearby Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine region in southeastern France for a wine tasting. Renowned for its wines since the Popes lived in Avignon in the 1300s, we are going to the Quiot Family winery, operated by the Quiot family since 1748. Currently, Florence and her brother, Jean-Baptiste -- the 13th generation of the family -- manage the business, which exports wine to more than 30 countries. The entrance is marked by the tall, graceful cypress trees that are everywhere in Provence. They are symbols of good luck, hospitality and eternal life. But mostly they lend a striking feature to any landscape. But enough talk. Let's sample some wine, shall we? (PRESS RELEASE)_New York City, August 31, 2023– As summer begins to fade and fall approaches, New York visitors will be thrilled to discover the emergence of colorful foliage– a vibrant vista in the unexpected urban jungle. NH Collection New York Madison Avenue has extended its partnership with Perfect Picnic NYC to offer guests an exclusive "Picnic in the Park Experience" to celebrate the season and delight in New York City's iconic Central Park as it unveils its autumn splendor. The bespoke experience gives guests three European-style picnic menus to choose from, including a romantic picnic basket for two, a family picnic with delightful treats for kids and adults, and a classic picnic lunch with everything you need to sit back, relax, and enjoy an autumn afternoon in Central Park. By GERRY BARKER Photos by Gerry Barker We are in Arles, France, where our 8-day “Colors of Provence” wine cruise on the AmaKristina begins. Included in our AmaWaterways cruise are daily excursions, tailored from “:gentle,” “regular” or “active” for their guests. In many cases, our ship is parked near the heart of the Rhone River cities we’ll visit. All we have to do is grab a free container of water and step off the ship. It’s just one of the many reasons European river cruising is such a good value. Arles (pronounced “aarlz” — I couldn’t never master the hard “r”), a coastal town in the South of France, is geographically the largest city in France — seven times the size of Paris, but with a population of only 50,000. It has a long history, dating back to 800 BC, and become a key city of the Roman Empire in 123 BC. But much of its fame today is tied to artist Vincent Van Gogh, who lived here in 1888-1889 — two of the most prolific and eventful years of his life. READ MORE. By GERRY BARKER Photos/Video by Gerry Barker It's Day Three of our "Colors of Provence" cruise on the AmaKristina, and we are docked at the historic city of Avignon. In actuality, we are double-docked. As is sometimes the case on the Rhone River, we are sharing docking space with another ship, the Avalon Poetry, which means we'll walk through their lobby to shore. Avignon has a long and rich history, dating back to the Romans. In the 14th century, Pope Clement V moved the Papal seat from Rome to Avignon, and it came to be known as "The City of Popes." Here you'll find charming streets, an expansive town square and striking architecture. And don't miss the trompe l’oeil (in French it means "deceives the eye") window paintings. You might mistake them for real people. On our tour, we visited the Les Halles Gourmet Food Market, an indoor mecca of fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and food vendors. The entrance is marked by a massive wall of living plants. We got to sample wine and cheese, as well as some candied garlic (it wasn't bad). Afterwards, we visited a gourmet sweet shop and indulged our sweet tooth. Then we had free time to explore on our own, which translates to shopping for Pam. On our way back to the ship, we stopped in the town square and satisfied our inner child by riding the carousel. Take a look: By GERRY BARKER Photos by Gerry Barker It's Day Two of our Rhone River wine cruise on AmaWaterways' AmaKristina ship. Today, Pam and i have signed up for two excursions -- both included with our fare. In the morning, we took the "Van Gogh Walking Tour," following in the footsteps of famed artist Vincent Van Gogh, who lived here in 1888-89. You can read more about it HERE. In the afternoon, we boarded a bus for a trip to nearby Les Baux-de-Provence, and afterwards, a visit to an olive farm. Les Baux-de-Provence, perched on a rocky outcrop in the Alpilles mountains, has been called one of the most beautiful villages in all of France. Here, built around the ruins of medieval castle, a geologist discovered aluminum ore and named it bauxite, after the village's name. Our tour includes lots of free time to explore the village and discover its many charms. Touring Les Baux-de-ProvenceVisiting the Olive FarmAfter leaving the village, we make the short bus ride to St. Remy and one of the olive farms -- Le Moulin du Calanquet. While France isn't the largest olive oil producer, the products from its 30,000 olive farmers are highly rated for its quality. First introduced to the region by the Romans, the industry has rebounded from the killing frosts of 1956. Le Moulin du Calanquet can trace five generations of farmers, and use five varieties of olives in their products. On our tour, we were able to sample both the olives and the olive oils. We learn there's a lot that goes into making that bottle of extra virgin olive oil that sits on our kitchen counter. (PRESS RELEASE)_MIAMI, Aug. 29, 2023 – A new pilot program is introducing closed-loop packaging to the cruise industry aboard Carnival Cruise Line ships through a collaboration that includes leading family-owned spirits company Bacardi and innovative circular economy technology company ecoSPIRITS. The pilot will determine if re-usable containers developed by ecoSPIRITS can be used to serve BACARDĺ® rum on Carnival ships, in turn reducing single-use packaging by 95 percent. The concept is being tested for three months on three ships operating from Miami: Carnival Celebration, Carnival Horizon and Carnival Sunrise. (PRESS RELEASE)_MIAMI, Aug. 28, 2023 – Cue the Junkanoo band, drumroll please… Carnival Cruise Line has announced that the name of its new destination in the Bahamas is… Celebration Key. As Carnival gets ready to open itineraries in late September for cruises that will call on its highly-anticipated exclusive cruise port destination on Grand Bahama, it revealed the name – Celebration Key – to guests, employees, travel advisors and Bahamian officials today. Celebration Key is the first port destination exclusively designed for Carnival Cruise Line guests and its name is based on the vision for the destination to be a celebration of all that Carnival and The Bahamas has to offer for a memorable vacation. Once complete, it will be capable of welcoming two million guests each year. (PRESS RELEASE)_GALVESTON, Aug. 26, 2023 – Miss Universe R’Bonney Gabriel, along with fellow titleholders Miss Universe Aruba 2022 Kiara Arends and Miss Universe El Salvador 2022 Alejandra Guajardo Sada, celebrated Women’s Equality Day today by speaking with Carnival Vista Captain Claudio Bozzo and female deck and engine officers about the importance of women’s empowerment on the bridge of Carnival Vista in Galveston. Women’s Equality Day celebrates and honors the women’s suffrage movement and acknowledges the hurdles that women have had to overcome in their stride towards equality and progress. Gabriel, a Houston native, is the first Filipino-American to win Miss Universe and Miss USA, and much of her platform is about embracing one’s culture. Her mission is to inspire women and young girls to achieve their goals while owning who they are. Related StoriesAnyone who knows Pam knows she loves her champagne. They also know her champagne of choice is Veuve Clicquot. Bearing the trademark yellow label that was first used in 1876, the story of Veuve Clicquot's rise from its modest beginnings in 1772 to one of the world's leading luxury brands, shipping 20 million bottles a year, is the stuff of legend. At the center of the story is a woman -- the Widow Clicquot (veuve is French for "widow"), the recognized Grand Dame of champagne, whose business acumen and innovations helped create a global industry. If you don't know her remarkable story, check out Tilar Mazzeo's book, "The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled it." The headquarters for Veuve Clicquot is in Reims in the Champagne region, about one hour east by train from Paris. On our recent trip to Paris, we decided making the trek to the "Mothership," as Pam calls it, was a must. "Two tickets to Reims, s'il te plaît." READ MORE. Find Your Zen in the Parks of ParisPARIS -- The last time we saw Paris -- isn't that a song? -- we arrived on the Chunnel train from London and spent a glorious time exploring from the "Hop On, Hop Off" bus. This time, we planned to strike out on our own to experience the City of Light. Timing-wise, August might not be the best month, only because it's the month many Parisians take their holiday. While we found some museums closed, as well a few shops and restaurants, you could hardly notice. In fact, it's still peak tourist season, and the usual hotspots, like the Eiffel Tower, Versailles and the Louvre, were swarming with people. We thought about signing up for a guided tour, but ultimately decided to strike out on our own. So, with the help of the Internet, and Uber, we identified a few places to visit. By the way, we found Uber a great way to get around the city. Taking Uber from Orly Airport to our hotel was half the cost of a taxi, and anytime we needed a ride, it arrived in a few minutes. Plus with my credit card on file, paying was a snap. READ MORE Flying to Paris the French bee WayAs soon as we learned we would be taking an AmaWaterways “Colors of Provence” wine cruise on the Rhone River in France, the next task became getting there from South Florida. As we looked into flights, a newcomer caught our attention: French bee. Billed as the “leading affordable, long-haul airline based in Paris,” they had just initiated service from Miami to Orly Airport last December. A direct flight on a budget-friendly carrier? As the British say, that’s “just the ticket.” Founded in 2016, they expanded service to the United States in 2018, and currently offer flights to Orly from New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Miami. Additionally, they fly from San Francisco to Tahiti and from Orly to Reunion Island off the coast of Africa. They are the first airline to exclusively fly Airbus A350s. Here’s a recap of our French bee experience: READ MORE. BY GERRY BARKER Anyone who knows Pam knows she loves her champagne. They also know her champagne of choice is Veuve Clicquot. Bearing the trademark yellow label that was first used in 1876, the story of Veuve Clicquot's rise from its modest beginnings in 1772 to one of the world's leading luxury brands, shipping 20 million bottles a year, is the stuff of legend. At the center of the story is a woman -- the Widow Clicquot (veuve is French for "widow"), the recognized Grand Dame of champagne, whose business acumen and innovations helped create a global industry. If you don't know her remarkable story, check out Tilar Mazzeo's book, "The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled it." The headquarters for Veuve Clicquot is in Reims in the Champagne region, about one hour east by train from Paris. On our recent trip to Paris, we decided making the trek to the "Mothership," as Pam calls it, was a must. "Two tickets to Reims, s'il te plaît." READ MORE |
ABOUTStay current with the latest news from the cruise lines. Gerry is Travel Editor at Aqua South Florida
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