Last week, Bob and I were guests on board Uniworld’s Joie de Vivre for a river cruise from Paris to Normandy. What a trip!
Now that we’re back, here are some of our impressions.
We also answered many specific questions here: https://www.facebook.com/PamperedCruiser/posts/2330472760568558
Printemps au Paris (Paris in the spring time). OK… technically, it had only been spring for a few hours when we boarded the ship, but the weather cooperated beautifully. We had mostly sunny weather, and it was over 70 degrees in the daytime. This was pure luck, but the other great thing about visiting Europe early in the season is that it was far less crowded than other times we’ve been to France.
River Cruises are all about being on shore. Even though we tell people this every day, it was underscored for us on this cruise: if you drive from Paris (our furthest East point) to Cauldebec-en-Caux (furthest West point), it is about 130 kilometres or about 80 miles. We were on board for a week, so needless to say, such short travel distances made for lots of time on shore, and unlike many ocean cruises, we felt as though we had actually experienced our destination.
Uniworld is boutique luxury. Normally, you would have to see original art work in museums in Europe – unless you’re travelling on a Uniworld river ship. The owners’ private art collection is on board, so it was really interesting to be able to see an original Picasso up close without having to line-up and pay an admission fee to a museum. Uniworld creates a very comfortable and unique experience for its guests. Perhaps most memorable on board was the night we spent helping the chef prepare our meals in the wine cellar – we even have souvenir chef hats and aprons to prove it.
Normandy is one of the most moving things you can experience. If you have any appreciation for what happened in Europe 75 years ago, then a visit to Normandy will heighten that appreciation. We got to visit the American, British, and Canadian sections of beach before spending an hour or two at the American cemetery.
Air France rocks. In a strange series of logistics, we ended up flying from Mexico City to Paris (direct daily service on an A-380). It’s been a while since we’ve travelled a long distance on a European carrier. Without any doubt, Air France is far superior to any airline experience we’ve had on North American carriers.
France = FOOD. It is a small wonder that anyone is still alive in France – the amount of butter and cream that accompanies meals every day is truly staggering. I was waiting for the complimentary angioplasty prior to flying home. This week we are on the “all broccoli-all the time” diet (breakfasts are a bit bland).
Les Gillet-Jaunes (the Yellow Vests) is a made-for-America media event. There is no doubt there are some protests happening right now in Paris, but their impact has been overwhelmingly exaggerated by the American media. We saw a higher than normal police/military presence (this is a good thing), but we visited all the main attractions in Paris without incident. The attitude of ordinary French citizens seemed to be a respect for people’s right to protest, with a distain for the occasional protester that chooses to cause property damage.
Water Levels have recovered. The freak droughts of 2018 seem to have been resolved by a wet winter. There was no hint of problems with water levels on this trip.
New fans of Monet. Both of us were aware of Monet, but that appreciation has been heightened after a visit to his home and gardens outside of Giverny. This is not to be missed if you are in France.
Tolerance of bad French. Bob is under the delusion that he speaks French. In reality, he knows a lot of the words (this is a function of him having grown up in Canada), but like any other skill not practiced, if you don’t use it, you lose it. To our pleasant surprise, our French hosts (both on the ship and on shore), were quite tolerant of him butchering their beautiful language.
Finally, we are often asked about the “best” river cruise itinerary in Europe. Of course, such a question is highly dependent on what you wish to experience. Those who will get the most out of a Paris to Normandy cruise will fall into one of three categories:
- Those with a specific interest around World War II history.
- Those who have already done the Rhine and Danube rivers and want to explore further in Europe
- Those with a specific interest in France – the art, food and culture.
All the major river cruise lines operate on the Seine River from Paris to Normandy.
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I look forward to hearing from you.
Sue Bradley
Sue Bradley
