The Magic of the Seine - July 26

A memorable Parisian welcome

Our magical journey began on July 26th with an unforgettable first night in Paris. Staying at the Pullman Eiffel Tower hotel, we were immediately captivated by the city's charm. This memorable evening set the perfect tone for our upcoming adventure, as we looked forward to joining the ship on July 28th for a delightful week-long river cruise.

Why you should experience the Seine

If you're considering a trip, I wholeheartedly recommend the 'Magic of the Seine'. The main reasons to encourage you are the great scenery and the fabulous countryside that unfolds before your eyes with every turn of the river. Beyond the visual feast, the culinary experience is unparalleled. You will indulge in the best cuisine in France, making every meal a delightful journey of its own. It's an experience that truly nourishes the soul and tantalises the taste buds.

Saturday 25th July

Packing nearly sorted! Just the small issue of which of Viv's many shoes, most of which don't fit, is she going to take? I sense, given the nature of this trip with its various excursions, we could both be living in our Slip In Sketchers. Please note other makes of shoe are available (but nowhere near as good!).

Your writer is not receiving any inducement or recompense from any shoe brand.

This trip sees us using Avalon Waterways for the first time. Highly recommended by a bowling friend and whilst most river cruise ships ( or boats, I'm never sure which is correct on the river) look the same, the Tapestry II does look rather nice.

Avalon certainly keep you up to date with pre cruise information, with a 27 page so called 'e-travel packet' which is constantly updated every time you make a minor change such as adding an excursion.

We are travelling with friends Terry and Marion this time and very much looking forward to sharing this experience with them. If I said they were seasoned cruisers, it would be a gross understatement, as they have travelled the world many times over and have appeared in various 'top traveller, nights at sea' award ceremonies with various cruise lines. Not this time though, as like us, they are Avalon virgins. 

Monday 27th July

Off and running again! After a slight scare yesterday when we learnt that Gatwick Airport had no running water and all restaurants and toilets were shut, we are shortly on our way. Being collected at 7.30am we are flying Sleazyjet to Paris Charles De Gaulle to sample our first taste of the new EES system. Fingerprints and scans to let us dodgy Brits into the EU!

All sorted on the water front at Gatwick which was a relief and a pleasant (and a first) breakfast in Wetherspoons. Just a small breakfast, in fact it felt like a throw back to Ireland with memories of the mini Irish without the puddings.

Now, why I hear you say, has he taken a picture of WH Smith's? Simple.... to remind me never to buy anything again from Smiths at Gatwick again. A tube, yes one single tube of Extra Strong Trebor mints cost a seriously extra strong price of £2.69. A small inconspicuous packet of mints and/or wine gums, the princely sum of £4.69 each. Quite outrageous and talk about a captive audience.

While waiting for the gate to be announced, we found a bag man!! Even sporting my hat whilst the ladies and I ventured into our respective toilets to check out the running water!

A pleasant SleazyJet flight for all of 45 minutes and a decent run into the centre of Paris to the hotel. Not a bad view.... However, before then, on arrival at Charles De Gaulle airport we were waiting to see what the new EES would bring... absolutely nothing! We presented our passports to the E-Gate as usual, normal scan and we were in. No sign of any fingerprints or additional scans ..... all very odd! Quite a let down in fact but not complaining at all.

A gentle stroll to the local Carrefour to stock up on gin, lots of sunshine and people wandering around. How much more would you want on a Monday afternoon.

Tonight we dine at Cafe Eiffel, a small yet perfectly formed bistro not far from the Tower itself.

A nice meal, plenty of wine, few beers and great company. A very good venue and considering its location, not too badly priced.

Talking of badly priced our second shock of the day came this evening before we went out for dinner. The hotel boasts a 10th floor bar looking out over the Eiffel Tower. The bar opens at 6pm - all good so up we went at 6.15pm for a pre dinner drink and a glimpse of said Eiffel Tower. As we approached the bar we were met by Terry and Marion heading towards us. The reason? The hotel charges €25 per person to enter the bar! Even hotel residents! You're 'aving a giraffe! No chance so we beat a hasty retreat. 

This is a map of our river cruise route - heading north out of Paris, until we reach Normandy.

Just a little postscript to our one night stay in the Pullman Eiffel Tower Hotel. Rarely do I use this blog to rate hotels as I leave that to Trip Advisor etc and I don't normally berate hotels when they don't come up to scratch but I make an exception now.

After dinner last night, we got back to our room after a pretty packed day of travelling. At this point we stumbled onto a catalogue of plumbing moments.... you couldn't have written this trio!

Before we went out earlier we had flushed the loo as you do. We came back to find the water was still filling, thankfully into the bowl so not overflowing. The flush handle was jammed! Tried to phone reception, no answer just a automated voice advertising how wonderful the hotel is! Marching down to reception, I found a member of staff and explained our dilemma. With a very concerned look on her face, more like a rabbit caught in the headlights, she volunteered to 'send a message'. To whom I have no idea. Returning to our room, we waited half an hour, nothing... no call, no text, no card and more importantly no person to fix it. I tried the loo again and amazingly it seemed to have become free so I went back to reception with a message of 'we are ok now' but also a grumble of why no contact. I was informed the technician is not available so had a moan about the lack of information. The rabbit was still firmly wedged in the headlights. At least our toilet seemed to be working.

Returning to our room, I tried out the shower, a normal experience in new venues. Viv sends me to to try out the workings, you know.... which knob is power, which is temperature, is there an overhead cloudburst head, how does it work. Is the floor slippery? A scouting mission! Well I can report the shower in room 145 is not for the faint hearted. Torvill and Dean could have re-enacted The Bolero, the floor sans shower mat was like glass. The shower guard didn't reach the wall so water leaked past it onto the floor, sadly unnoticed by me until I stepped out and found a not inconsiderable amount of water on the floor. Plumbing was not our friend this evening.

Viv heeded my advice not to chance the shower so decided on a body wash..... no flannels to be seen so she used the one spare we had brought with us. All good you would think.

All of a sudden Viv appeared from the bathroom, the sink won't empty! The plunger is jammed! That's it I thought, problems come in three's.

Using all my post graduate skills in plumbing (of which there are none), I looked under the basin and found a lever. Eureka! I exclaimed as I pulled it, then suddenly realised I had used the wrong expression. Archimedes wasn't daft after all. As I pulled the lever, the basin emptied but sadly not down the waste pipe as intended but all over the bathroom floor! Soggy bath towels everywhere. 
Not a good start but you have to laugh!

Tuesday 28th July 

Today is the day we board the Avalon Tapestry II for our 7 day river cruise up the River Seine.

We met the Avalon representative, a formidable lady by the name of Molly. She was in reception and in charge of luggage and the dispensing of tags. A lady not to be trifled with and more than a match for me. She wasn't trucking any nonsense, she was definitely in charge which, for those who know me, will realise did not sit comfortably! Told where to go, what time to go - quite frightening really. 

Due to be collected around 12 noon, the docking location at Javal Bas is only an 8 minute drive from the hotel. Bags down at 11am, the weather is set fair and we are looking forward to our restful week on the water.

Collected on time and joined by about 30 others on the coach for the battle against the Paris traffic. All bags safely aboard.... would expect nothing less from Herrgrupenfurheress Molly.

Arrived on board about 12.30pm, very pleasant buffet lunch and a couple of glasses du vin. Unpacked and a quiet afternoon, the calm before the storm !

Captain's intro went well and the Cruise Director, Tony from Wales was very informative but boy could he talk!

Nice first dinner on board, plenty of wine and a couple of locks to navigate and we sail through the night to Vernon. Tomorrow morning's visit is Monet's Garden.

A couple of views from the balcony as we left the centre of Paris.

Wednesday 29th July 

Awake just before 6am for an early breakfast as we depart for our excursion at 8.15am. Our cruise director, Tony, ( to be known as CD from now on), is proud of the fact we are first group in to the Garden when they open at 9am. 

Mentioning Tony, Viv and I went to see him last night to get booked onto a Van Gogh trip later in the week which the online app said was fully booked. All sorted but not without me having to have words with a group of very gobby American ladies. They were waiting behind us to talk to CD and we couldn't hear him and vice versa. Having learnt from Molly earlier in the day using my new found authoritative voice, I explained if they kept quiet they would be seen quicker! It worked.... silence and, no less, an apology from the ring leader later on in the bar for being so loud. Brits 1 US 0.

We will see how long it lasts.

We left at 8.15am for a short 20 minute coach ride to the picturesque village of Giverny, home of Claude Monet.

Born on 14th November 1840 in Paris, Claude Monet started life drawing caricatures and only started painting landscapes in 1865. His early works were rejected by the French establishment and it was in 1871 that he took a real interest in gardening. Along with his love of colour he was heavily influenced by the Japanese, which led to the design of the Japanese bridge and surrounding lake.

In 1874, his painting Sunrise gave Impressionism its name. He bought his home in Giverny in 1890 and began to transform the garden. He died in December 1926 and a year later the Water Lilies exhibition was opened by the French Prime Minister and close friend Georges Clemenceau.

The site of the tomb of Claude Monet and many of his family in the local church of Saint-Radegonde in Giverny.

The house at Giverny was one of a number of studios from which Monet painted. The many rooms open to the public provide an insight into the man and his perception of colour and light.

A great tour presented by a wonderful guide Miranda, a fantastic way to spend a morning. If you love flowers, art and colour, this is truly a place you will want to visit.

We had planned a trip to a church in Les Andelys after a short sail down the river over lunch but sadly the 35 Deg C temperature and the rather nice buffet lunch and beers put paid to that. At least it gave me chance to read up more on dear old Claude!

Our first happy hour provided very pleasant G&Ts and rather surprisingly the bar was pretty empty at the appointed hour when the happy hour commenced.

Another chat from CD explained tomorrow's itinerary with a cooler day in prospect, a mere 27 Deg C - I might put a sweater on today to avoid a chill!

A nice evening meal was followed by some light entertainment from a duo Fabrice and Bruno. A mix of classic favourites sung by Fabrice who sees himself as a bit of a musical impressionist offering a passable Elvis and a not so impressive Tom Jones. The Brits did out sing the Americans with a rousing rendition of Sweet Caroline (Brits 2 USA 0). Viv and I even managed a dance or rather a shuffle on the dance floor much to the chagrin of Marion who I think felt a little put off that we should be in danger of embarrassing the group. We were fine and the trauma was only a fleeting moment and lasted less than one song. Disaster averted.

Thursday 30th July

We find ourselves in Caudebec today with a morning excursion planned.

We started with a short 15 minute coach ride out of Port Jerome in Caudebec to the quaint little town of Jumieges to visit the ruins of the Abbey. The foundation was laid in 654 by Saint Philibert and the abbey was reconstructed in the 9th Century.

Covering a larger area than you first think, the Abbey, albeit very much in ruins, is still very impressive. The examples of the architecture are there for all to see.

A short drive towards the small village of St. Wandrille took us to the Abbey of the same name where we were introduced to Father Lucien, a lively 84 year old monk who enjoys nothing more than presenting the wonders of his monastery to the outside world.

A monk since 1969, and without a word of English, he portrays a sense of pride, humour and strong conviction. Our guides offered a translation and he often spoke with a mischievous grin and twinkle in his eye which left you in no doubt, he was the man in charge.

The last picture is one of the inside of the new church, new to distinguish it from the old one and built in 1969. The beams are made from oak from the surrounding area. 

The afternoon saw us take a quick stroll into the town of Caudebec, a lovely clean, well presented town featuring its own church undergoing major restoration.

Such intricate stone carving from many centuries ago is quite amazing and a beautiful example of the skill and patience of the workmen of the day. Another piece of amazing work was found in the church's organ, an extraordinary piece.

Parked not far away was a more modern piece of artwork, equally beautiful.

Standing next to it for those requiring help with balance but with no less power .....

A day of contrasts which ended with an emotional and extremely enlightening talk by Nigel Stewart a talented artist as well as leading authority on the Second World War. A precursor to tomorrow's visit to the Normandy beaches which I am sure will be a highlight of the cruise. It will be a day for reflection and respect for those who made the sacrifice to keep future generations safe. At least, in this troubled world, we hope it hasn't been in vain.

Friday 31st July 

Early start this morning for what is going to be a long and unforgettable day. One of those days which, like the Killing Fields in Cambodia, or the War Graves in Singapore, the Atomic Bomb Peace Gardens in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, is a day to remember and reflect. How often these days are about man's inhumanity to man and is a stark reminder of how terrible, and in so many cases, unnecessary. 

Today's headlines do not make good reading and you would think and certainly hope that those in positions of power and influence could exert that power and influence in a more peaceful and caring way?

A two hour drive towards the Normandy coast through rolling French countryside took us first of all to the town of Ranville. This is the resting place of over 2100 British soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice during the events of D-Day and the subsequent months.

The youngest soldier aged 16, who clearly lied about his age in order to enlist, is buried with his fallen comrades. The tradition of the British is that they are normally laid to rest close to where they fell, firstly in temporary graves, which are then converted to a permanent place of rest which is the case here. Where soldiers died together, for example, in a tank hit by mortar shell, they are buried together with joint headstones.

There are many soldiers in the war graves referred to as "known unto God" - these are soldiers who gave their lives but remain unnamed. More modern DNA techniques are resulting in more soldiers or airmen being identified, such as a pilot identified in 2010 and whose headstone has been recarved.

There are numerous War Grave Commission sites in the area which only goes to show the enormous sacrifice made by so many young men.

We then made the short journey to the Pegasus Memorial which highlights the heroic efforts of the 6th Airborne Division, of whom 100 landed in 3 Gliders close to a bridge over the Orne Canal during night preceding the 6th June 1944. The plan was to take the bridge intact so as to allow the arriving British troops the chance to progress towards their inland targets. The first glider landed 45 yards from the bridge and the second one 75 yards - impressive stuff.

The gliders, made from wood and plywood, towed by bombers and then released to glide the last 10 miles or so, no engine and just a compass, taking 32 men was just quite incredible.

An amazing feat of daring and bravery

Before lunch we drove into Arromanche which was on to the famous 'mulberry' harbours. An area, designed by Winston Churchill to store and deploy thousands of tons of equipment to help the Allied Alliance. The mini bridges built from concrete floated with the tides.

After a most enjoyable if not rather ample meal at the Marine Hotel, seen below looking out to sea, we wandered around this quaint town which as you would expect is devoted to the events of June 1944. Flags of those nations involved and many stands explaining many aspects of what happened on that day can be seen.

Back on the coach, we drive a few miles along the coast past Gold Beach, which in a way it was a shame we didn't stop. Why? Well, Gold Beach is one of the three beaches upon which the British and Commonwealth forces came ashore. According to those who know, the code names for the beaches for the British led forces were named after fish..... Gold(fish), Sword(fish) and Jelly(fish).

The last was thought to be a bit weak so was renamed after the wife of someone special ( I forget who that was) and she was called Juno. The US beaches were named after a state with four letters (Utah) and a soldier who was asked where he was from (Omaha). Thank goodness, he wasn't from Pebble Beach, California!

We stopped at Juno Beach which is pretty much dedicated to the Canadian troops who led the assault over the dunes. There is a museum on site which in addition to many artefacts on display, shows two short films depicting the horror of that day.

Outside the Juno Beach Centre is an abstract monument, shown above, which has the heads of soldiers on a solid base - quite evocative in its design.

Our final stop was to pay tribute to the Canadian fallen at a war cemetery dedicated to those soldiers from that country. In a nice ceremony, one of our group ( which I should have mentioned, had British, Canadian, Australian, New Zealanders and a couple from Malta, all from the ship), a Canadian lady was asked to lay a bouquet of flowers on the stone plinth in front of the many, many rows of graves.

For those with excellent eyesight, that is me having a reflective moment, trying to make sense of the slaughter of so many young men, many of whom were barely in their twenties.

In fact, at the Juno Centre, as a clever yet very compelling reminder, there is a team of 7 young Canadians who spend 8 months at a time working at the centre. They are all aged under 20 as a stark reminder of how young many of those who failed to return home, actually were.

A long day, but one that should remind us all of how fragile our existence can be.

Saturday 1st August

A walking tour in Rouen, the capital of the Normandy region. Moored up overnight and walked into town with Pascale our local guide.

A short walk along the river promenade, next to the bridge guarded by Norman soldiers!

At the end of the street, you turn the corner and are greeted by an amazing site..another, yes another, Notre Dame. It was explained to us that 80% of large churches in France are called Notre Dame which translates to Our Lady. So you have to add the town, city or place you are in to identify your location. For example, Notre Dame de Rouen, Notre Dame de Paris. All very logical really. It also helps when asked in a quiz for the name of the church.... just say the name of the church is Notre Dame and you are unlikely to be wrong. The other one is St. Stephen in case you need to know.

What an impressive place this is, inside and out.

Inside, in addition to the beautiful stained glass Windows are statues of various saints and Kings.

The King lying down taking a rest is Edward Long Sword.

There are an amazing number of sculptures around this huge cathedral and the chosen exit was via the transcript into a courtyard which takes you down to the medieval part of the town.

This part of town was graphically explained with details of poor drainage and sewage which left little to the imagination. Nevertheless the buildings looked impressive and a nugget of useful information was that any building built after 1520 had to have a straight facade so as to allow sunlight and rainwater to reach all parts of the pavement below.

We were told that the centre of Rouen is free from traffic which clearly does not extend to a small train which winds its way along the narrow streets and has little regard for walking groups from the many river cruise ships docked in the nearby Seine.

One of the most famous personages of the town of Rouen is Joan of Arc who was burnt at the stake as a witch at the ripe old age of 19. After a lengthy trial she was condemned to death only for some 25 years later to be posthumously pardoned. Ooops we got it wrong was the guide's comment and there is a plaque on the wall next to the courthouse to that effect.

On the next street is a wonderful overhead clock with one hand ( normal in the days when it was built) with various astronomical features signifying the changing of the days. Very impressive design if not quite a Rolex.

The market square is where Joan of Arc was burned alive and this is remembered by a tall obelisk type thing. A church is now located on the actual site and the remains of the medieval one can still be seen.

Rouen is a beautiful town and is well worth another visit. Plenty of shops, cafes, lots of history, definitely a City Break offering for the future.

Tried dinner in the Panorama Bistro tonight, a lot quieter than the main restaurant and the choice was only marginally less. The wine didn't flow as copiously but heh ho!

After dinner was a Trivia Quiz - not something to be repeated in a hurry, partly due to the range of questions but more to do with the offer of an extra point per round if one of your team took part in an inter round dance. Safe to say, we scored 'nil points' on this!

Sunday 2nd August

Arrived in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine overnight in readiness for an excursion to Auvers-sur-Ouse, the village where Vincent Van Gogh spent his final 70 days creating over 70 paintings before he died at the age of 37. 
A very lively guide who clearly loves her subject. A very quaint village, not without its hazards. The local authority has commissioned some bollards along the pavements, probably to stop parking, but they accounted for one of the members of another tour group who managed to clip one and fell over. Thankfully no long term damage but scary nonetheless.

An old church from the road and one which featured in one of Vincent's many later works.

A better view and apologies for the wheelie dust bin which despite my best efforts is still visible to the right hand side.

A walk up a hill through a field which sadly was full of corn a few weeks ago, took us to the the town cemetery, the final resting place of Vincent and his brother, Theo.

Vincent's death on 29th July 1890, is remembered by the family each year and the recent flowers are a reminder that the anniversary was less than a week ago. The sunflowers are fading fast in the recent heat but are a reminder of one of his most famous works.

The town boasts a sizeable market with a variety of foods on sale and a very impressive fresh fish counter!

In the midst of the town is the Town Hall, another of Van Gogh's painting subjects. 

Almost directly opposite is the restaurant where he took a room for the princely sum of 3.5 francs a night. The hotel is now owned by a gentleman who has created a very moving tribute to the painter with an array of posters and next to Van Gogh's bedroom is a small theatre which shows a brief resume of his later life.

The last picture is of the restaurant where the painter would enjoy his evening meal.

Another very informative tour, very much the signature of this week long cruise along the Seine river.

After the last Port Departure talk by CD, we enjoyed the Gala Dinner, very nice lobster, French onion soup and beef tenderloin.

The evening concluded in a rather bizarre fashion. We were minding our own business about to watch a group of dancers performing a typical range of Parisienne dances. Our big mistake, or rather my biggest mistake was to select a seat far too close to the front.

The troupe leader spotted my rather impressive shirt and that was it. Selected to join her on the stage, I was subjected to having to stand in a strange poise while she drew a picture of me!

I was allowed to sit down and thought the trauma was over. Not so.... two other guys were selected, allegedly 'birthday boys'. I think not.... one was also called Keith and this caused the leader to get very excited.... two Keiths in close proximity! She returned to me and I was again dragged to the floor. 
The three of us were presented with can can skirts and asked to don them.

Each of us, me first, had to follow our own dancing partner with a sequence of moves. The symmetry between my dancer's moves and mine was utterly non existent!

My reward at the end, a beer and two very dodgy knees!

Monday 3rd August

Today saw a two hour walking tour around the centre of Paris, taking in the Louvre Museum, both banks of the river, ile de la cite, Notre Dame and the Latin Quarter.

This is Pont Du Neuf, one of 37 bridges in Paris which cross the Seine.

In the Latin Quarter you will find La Sorbonne, the home of the famous University in Paris part of which dates back to the 12th Century.