Viking Ocean’s Mediterranean Odyssey Day 3 of 13

Weather Report

A little chilly in the morning in the low 60s, but warmed up to the low 70s and a sunny, beautiful day.

Today’s Plan

This morning, we chose a Viking optional (i.e. additional cost) excursion called Le Castellet & Wine Tasting. We are foregoing the included excursion in Marseille as every review I read about it ranked it among the worst they had taken. This is our first trip to France – so we figured we should try out the wine – we’ve heard it’s supposed to be good….

Viking Daily

Le Castellet & Wine Tasting

Cost/person: $149

Viking Difficulty Rating: Moderate

Duration: 5 Hours

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Explore a historic 11th-century hilltop village and delight in the sumptuous wines of Bandol.

Entering Le Castellet via two fortified gateways, you will enjoy a walking tour and free time among its small squares lined with beautiful old houses that have been carefully restored, quaint streets, artisans’ workshops and a 12th-century church. Wind your way up to Le Castellet’s most iconic feature, an 11th-century castle that sits majestically atop a hillside. The views from the castle and village are magnificent, with beautiful vistas of the Bandol vineyards. Descending into the plains beneath Le Castellet, your drive will bring you to Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer, a stunning seaside locale whose beach is surrounded by pine forests. Here, you will learn wine-making techniques and sample local Bandol wines and olive oil at the Domaine de Frégate winery—a wonderful end to an enriching day.

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We enjoyed our visit to the winery and the village which are located about 45-60 minutes southeast of the port. The winery tour was very informative concerning the rules governing the wineries in the Bandol region (appellation). As far as I knew previously, the appellations were primarily about geography. However, when the Bandol appellation was created, the winemakers agreed on a whole set of rules specifying the grape varietals that can be grown there, the pruning methods, the prohibition on irrigation, etc. The winemakers all meet each year to taste each other’s wines and agree if they meet the expectations of wines from Bandol. If they don’t, then then cannot be sold as a “Bandol” wine.

We tasted a white, rose, and red wine and two different “pizzas” were served to balance the tastings with food. We bought a bottle of the white to enjoy later in our trip.  

The small, medieval village of Le Castellet was indeed a treat. Our guide led us to the top of the village, then gave us free time to work our way back down to the bus for the return to our ship. We enjoyed seeing the countryside and small villages to and from the bustle of Marseille.

Afternoon Tea

Port Talk Monaco

On a lot of cruise lines, the port talks are all about selling the ship excursions. On Viking, the port talks focus initially on the history and culture of the upcoming port, then they do also give some detail about the excursions to help people understand better the experience as to time on a bus versus time walking – how difficult the terrain may be etc. – in case you decide to make a change.

We found the information provided about the Principality of Monaco, the world’s second smallest country at only 2.08 square kilometres (about 0.8 square miles), quite informative. Most of what you see on the hills rising above the town of Monte Carlo is actually France with a bit of Italy to the east. Most Americans are familiar with Monaco due to the actress Grace Kelly marrying Prince Rainier III in 1956.

Evening on Board

We saw a gorgeous sunset from our aft balcony before going to a late dinner in the main dining room (MDR) which Viking calls The Restaurant. Reservations are not required and there is not assigned seating, but there is a dress code. Men are expected to wear collared shirts and slacks; women are expected to wear nice blouses with skirts or slacks. No jeans or shorts.