Rhône

The Rhône (/ˈroʊn/; French: Le Rhône [ʁon]; German: Rhone [ˈroːnə]; Walliser German: Rotten [ˈrotən]; Italian: Rodano [ˈrɔːdano]; Arpitan: Rôno [ˈʁono]; Occitan: Ròse [ˈrɔze]) is one of the major rivers of Europe, rising in Switzerland, passing through Lake Geneva and running through southeastern France. At Arles, near its mouth on the Mediterranean Sea, the river divides into two branches, known as the Great Rhône (French: Le Grand Rhône) and the Little Rhône (Le Petit Rhône). The resulting delta constitutes the Camargue region.

Name

The name Rhône continues the name Rhodanus (Greek Ῥοδανός Rhodanos) in Greco-Roman geography. The Gaulish name of the river was *Rodonos or *Rotonos (from a PIE root *ret- "to run, roll" frequently found in river names).

The Greco-Roman as well as the reconstructed Gaulish name is masculine, as is French le Rhône. This form survives in the Italian namesake, Rodano. German has adopted the French name but given it the feminine gender, die Rhone. The original German adoption of the Latin name was also masculine, der Rotten; it survives only in the Upper Valais (dialectal Rottu).

Southern France

Southern France or the south of France, colloquially known as le Midi, is a defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Spain, the Mediterranean, and Italy. The Midi includes:

This area corresponds in large part to Occitania, the territory in which Occitan (French: langue d'oc) — as distinct from the langues d'oïl of northern France — was historically the dominant language. Though part of Occitania, the regions of Auvergne and Limousin are not normally considered part of the south of France.

The term Midi derives from mi (middle) and di (day) in Old French, comparable to the term Mezzogiorno from the south of Italy. The time of midday was synonymous with the direction of south because in France, as in all of the Northern Hemisphere north of the Tropic of Cancer, the sun is in the south at noon. The synonymy existed in Middle French as well, where meridien can refer to both midday and south.

Avalon Waterways

Avalon Waterways is a United States headquartered ship and river cruise line owned by the Globus family of brands, which offers cruises in Europe, China, Southeast Asia, the United States, South America and the Galápagos Islands.<ref name=""New Kid on the River," Vacation Agent Magazine">"New Kid on the River," Vacation Agent Magazine</ref> The company became a member of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) in August 2009.<ref name=""Avalon Waterways Joins CLIA," CLIA Press Room">"Avalon Waterways Joins CLIA," CLIA Press Room</ref>

Fleet

Since its launch in 2004, Avalon Waterways has christened 18 new ships in Europe.<ref name=""The River Cruise Boom," Miami Herald">"The River Cruise Boom: Cruising through Europe," Miami Herald</ref> In May 2011, the company introduced the Avalon Panorama, the industry's first "Suite Ship."<ref name=""River Line Avalon Waterways to Break Ground with First Suite Ship," USA Today">"River Line Avalon Waterways to Break Ground with First Suite Ship," USA Today</ref> With a focus on bringing the outdoor experience inside, two full decks of Suite Ship staterooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows that slide open to create a balcony-like exterior wall for broader views of Europe's passing landscapes.<ref name=""Ship Designers Look Outdoors," New York Times>"Ship Designers Look Outdoors," New York Times</ref>