The Sound Track of our Lives

I've been waiting for a chance to use that title!  It was the name of a benefit in aid of the Mizell Senior Center, to feature all the music from the 60s, and I thought it was a great concept!  And it was exactly what it felt like at Pac Bel Stadium with Hank on May 11.

First, we had dinner at Delancy Street, near the Stadium.  (Okay, one more picture of me and Hank eating....)

I have never been in the stadium, and it was one of those San Francisco nights where it was good to be out there in the buzz.  There was no opening act, but they were playing Bob Dylan, John Lennon, et al as the crowd (of 38,000, I am told) was drifting into the stadium.

As for the concert itself, well.  All that's left of Pink Floyd is Roger Waters.  This was a reprise of The Wall concert originally performed in 1980,  Hopefully, it was better then.  The music itself was okay, but there was so much light and flash and glitz and gimmicks that it was hard to hear the music through it all.  And the worst of it all was that it seemed like Waters was phoning it in.  After watching Springsteen, well, that is just not acceptable.  I am not sorry we saw it - it was an experience - but I don't need to do it again.  I think Hank - who saw it in 1980 and considered it one of the best concerts he had ever seen - was a bit let down too.  Well, that's the thing with live performances - sometimes they work and sometimes they don't!

In any event, the next day, I was off to France.  Things went like clockwork, and, given the 9 hour time change, I was in reasonably fine fettle when I arrived in Paris the next day.  The connection to Marseille also went smoothly, customs and immigration, security, change of terminal and all, and, as promised, the representative from the ship was there to meet us at the Marseilles airport, ready to take me to Arles, the departure port about 45 minutes drive away.

Friend Peter was already on the ship waiting for me, drink in hand

And we were ready to start our adventure.

The ship itself, The River Royale, is part of the Uniworld fleet, and is a lovely ship, full at 120 people, a good size, I think, not too big and not too small.  The crew is mixed, as it usually is on ships these days, some French, of course, and a lot of the rest from Eastern Europe , all hugely attentive, friendly, and with perfect (if heavily accented) English.  Sunday night, the first dinner on board, I think will be typical, four courses, small, but gourmet in quality.  (There is a fitness room on board, but from the looks of the schedule,e there won't be mush time for it - you can see it has taken me two days to start writing, and my eyes are starting to close as we speak.  Perhaps our daily walking tours will keep any more pounds from creeping on!

Monday was the day for exploring Arles.  Arles was originally a Greek city, but became a Roman one in 46 B.C., thanks to Julius Caesar.  There is still lots of evidence of the Roman Wall, and an ampitheater which was in use from 18 AD to the end of the 4th centure.  It could hold 20,000 spectators, and, was usual with the Roman ampitheaters, could empty out in 30 minutes in case of emergency.  As our guide said, "The Times Square of its day!).  There is also an obelisk, moved from the Roman Circus.  Hank would be in his element.  So, here are the pictures from town, in no particular order.

Actually, never mind.  I'll catch up tomorrow, tell you about Arles, the guides, the olive farm, the medieval village, and much more.  Suffice it for mow to say Peter and I are getting along famously, with each other and with the others on the ship, an extremely varied and well traveled group, and are having a wonderful time!