This hotel is way above the norm. Breakfast had all the usual hot & cold items, plus omelettes, smoked salmon, more types of cereals & breads than I knew existed. Won’t need much lunch!

The weather stayed sunny (but very windy) for our visit to Avignon of “Sur le pont” fame; and before you ask: Non, nous n’avons pas dansé. Last time we visited, there was a music festival going on and the town was marred by posters, plastered around as only the French can. Today, we saw the city in its true glory and it is a really interesting place to stroll around to view the ancient walls, Palais de les Papes (Popes’ Palace) and many interesting shops and galleries. We had three hours, saw quite a lot, but certainly not everything on offer. There was a good-looking bakery that had gorgeous filled sourdough baguettes on display. A few of these became our picnic dinner for the ferry crossing. We also had to set aside some time for a favourite pastime: pavement cafés, watching the world go by.

We then moved on to Toulon to board our overnight ferry to Corsica. Straightforward, as our courier/driver, Mel, is skilled in the art of herding cats, so by around 18:30 we were installed in our (upgraded) outside cabin.

The ferry is well equipped but subject to the sort of cheerful chaos only possible on a Franco-Italian ship. Everything moves at snail’s pace and things not quite right are solved by a smile and a gallic shrug. Who cares, really? It’s part of the fun of continental holidays.

We sailed at 19:00 (ish) and are due to dock in Bastia at around 06:00 tomorrow.