Sensual

Day 11 - Giverny & Vernon

Friday, June 17th, 2016

Sensual

I think the best word to describe today is sensual – it has been a feast for the senses.

This morning we arrived in Vernon and took a short ride into the town of Giverny, where Claude Monet lived from 1883 until his death in 1926. We visited the beautiful gardens and charming stone farmhouse where he lived and worked, and saw the water garden with its Japanese bridge, water lilies, wisteria and azaleas that inspired many of his masterpieces. There is no way for our pictures to do it justice. Not only did we drink in the beauty with our eyes but everywhere you caught the different scents of the flowers wafting on air and you could hear the birds chirping in the trees.  It was amazing, even with the hundreds of people who were tourists just like us. 

Our senses were somewhat assaulted at the end of tour as we were ready to walk back to the bus, when the heavens opened and we were drenched with a rather cold shower, even as the sun was still shining in others parts of the sky.

Lunch today was a taste of Normandy and we indulged in French cheeses and meats, breads and pastries.  It was a gastronomical delight.

After lunch some of went for a stroll through this delightful provincial town of Vernon. We saw the Maison du Temps Jadis (House of Past Times), Vernon’s oldest house, and the 11th-century Church of Notre Dame with it’s beautiful stained glass windows.  Walking down the street I was mesmerized by the artful displays in all the shops; meats, cheeses, pastries, chocolates, all a fest for the eye.

Tonight we are invited to the Viking Explorer cocktail party for all those who have cruised with Viking before.  I’m sure it will be a lovely evening.

Resilience

Day 10 - Paris City Tour

Thursday, June 16th, 2016

Resilience

There is no doubt that when you travel, a healthy amount of resilience and perspective makes the trip much more enjoyable.  Sometimes, you just have to keep going and adapt to your situation.  With all the flooding in France that has certainly been the case.  Last night the internet on the ship was not working well so I couldn't post my daily blog - ah well.

So, with the rising river our ship had to sail Wednesday night to a different town farther away from Paris which meant that our bus trip yesterday morning into Paris took a bit longer. The traffic in Paris is terrible at the best of times so we spent more than an hour on the bus to Paris.  Sure, we could have grumbled but what good would that do - instead we listened a a great guide who shared incredible information with us.  He was great. Our tour of this beautiful city took in its most remarkable sights.  We saw the highlights of Paris from the bus and had a lovely stop at Notre Dame Cathedral.  The line was long and the crowd huge, especially with all the tourists in town for the soccer championship, but  we were resilient.  

 After our cathedral tour we had free time and enjoyed lunch at a lovely sidewalk café.  As we were leaving the café the rain started so by the time we were back at the bus, we were rather wet but we are resilient so a little rain was not going to put a damper on a great day.  Our bus trip included pictures by the Eiffel Tower.  You can see the soccer ball hanging from the center. 

We drove by the École Militaire, Orsay Museum, the Latin Quarter, the Louvre and Opera House and along the famous Champs Elysées. It would be lovely to have more time to spend in Paris and spend time in the museums and other places.

We drove back to the ship and enjoyed a lovely Captain’s cocktail party and a great dinner.  This morning the sun is shining and we are off to explore the works of Claude Monet and his beautiful gardens.

Our group is so resilient, after along day of walking and exploring they are all up and ready to do it again; no complaints just gratitude for another adventure.

Travel Day

Day 9 - Lyon - Paris

Wednesday, June 15th, 2016

Travel Day

Today we bid farewell to the lovey staff of the Viking Heimdal and have settled in on the Viking Rinda.  We were pleasantly surprised to discover that instead of taking a 6 hour bus ride we were taking the high speed train to Paris which covers the same distance in 2 hours. 

 It was a very pleasant journey and we were met by Viking reps at the train station.  The bus ride to the ship was about an hour and we had our first glimpses of the sights of Paris; Notre Dame Cathedral, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and lots of traffic.  

The ship is docked in Le Pecq so it is not as convenient as Lyon where we could just get off the ship and walk into the city.The water on the Seine river is still very high and filled with a lot of floating debris. The captain made an announcement at lunch that because the water is expected to rise later today we are setting sail tonight instead of tomorrow night.  I’m not sure where we are going or how it will impact the plans for tomorrow but I’m sure we will get to see Paris sometime. 

We have certainly enjoyed the first half of our trip and if the next 7 days are as good we will be very happy travelers.