We ported in Toulon, and Kyle & I had a semi-private wine tour booked which took us to the wine regions of Provence, Bandol & Cassis. The weather wasn't the best; fairly cloudy & windy, but since we have had perfect weather thus far we weren't complaining. I actually don't think we have ever done a wine tour where we learned as much as we did on this one. Provence is famous for their rose wines, Bandol for their reds, and Cassis for their whites. It was a day full of learning all about grapes, and the wine making process, too. If you are a big wine drinker, then you have probably noticed that wine from France is not categorized by the type of grape... they do not produce merlots, pinots, cabs, etc. They categorize their wine based on the region it was made because they feel that the soil types, weather, etc. actually determine taste, and not necessarily the grape alone. Therefore, it is good to have some knowledge about the wine regions in France to know if you are buying a good wine (i.e now when you go to the store for a red wine from France you will know to get one that says Bandol, not Cassis). Here are some pictures from the vineyards we visited:
For lunch we had some free time in the fisherman's village/beach town of Cassis. It is a super cute town with shops, and a gorgeous beach. Here are some pics:
After lunch we drove to the top of a hill that overlooks the region. There are all sorts of shops there, a really cute church we visited and obviously, awesome views.
At this point, it was time to head back to the boat. They were having a special party for Americans out by the pool with BBQ, the national anthem, etc. I first went to change, and then stopped by kids camp to get my face painted for the occasion. Here are some pics from the 4th of July party on the Norwegian Spirit.... GOD BLESS THE USA....
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