The sole topic for this week's blog is Paris.

The Voyage. My wife and I took a 7-day round trip cruise from Paris to Normandy along the Seine River with Viking River Cruises. We were accompanied by my nice and her husband who live in Longwood, FL (near Orlando). It was my niece's first trip to Europe. The good ship, Rolf, is one of Viking's new, so called "Longships." Like all modern cruising vessels, these Longships are a wonder of compact engineering.
     If you would care to take a look at the Rolf, here is a link. Ours was a modest cabin with a French balcony, a sliding glass door opening to a protective railing. Spaciousness is limited and movement for two often required mindful orchestration. Having previously traveled on Viking's older, shorter ships, as well as its venerable ships in Russia and Ukraine, we found the Rolf a step up. 

The City. We rented a Paris apartment for two days prior to the cruise, giving us a total of 5 days in the City of Light. We always leave something undone, something to see/do when we return. In this case, we took the "kids" to dinner on the second level of the Eiffel tower. The drizzly evening gave us an entirely new view of Paris. Sure enough, the following morning dawned clear and bright.

The Seine. The passing scene along the banks of the Seine is a microcosm of river banks everywhere. Verdant country side, villages, towns, and cities. Industrial complexes, large developments, open air markets and touristy locations. Modest tract homes and multi-story apartment towers interspersed among wealthier small estates with ample green space. You do not see many truly slum buildings from the Seine. 
     My niece was amazed at the European penchant for daily grocery shopping. She kept saying, "so fresh, green, and yummy."
     "I never saw the good side of a city, until I hitched a ride on a river boat queen." Credence Clearwater, "Proud Mary."

Animal life. Myriads of birds; occasional fish jumping, eagerly sought by local fishermen; farms, large and small, with animals of all sorts, some recognizable, others unknown, obviously indigenous to France.

Monet's garden was one of the highlights of the trip, the one my wife, the gardener, was most anxious to visit. Despite the late fall date, there were many flowers still in bloom. The usual fall "flaming" bushes and vines were vivid. The intricate design of the gardens was especially noteworthy. The docent related that Monet was troubled by the road dust that dulled the vibrant colors of his roses, so he simply had the offending road paved.

Normandy. The day spent along the various landing beaches, the local museum, and the cemeteries was sobering, to say the least. It was a cloudy, blustery day, just the kind that the landing invasion forces did not want. Each member of our group was given a rose to place on a grave of their choosing. The film at the Omaha Beach museum told the story of the temporary harbor constructed to provide a landing site for the thousands of men and hundreds of tons of supplies that had to be landed while the Allies moved on to capture the nearby French, Belgian, and Dutch ports.
     My wife had been to Normandy previously, on one of those rare days when it had snowed. We both agreed that the cemeteries are more moving when the grass is green.
     On my previous visit, I had a moving encounter with a young French woman. I was an obvious American visitor and this young mademoiselle came up, took my hands, and tearfully thanked " 'us' for coming to save 'them' ." She echoed those famous words of General John J. Pershing. When the men of the Allied Expeditionary Forces marched into Paris in 1918, Pershing, who was a man of few words and abhorred public speaking, was expected to make some remarks. Paying tribute to a Frenchman who had helped win the American Revolution, Pershing simply said, "Lafayette, we have returned."

The Louvre. One never tires of visiting great museums, though spending an undue amount of time "at one sitting" there can take its toll. I had not been to the Louvre since the famed glass pyramids had been added. As the docent said, like changes everywhere to national landmarks, the new entrance was both hated and admired. We used Rick Steeves' audio tour. We enjoy his concise directions and tongue-in-cheek commentaries.

A trip to London calls out, to explore yet other places and visit with my wife's nephew, stationed nearby with the USAF.

Thank you for reading.