funny you should ask about the World Cup coverage ... as in 'nyet', 'nada' and 'non'. Mark and I are a little more hepped up about the world cup. We're just down the hall from each other on Port side of Deck 8. I was up at 2 am, locked in the closet, trying to get info on the US-Portugal match. Mark was reduced to reading blog posts. A draw. What an outcome. Then, topic of discussion this morning was just how badly Uruguay's striker is going to get penalized for biting into an Italian. then there's wimbledon coverage ... see comments under World Cup coverage. Glad to see Rafa went through along with Federer.

I made my second shot at walk with the fitness director at 7 am sharp. Yesterday one of us showed up ... so I just walked for half an hour figuring I got the required mile in within that time frame. This morning, rain significant enough to daunt even my attempt at disciplined exercise. Came back down to the room with the blast of an intercom announcement. It could only be one thing .. sea day vs. visiting Antibes. 42 knot winds and swells mean tenders are a no go. Dialed up the Grand Budapest hotel on the on-demand channel, clicked the volume down to 3 and enjoyed a two hour nap.

We chose an 8:15 departure yesterday to get a look at Provence again. that was the good news - a very scenic drive. We arrived at Chateau St. Martin and were treated to a wine tasting. Just couldn't manage it at 9:30 am. after that, we went to the equivalent of the Var area wine appellation chamber of commerce to learn how to taste wine. This area of france produces largely light rose wine varietals. So ... off we trooped, figuring we could tune out the wine tasting directions and see what was on offer.

Instead, the wiine tasting instruction was quite good. We learned a new wrinkly - identifying the 'glint' of the wine color. Their contention is the glint will allow you to gauge the age of the wine. Personally, the vintage on the label generally does it for me, but hey! A new party trick? Why not? The fun part was when we got to the red wine. The instructor was convincing us the glint indicated a more mature wine. Accented english did not do much to enlighten the audience, but we eventually got the point - glint was the color of roof tiles.

another lovely drive back to Cannes. All in all, a much better excursion than I expected.

Have not been back on Mariner since probably 2011. the redo is beautiful. My favorite change is the chairs on the balcony. They are rattan with cushions and a stick shift to recline. Easy enough to grab a pillow, put the back down and take a nap. We are at anchor during the day so it's feasible. They also took a page form Sea Dream and added balinese beds on either side of the bow area on deck 12. Me likey! The executive chef is very good. We've had him on a prior cruise. The company is most amiable and it's a relaxing visit.

Cheers, Anne