Le Jaures Toulon

Really beautiful train ride along the coast (which in a way it is a shame that the railway is right on the beach) Marseille is a bigger city and not so quaint but the port area is nice. Flew out of Marseille to Lisbon. I know not quite geographically logicall

... but petty crimes and muggings are commonplace. There's no need for paranoia but you should avoid the Belsunce area. Women will get unsolicited attention, ranging from wolf-whistling to sometimes aggressive chat up routines- but keep your wits about you and you should be fine."

OK....This is coming from a guidebook that can make Somalia sound like an enticing destination. I take the opportunity to hide most of my cash deep in my pack. The train finally creaks ...

... figured this out and got on the right boat - well, a different boat anyhow.

Driving onto the boat we followed the sign that said ‘Embarkments’. I love how so many words in French are similar to what we use in English, but with slightly different meaning. I certainly feel as though I am embarking on something this evening. Something completely new and unplanned - even to us who hardly do ...

NO MARSEILLE for us!!! The captain went by when we had 21 foot waves and winds of 50 gusting to 65. It was sunny but not good enough to dock in Marseille, so on to Barcelona we go. In spite of it, we had a great relaxing day and i had a 3 hour nap this afternoon. Naps are totally not my thing but apparently i was exhausted from our whirlwind schedule. Anyway, nothing exciting. We have seen numerous people in arm slings and just ran into a woman in a ...

... handstands and all the rest.... spend hours cleaning the sand out of our bags and clothes! The next day was a stunning 26 degree day.. so so so nice. We never thought we would be at the beach again. Were tempted to stay but found out the next 2 days were not going to be great weather. Sadly we headed off at 4pm to head to Avignon.. Saying goodbye to the med forever was very hard.. and sad....

... within walking distance, so that’s what I do, exploring a new neighborhood as I go. After a few missed turns I finally locate the Bar de la Plaine, a small place on Place Jean Jaures. The band is already playing and the small place is packed- it’s a free mini-show in anticipation of his 10-year anniversary next week- so I stand outside with the smokers and take my place by an open window, no more than ten ...

... where the man needs two women to scrub him down, rinse him off, then… hmmm, it’s starting to sound better. Every time I think of a bidet, I think of Henry Miller’s Tropic.

My hotel apparently even has a language test, which I barely passed. First she tells me she has no room, and then changes her mind when I inquire about the next day. The only problem is Internet. WiFi is not standard in anything less than $100/night and no ...

... 4 blocks down the road. We got a Royal with Cheese. Those of you who watched Pulp Fiction know the answer to why they don't have a quarter pounder with cheese over here. Metrics system. I guess a "Tenth kilo with cheese" just doesn't roll trippingly off the tongue. Funnies thing I saw was something on the kids menu - Croque McDo. I almost laughed out loud at that one.

Well, that's it for today. We haven't planned what we're doing for tomorrow yet.

... in the room telling a few jokes...and ref**encing our cabin as the "stabin cabin"...we w**en't so lucky. We got kicked out of the room one hour before we arrived...I didn't even take a show** when I had the chance. We went to try to find some place to eat that took credit cards. We w**e so hungry. Finally we did and we both got a big bowl of some kind of noodles...it was gross! All we need to do now is wait until we port. We walked around looking for a good spot. We sat ...

... tiny principality was emaculate and well-kept. All of the buildings were grand and spotless and the gardens around the city were manicured and full of lush vegetation and flowers. We made our way to Place Du Casino where we visited the famous Monte-Carlo Casino and the Hotel De Paris. You could just feel the richness of this place while walking around its streets, lined with the shops of every famous designer I could think of as well as more Ferrari's, Bentley's and Aston Martin's than I ...