Paris & the Heart of Normandy – A River Cruise
By Monica Marshall, 12/13/2011
I just returned from an excellent 8-day river cruise, sailing with Viking River Cruise’s Viking Spirit. The cruise began in Paris and included ports-of-call at Auvers-sur-Oise which is the place where Vincent van Gogh spent his last years, Rouen which is the historical capital of Normandy, the Normandy Beaches, Les Andelys known for Château Gaillard, built in 1196 by Richard the Lionheart and Conflans. In the summertime, the ship will stop in Vernon and include Giverny with a visit the beautiful gardens and home of Claude Monet instead of visiting Auvers-sur-Oise.
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All meals were included as well as local wines and soft drinks with dinner and 6 guided tours. The ship was beautiful and very comfortable and held only 150 passengers. The staff and service provided was outstanding. The included 6 guided tours in the ports visited which were also excellent. The included tours were: Paris City tour which took us past all the major sights in Paris such as the Eiffel Tower, The Ecole Militaire, d’Orsay Musem, the Louvre, the Opera House, along the famous Champs Elysees and then a visit inside Notre Dame; Auver-sur-Oise where we learned about the last weeks of the life of Vincent van Gogh and saw the area which inspired many of his paintings; Rouen walking tour, Normandy Beaches tour, walk to Chateau Gaillard and a Conflans walking tour. All tours were absolutely excellent and well worth the time spent.
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While sailing on the river, there were several different activities to take part in, including a French lesson, a lecture on the “Painters of the Seine”, a lecture on “Joan of Arc’, Chat on Cheese in which we learned about the different cheeses of the region, 2 cooking demonstrations which included making gingerbread and lemon tarte, as well as a musical group playing the “Sound of Europe”.
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All the cities and villages we visited were all decorated for Christmas with wonderful holiday decorations. It was very festive and so much fun to see! The ship was also decorated for the Christmas holiday, and we also learned about the European Christmas traditions while onboard the ship. It was great fun as well as very delicious!
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One of the great things about the river cruise was that I unpacked only 1 time when I boarded the ship. When we arrived at one of the cities or villages, we just walked off the ship and were in the center of town. With only 150 people on board, it took minutes for everyone to get off the ship and back on again. Even though it was winter, it was very enjoyable to be up on the sun deck and take in all the sights and scenery that the river has to offer as we sailed on by. This was such a relaxing trip with great food and great service.
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Paris is the most wonderful city with so very much to offer and to explore! As the cruise itinerary gives you limited time in Paris, I would strongly recommend either arriving at least 3 days early in Paris or staying at least 3 additional days in Paris after your cruise. I personally prefer arriving before the cruise, so by the time you board the ship you are over the jet lag and time change. It would be a shame to sleep away your time on board the cruise as you are not yet used to the difference in the time change.
So if you are thinking about exploring Europe and are interested in tasting new foods and seeing all that Europe has to offer, consider taking a river cruise. It’s a great way to travel!
Filed Under: Where We've Been, Destinations
