Back in June, when it was becoming impossibly hot and boring living in our rental apartment (with molasses-slow progress on our home renovation), Dear Husband and I decided to brave the outside world and travel out of the country.

Armed with passports, vaccination cards, entry documents, and recent COVID tests, DH and I embarked on a short Viking river cruise to Lyon and Provence. The tipping point was their excellent health and safety program, in which every crew member and passenger takes a short, non-invasive COVID test daily. At least we’d be protected within our bubble.

A few highlights, as this is by no means a comprehensive travelogue:

• Watching the world flow by from our little balcony
• Cocktail hour with witty and cultured new friends K and S
• Breathtaking mountain views of the countryside
• Strolling through Arles
• Morning croissants and coffee
• A day on our own in Avignon visiting two museums (classic and contemporary) and finding a terrific place for lunch
• The uniformly excellent food, wine, service and crew on board

And a couple of lowlights:

• The airports in Marseilles and Frankfurt (our connection), which were overcrowded and understaffed, with insuffient time to check all passengers’ COVID documents
• Not enough time in Lyon; we will have to return!

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