Day 3: Vernon & Giverny

Vernon, France 

Overnight the ship cruised toward Vernon, a city in Normandy that suffered severe bombing in WWII.  Our guide told us that 1600 bombs had been dropped on the town!  One of the casualities was a 14th Gothic Century church (Notre Dame), which is being restored.  

The town was very quaint with old and new sections.  Of course, the older sections were the more attractive with incredible architecture: elaborately carved doors, tiled or slate roofs, tudor construction.  It is incredible that these homes are still inhabited to this very day!  One lady who inhabits one opened her shutters and waved flags of France and USA in our honor!  So sweet! 

Giverney, France 

After lunch, we were taken to Giverney to see Impressionist painter, Claude Monet's home and anazing gardens.  It was an exquisite piece of property, carefully cultivated by Monet himself into a colorful, textural landscape.  I thought the gardens were in prime viewing capacity, but our Guide assured us that September was the month to see them in full glory!  

Wisteria in all colors (white, blue, yellow) delighted the senses, while vibrant tulips underplanted with dwarf mums, pansies, or forget-me-knots in coordinating shades complimented colorful rhododendron and azaleas in full bloom.  The water lilies, alas, were not in bloom, but their reddish leaves provided color to the landscape. 

The weather has cooperated nicely with bright sunny, warm days to highlight the beauty of this region. After a full day trekking the vast gardens, we went back to the ship.  I skipped dinner to rest.  Food has been ample and outstanding, so I could afford to miss a meal.  

Day 2: Gay Paree

Our first day included a city tour of Paris.  We were driven in Mercedes buses no less from Le Pecq, where we were docked on the Seine River, to Paris.  The guide pointed out the beautiful homes and walled gardens of retirees in Les Chatons on the outskirts of Paris.  Wow!  How can retirees afford to live in and care for such homes?  Bill remarked that these must be "family" homes, passed down through generations.  That made sense to me, as they were older construction with traditional walled gardens that estates typically have.

Paris was amazing.  All the different types of architecture the city has, yet it doesn't clash for the most part.  We saw the business district with high-rises representing world players such as Alphabet, the Champs d'Elysee with it's L'Arche de Triomphe, where the Tour de France is held, to palaces that once housed Kings and Emperors.  We stopped and saw the remnants of Notre Dame Cathedral, surrounded by a lot of street artists selling their wares.  We purchased a watercolor of the Eiffel Tower before leaving as a souvenir, and lunched at a little Cafe that was supposedly frequented by  "Round table" authors of the 20th century: Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Dorothy Parker, etc. People were very nice, contrary to what I'd heard, and we both practice our French whenever possible.  Bill is picking up the language rather nicely; perhaps it bears a resemblance to German, which he studied? He is amazed at how many words are similar in English!

Or last stop was the Eiffel Tower, which we had seen, plant"Hide and Seek" all day at a distance.  It is impressive close up!  It takes 840 gallons of paint entry 7 years to keep it spiffy!

En route or of the city, we saw the Sorbonne, where my French teacher, Sr Mary Anita Salmon, PBVM, studied.  It was huge, and must have been intimidating to a young nun from Clinton, MA!

Day 1: Arrival in Gay Paris!

After a long day in the air (SAV-ORD-CDG), we made it!  I hadn't been to O'Hare in years and was amazed at the cosmic light show in the connector between Terminal C and B! 

The Paris airport (Charles DeGaulle) was huge with lots of "habitrails" in which people moved through and lots of high-end stores (Fendi, Gucci, etc.).  I realized I forgot my watch and Bill said, "Let`s pick one up for you here," right in front of Gucci's!  I couldnt take advantage of his naiveté with regard to price, and politely declined. A fashionable young man, named Kenneth, in the tightest black suit and shiniest black patent leather shoes I'd ever seen, met us upon exiting Customs, gave us some much needed water, and whisked us off in a Mercedes limo to our boat, the Viking Rolf, docked in the Seine just outside Paris.  He drove through some very residential areas of the city with large, beautiful homes with walled gardens.  As he conscientiously drove, I looked at highway signs with familiar names like Argenteuil, St Denis - places I'd read anout in books - until we finally stopped at where the boat was docked at LePecq near St Germaine du Lac along the Seine. The boat is narrow and very long.  The interior is upscale, modern, and impeccably clean.  Our cabin is quiet, beautifully appointed, and has every modern convenience, including heated bathroom floors, and a orivate balcony.  Our wall-mounted, flatscreen TV not only has TV and movie offerings, but displays our daily customized tour schedule so its easy to reference our schedule on any given day!

It was daylight at 8:30 pm while we were having a delicious French dinner with some fun couples from VA Beach and RI.  I think I'm going to enjoy my first cruise with Viking very much!

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Getting Ready

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Bill and I decided to take advantage of the post Xmas sales and invest in some new luggage.  We picked up a TravelPro wheeling under-seater with a padded section for our tablets or laptop for 30% off, as well as a hard-sided Samsonite large case with TSA lock for durability.  It's amazing how lightweight the new hardcase luggage is!  We are considering shipping the large case ahead, so we wanted something extra-durable!  We will each bring a carry-on on our flight.
We also got wired earbuds to listen to music/entertainment en route.  Our phones are equipped with Google Translate for easy communication, and I've downloaded maps of Normandy and Paris for reference, plus a currency converting app.  Euro is much stronger than the USD right now.  Had hoped Brexit would change that. 🤔