Thursday, April 21, 2016

Avalon River Cruise - Tapestry II - Seine River Cruise - April 2016

March 30

Departed Minneapolis at 500PM for Paris via non-stop flight.

March 31

We arrived in Paris, went through customs, found our hotel shuttle and arrived at our airport hotel.
It took 3 hours to accomplish all of this.  We just relaxed, read and had an early dinner and went to bed.
We are trying to get on Paris time schedule.

Steps: 3,756 steps or 1.69 miles

April 1

We woke up at our leisure and planned to head to downtown Paris and to the Eiffel Tower.  The hotel had a problem with hot water, so we had to forego the shower.  It was a pat-down shower instead.   We taxied in and had to wait in line for an hour (not too bad) to get our tickets to go up the Eiffel Tower.  Once we arrived on the 2nd floor, we were able to get beautiful views (pictures).  It was quite cool though, so we were glad to get down.






We wandered over to a place where they had a bunch of white tents.  In these tents, there were little shops and food vendors.  We stopped and had a hamburger and french fries as our first food of the day.  It tasted awesome!  We also bought lavender and soaps and roasted nuts at this location.

Next, we took a bicycle taxi from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre.  Well, it was a great ride, but I thought the pricing was for both of us, but it was per person.  Ouch!  More than we really wanted to pay – oh well.




We bummed around the Louvre and walked around Paris until it was time to head back to the hotel.



 We took time to relax, shower and get ready for tomorrow and meeting our cruise director, spending another day in Paris and then a transfer to our ship for dinner.

Steps: 5,460 steps or 2.46 miles

April 2

We left the Marriott Paris Airport Hotel and headed back to the airport (800AM) to meet up with our Avalon Cruise.  We got to the airport and it was easy to find our way to the designated location.  There was a bag problem, so it slightly delayed our departure from the airport, but soon we were on our way to meet our Avalon representative at the Pullman Hotel

At The Pullman, we were able to get something to drink and our Avalon representative gave us some options for the day.  We chose to go to a tall building (like the IDS) to get a 365 degree panoramic view of the city of Paris.  It was located about 4 blocks away from our hotel.  The office building had 56 stories and did have a wonderful view of the city.  I would have loved to have seen it at night.  We could see a long way in all directions; however, it was an overcast day so I could not get the clearest picture.   We took our time enjoying the view, but then it was finally time to grab some lunch and head back to the hotel.



We found a great pizzeria on the way back and enjoyed sharing a Margherita pizza.  The place was quite busy, so I assume it must have been a great local hang out for the people of Paris.  Just outside the pizzeria we spotted a farmers market.  We wandered about 3 blocks through the market displaying their fruits and vegetables (white asparagus) and meat/fish markets too.



At 430PM we headed to our ship – The Tapestry II.  It was only a 15 minute transfer and we were quickly onboard and settling into our cabin #203.  That evening we enjoyed a great dinner.




Met: Jim & Sandy from Colorado at the airport / Dianna & Ali from California / Diane from Albany & Bonnie from Ft. Worth

Steps: 10,093 or 4.54 miles
We learned: Ami – means “friend”



April 3

Today was a morning trip to Giverny to see Monet’s garden and the “Water Lily Pond”.  The gardens were absolutely beautiful.




There were flowers everywhere we turned.  We were also able to see Claude Monet’s home.
We headed back to the ship for lunch and then we cruised down the river to the town of Les Andelys. 

In this town, we took a walking tour up the hillside along the banks of the river to see the Chateau Gaillard.
This Chateau was built as a fortress by Richard the Lionheart back in 1196.





In the afternoon on board our vessel, we had a cooking demonstration done by a pastry chef.  They asked for volunteers 
and I pointed out Pat as an excellent choice for a volunteer.   Pat was able to don a cooking hat along with 2 other cruise 
members and assist the chef.  They had to cut paux choi in half and then pipe carmel whip cream inside to complete the 
sandwich.



We had dinner tonight with our friends from California (Diana & Ali).  We shared many stories and laughs this evening.


Met: Tom from Colorado  / Joe & Mary from the Viking Ship
Steps: 12,479 or 5.62 miles
We learned: Claude Monet’s real name was Oscar.  Monet never used the color black in his paintings.

April 4

We were docked in Caudebec for the day.

We took the Thatched Roof Cottage Road Tour with stops in Vieux Port, where we were able to see the homes with 
thatched roofs.   A thatched roof is less expensive than a standard roof ($20,000 euro versus $30,000 euro; however, 
there is more maintenance.  It will last 40 years, but every 10 years it needs to be sprayed and combed (remove the 
moss).  If the moss remains, the roof will double in weight and the cottage could possibly collapse from the weight of 
the roof.  We also stopped in Pont Audemer (town of 8,000) and had the chance to walk their market (clothes, fruits,
 vegetables, etc) down their Main Street.





In the afternoon we visited the town of Honfleur. It is a fishing town (8,000 residents) located near Paris and during the 
summer months they can have up to 80,000 people in town.  It has the nearest beach to Paris.  Sure sounds like 
Minnesota with our escape to our cabins up north!



St. Catherine’s Catholic Church was built in the 15th century by ship carpenters. The ceiling looks like a upside down
 boat and the church has 2 sanctuaries and a large pipe organ.  The pews are made so the back can be switched if you 
are there for church service or reverse to face the organ (back of church) for concerts.  The salt factories are located 
here and the salt from the area is used in their famous salted butter caramels.



.
Met: Jean Loup (our cruise director) / Jay & Carol from California
Steps: 10,216 or 4.6 miles
We learned:  We viewed the English Channel (in Paris they call it “La Manche or the Sleeve”).  The Seine River is 483 miles long and is the 2nd longest river in France.

April 5

Today we were taking a tour of Normandy (the American Landing Beaches – Gold – Omaha).  It was 2.5 hour drive to 
the beaches.  The Omaha beach is approximately 4 miles long with white cliffs on both sides of the beaches.  Our tour 
guides provided us with a good history lesson on the war and just how it all unraveled.






We also went to the US Cemetery where there are just under 10,000 soldiers buried.  They had combined and moved the
graves to this 1 location and at that time families were asked if they wanted the remains sent home or buried in 
Normandy.  There were 14,000 more soldiers that their remains were sent home.  The cemetery land is provided by
 France; however, the memorial is built and maintained by the US.  When we have government budget cuts it can also 
affect the maintenance of the cemetery.  It is a beautiful memorial to the soldiers that fought for all of us.





It was an emotional tour that reminded us of all the young soldiers that gave their life (and continue to do so) so that we 
can have freedom.


Met: Fran from British Columbia / Elaine from Saskatoon
Steps: 10,466 steps / 4.71 miles
We learned: “ Real Heroes Never Stop”
                               

April 6

We visited the town of Rouen today and on our walking tour we stopped at the Cathedral of Our Lady.  This church was 
very ornate and quite large.  It was hard to capture 1 good picture.





We also stopped at the site where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake.  This was located across the street from the 
restaurant that Julia Child ate at and inspired her to cook.




This was a quieter day and we did not have an afternoon tour off of the ship.  We did have a Normandy Cheese Tasting 
and were able to tour the Galley with the Executive Chef.

Met:
Steps: 7,688 steps / 3.48 miles
We learned: 500 million Camembert De Normandie cheese are produced each year,  2 billion baguettes bought per year

April 7

Today our morning tour was of “La Malmaison” – Josephine’s 17th century chateau.  This is the chateau where 
Napoleon governed France.  We were able to tour the chateau and learn about Napoleon and Josephine.




In the afternoon we took motorcoach (45 minutes) to see the Palace of Versailles where King Louis the 14th/15th/16th 
ruled from.  The Palace of Versailles is located on 2,000 acres (back in its day it was more like 20,000 acres.   The 
Palace is beautiful, but it is so over the top in its expense.  Gold, numerous statues, immense gardens, marble,etc.  The 
Palace of Versailles took 50 years to build and 36,000 workers.






Met: Roger from Brisbane, Eric from California (17 – youngest on ship)
Steps: 7,652 steps / 3.44 miles
We learned:  Josephine bought/had made 150 dresses per year (1 every 3 days), owned 700 pair of gloves and 500 pair of shoes


April 8

In the morning I took a tour of Notre Dame Cathedral, located in the islands at the center of Paris.
Notre Dame is beautiful with its numerous statues and stained glass windows (including the Rose window).





In the afternoon we took a train ride up to Montmartre, to overlook the city of Paris.  It is quite a view!
We were also able to take time to shop and view painters selling their beautiful pictures.






Met:Meredith from Vancouver
Steps: 10,259 steps or 4.62 miles
We learned: Paris has 2 million residents

April 9




Departure day!  We are heading for home with a departure from our ship at 600AM.

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