MS William Shakespeare in Lyon                                                                                                          

I had flown into Marseilles the previous day to join the 140-passenger vessel. Check in was speedy and my spick and span cabin on the upper Hamlet deck came with all the bits anyone needs for a week’s stay. Cabins on the upper and middle Othello Deck have floor-to-ceiling glass windows with French balconies while those on the lower Romeo Deck have smaller fixed windows – and you’ve spotted it  - on this vessel decks are named after Shakespearean characters.  

We were on the Rhone, a trade route since the days of the Romans and ancient Greeks. It is not the longest or widest river but of all those which course through France, the Rhone is the only major river flowing directly into the Mediterranean. After dinner that evening, the engines started to rumble and we were off, heading for Arles, another town which keeps the most demanding of history buffs happy.

Next morning after breakfast, I had a little wander round town, hoping that the surroundings might provide me with inspiration in my painting efforts. After all, it worked for Van Gogh. He came here in 1888, the same year he cut off part of his left ear. When he first arrived he noted, 'The brothels, the adorable little Arlesiennes going to their First Communion, the priest in his surplice, who looks dangerously like a rhinoceros, people drinking absinthe, all seem to me creatures from another world.’ He was partial to both absinthe and brothels and in fact gave the bit of ear which he cut off to a prostitute. Strange gift. He shared a house with fellow artist Gauguin but they didn’t get on. Unfortunately the Yellow House where they lived was accidentally bombed by the Americans in 1944 so isn’t on the tourist map. While in Arles though, Van Gogh painted some of his most celebrated works including Starry Night and Sunflowers. The Espace van Gogh, once a hospital where the man himself spent some time after the ear incident, holds occasional art exhibitions and of course I couldn’t come to Arles without hopping on le Petit Train d'Arles, a fun way to scuttle around ticking off the main sights.

The ship’s group excursion later that day was a coach trip to the Pont du Gard. Who but the brainy Romans would have thought of bringing water to the Nimes folk by building an aqueduct? With its three tiers of 50m high arches, the construction is a magnificent achievement and what’s more, built without a smidgen of cement. After ooh-ing and aah-ing at this fantastic feat of engineering it was time to return to our home on the river, where a relaxed dinner awaited. Besides the main dining room, guests can have dinner in the more intimate La Brasserie which accommodates 24 diners indoors and outdoors at no extra charge. Passengers need to book early in the day to eat there.