I've just come back from 11 days of pretty much heaven...
Started with a train journey down to London - been many times before, but Gemma and I love it, so we went. Few drinks and a go in the casino on Leicester Square (which has been redeveloped and is now open) before getting an early night.
Reason for the early night - and the trip to London - was that we were getting the 5.40am Eurostar to Paris. I'd never been to France before, save for a trip to the WWI battlefields with school 23 years ago. Spent a lovely day in Paris just doing what first-time visitors do. Started at the Louvre, which is stunning, then walked down the river before eating a sandwich on the lawn at Champs de Mars, pretty much staring at the Eiffel Tower. Couldn't get over how tall it is.
Next morning, another early morning train trip down to Montpellier for the Catalans v Wigan game. Montpellier is just a town, but surprisingly pictureque in parts, with virtually NO traffic. It seems cars are banned from most of it, but the tram system is fabulous.
Next morning and yet another early train to get to Toulon. The nerd in me was excited to go to Toulon because that's where the early part of Les Miserables is set, but after realising that's just fiction I my excitement switched to the fact we were going on the main part of our holiday - a week long cruise on Royal Carribean's Liberty of the Seas.
There are apartment blocks in Manchester smaller than Liberty of the Seas. Trust me, it's massive. I'd always baulked at the idea of going on a cruise, thinking it was all old people, ballroom dancing, one place to eat, one place to drink, cramped cabin with a small bed etc etc, but Gemma had been on one two years previously and she assured me that it was like a four star hotel on water. It wasn't - it was like a whole town on water. Several restaurants, several bars, two pools, several hot tubs, a nightclub, big screen showing all the Euro2012 games, a "flow rider" machine. Seriously - have a look. It's amazing. Even the room was like a proper hotel room, spacious, with a balcony and everything. Food was amazing.
But even that was only a small part of the experience. We docked in Villafranche for trips to Nice and Monte Carlo, Livorno for Pisa or Florence, Civitivecchia for Rome (which was fabulous), Naples and following day at sea (which was needed!) Barcelona.
Back in Toulon a week later, we got another train back to Nice where we were to fly home from. The Sunday was spend in Monte Carlo, which to me, looks like Benidorm on the front, but after following the race track, we ended up near the old casino and the Hotel de Paris, which is stunning. We revisited Villafranche - probably my new favourite place.
I have to admit something here - I was a probably a bit bigoted towards France and the French, assuming that they were difficult, a bit up themselves, unhelpful and rude. Couldn't have been more wrong. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, was helpful, smiley, understanding, friendly, and the transport system was magnificent and well priced. I loved it, and I really didn't expect to.
So sorry for harping on a bit, but what I really wanted to say was that for those who had never considered going on a cruise, thinking it was old fashioned, I would urge you to reconsider, and look at firms like Royal Carribean, Celebrity, Norwegian etc, and they have really rethought it all, and modernised the whole experience. People of all ages were on ours and it wasn't at all stuffy. I've seen places and met people I never would have ordinarily.
But the real surprise to me, was France. Some of you will say you could have told me all this, but you know me - I have to find these things out for myself.
