Everything Viking France: Normandy, Paris, Provence

[MURPHY27]

1 hour ago, FuelScience said:

When we were there with Avalon the tour started at the church overlooking the city. I left the tour at that point and visited the Roman amphitheater and  museum just down the street. It's a very nice museum. I then walked down the hill and made it back to the ship in time for lunch. Something to consider.

 

1 hour ago, FuelScience said:

When we were there with Avalon the tour started at the church overlooking the city. I left the tour at that point and visited the Roman amphitheater and  museum just down the street. It's a very nice museum. I then walked down the hill and made it back to the ship in time for lunch. Something to consider.

 

I think FuelScience has a good recommendation.  The Gallo- Roman museum is open everyday til 6pm.  The next door amphitheater is huge and open to walk around.  As you leave the basilica, walk towards the left.

[FuelScience]

1 hour ago, MURPHY27 said:

 

 

I think FuelScience has a good recommendation.  The Gallo- Roman museum is open everyday til 6pm.  The next door amphitheater is huge and open to walk around.  As you leave the basilica, walk towards the left.

 

It worked out well for me since the basilica was the first stop on our panoramic tour, and it was a nice downhill walk back to the city. I had time to walk around the amphitheater before the museum opened at 10:00. Also, I returned to see the interior of the basilica since we weren't able to go inside when we were there due to services being held at the time. 

[Peregrina651]

Found the visit to Perouges to be comme si comme sa. It is not a four hour excursion it is more of a 3.5 hour excursion. The ride is almost an hour each way. I found walking the streets to be stressful and hard on the joints. I felt rushed. We were in the town for only an hour and 40 minutes, most of it guided. We should have skipped the tour and gone off on our own. Adorable shops; saw two of them.  This is a popular local destination, especially on a Sunday as pleasant and sunny as this one.  

[Cairn Mom]

20 hours ago, CharTrav said:

@Cairn Mom if you're staying at the hotel Le Meredian Etoile, there is a very nice set of restaurants about 3 blocks away. We ate at Le Beouf Maillot. Excellent food and service. 

We had a free night  and points from Marriott so we’re staying in the Renaissance Paris Republique. It’s on the Right Bank which worked really well yesterday lol. 

Last night we ate at a spot also called Renaissance but not related to the hotel lol. It is a French Bistro.

Tonight we had an amazing meal at a Michelin Star restaurant. We just had to do it lol! Our son is a big foodie and raved about this restaurant, Le Violon d’Ingres. It was out of this world ( and so is the price). Nice way to end a full day of touring and shopping lol. Ronni,we were also at the D’Orsay. It was wonderful to be there again after so many years. I’m glad you got to Versailles. Uber is a great way to get to the port. We used it a few times today and it was very efficient. 

Tomorrow for us is :Notre Dame, San Chapelle( thx Peregrina for the great advice)and the Louvre. Not sure how we’re getting to CDG for our flight to Lyon on Tuesday. Peregrina, glad you had a nice morning in Lyon. I considered the tour of Perouges and now I’m glad we didn’t take it. I was even thinking about signing up on board. Thx for the review. It’s very helpful.

 

Edited March 24, 2019 by Cairn Mom

[dolllover]

6 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

Found the visit to Perouges to be comme si comme sa. It is not a four hour excursion it is more of a 3.5 hour excursion. The ride is almost an hour each way. I found walking the streets to be stressful and hard on the joints. I felt rushed. We were in the town for only an hour and 40 minutes, most of it guided. We should have skipped the tour and gone off on our own. Adorable shops; saw two of them.  This is a popular local destination, especially on a Sunday as pleasant and sunny as this one.  

 

Thanks for blogging live and sharing some valuable info. I'm booked on this optional tour of Perouges. Should I keep it but just not use the guide when we get there? I think that's what you mean but not sure. Glad your trip is going well so far.

[MURPHY27]

4 minutes ago, dolllover said:

 

Thanks for blogging live and sharing some valuable info. I'm booked on this optional tour of Perouges. Should I keep it but just not use the guide when we get there? I think that's what you mean but not sure. Glad your trip is going well so far.

 

[MURPHY27]

id say stay in Lyon that day.  Maybe get a local guide if not comfortable touring on your own.

[CharTrav]

6 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

Found the visit to Perouges to be comme si comme sa. It is not a four hour excursion it is more of a 3.5 hour excursion. The ride is almost an hour each way. I found walking the streets to be stressful and hard on the joints. 

Totally agree. I should have worn my hikers rather than my country walkers and paid the price in blisters and aches. Was I so crude as to share the pic of my foot after we boarded the Rinda in LePecq?😁

[Peregrina651]

Ronni, hope you have seen this. Just got notified that our cruise will be docking at 2 Quai de Saint Ouen. Still a long haul into

 

This applies to the March 26 cruise only. This us not a general announcement. 

[Peregrina651]

Today it s transfer day and we are packed and ready to depart in just a few minutes. We have really enjoyed our time in Lyon. 

 

We are still of two minds as to whether we planned our time here correctly. DH loved the afternoon in Perouges while I thought we should have spent the entire day wandering around Lyon. However, we both agreed that the included wine tasting was fun and that Chateau des Flecheres was one of the highlights of our trip. Thank, Philw for the recommendation!

 

Since we are such big wine drinkers, we opted for only one wine tour and it was the included one in Lyon. 

 

And now, to Paris!

[jrkstl]

5 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

However, we both agreed that the included wine tasting was fun and that Chateau des Flecheres was one of the highlights of our trip. Thank, Philw for the recommendation!

 

 

Chateau des Flecheres was a major highlight for us too last year! Highly recommended!

Hope that your trip continues to go well 🙂

 

Jeff

[Peregrina651]

6 minutes ago, jrkstl said:

 

Chateau des Flecheres was a major highlight for us too last year! Highly recommended!

Hope that your trip continues to go well 🙂

 

Jeff

 

Oh, now I am confused and, Jeff, I think I owe you a big thank you as well. 

 

 

After an issue-free transfer we have finally arrived on the Rinda. According to our transfer agent, we are docked in St.Ouen because the LePecq dock is overcrowded. Indeed we are the only ship here. The agent also said that we would be back in LePecq when we return to Paris. 

 

 

[philw1776]

11 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

Today it s transfer day and we are packed and ready to depart in just a few minutes. We have really enjoyed our time in Lyon. 

 

We are still of two minds as to whether we planned our time here correctly. DH loved the afternoon in Perouges while I thought we should have spent the entire day wandering around Lyon. However, we both agreed that the included wine tasting was fun and that Chateau des Flecheres was one of the highlights of our trip. Thank, Philw for the recommendation!

 

Since we are such big wine drinkers, we opted for only one wine tour and it was the included one in Lyon. 

 

And now, to Paris!

I'd recommended Port du Garde not the Chateau which was not on our tour options.

[Cairn Mom]

Today, we boarded the Delling. Our weather is not forecasted to be as nice as the previous week.  Still, we are really looking forward to this cruise. Safe travels on part two Peregrina. Have fun!

[Peregrina651]

23 minutes ago, Cairn Mom said:

Today, we boarded the Delling. Our weather is not forecasted to be as nice as the previous week.  Still, we are really looking forward to this cruise. Safe travels on part two Peregrina. Have fun!

 

You, too, CM. Watch out for those mistral winds. They really make it feel cold. 

 

4 hours ago, philw1776 said:

I'd recommended Port du Garde not the Chateau which was not on our tour options.

 

Loved the Pont du Gard, too. It was amazing in a whole 'nother way. Good thing one is in Lyon and the other in Avignon so you can choose both. 

[peabody304]

4 hours ago, Cairn Mom said:

Today, we boarded the Delling. Our weather is not forecasted to be as nice as the previous week.  Still, we are really looking forward to this cruise. Safe travels on part two Peregrina. Have fun!

 

Enjoyed Peregrina651's posts about the Delling, and I'm looking forward to yours, too, Carin Mom, since we'll going the same direction on the Delling in 7 weeks. 

[CharTrav]

15 hours ago, jrkstl said:

 

Chateau des Flecheres was a major highlight for us too last year! Highly recommended!

Hope that your trip continues to go well 🙂

 

Jeff

I did that one last Summer too. Very enjoyable. The owner was delightful. 

[Peregrina651]

12 hours ago, CharTrav said:

I did that one last Summer too. Very enjoyable. The owner was delightful. 

 

On the other hand, maybe we shouldn't spread the word quite so generously because part of the delight was having just 9 of us on the tour. 🤐

[dolllover]

We didn't sign up for the Chateau de Flecheres excursion. Going on the Beaujolais and Truffles tour instead. Has anyone heard back about this tour? If it sounds like a bust I can change it.

[Peregrina651]

9 hours ago, dolllover said:

We didn't sign up for the Chateau de Flecheres excursion. Going on the Beaujolais and Truffles tour instead. Has anyone heard back about this tour? If it sounds like a bust I can change it.

 

The people I talked with who did the truffles tour liked it. 

[Peregrina651]

Okay. So where am I in the narrative? Yesterday was Day 2 in Paris. In the a.m., we walked to St. Denis to see the church were the French kings are buried (more or less). The ship was telling people to take the metro but we walked. It was not a bad walk but it is a working class, immigrant, low income neighborhood--and you are going to see what life is really like in Paris when you can't afford to live in ritzy neighborhoods. Whether you walk, metro or cab, dont let the neighborhood stop you because the church is well worth the visit. 

 

Afternoon visit to Malmaison was nice. An interesting comparison to Flecheres. Also interesting to note that the current king of Norway traces his lineage back to Josephine and her first husband. 

[MURPHY27]

3 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

Okay. So where am I in the narrative? Yesterday was Day 2 in Paris. In the a.m., we walked to St. Denis to see the church were the French kings are buried (more or less). The ship was telling people to take the metro but we walked. It was not a bad walk but it is a working class, immigrant, low income neighborhood--and you are going to see what life is really like in Paris when you can't afford to live in ritzy neighborhoods. Whether you walk, metro or cab, dont let the neighborhood stop you because the church is well worth the visit. 

 

Afternoon visit to Malmaison was nice. An interesting comparison to Flecheres. Also interesting to note that the current king of Norway traces his lineage back to Josephine and her first husband. 

 

St Denis has changed so much, but it offers a glimpse of problems faced by many.  Viking didn’t offer you a walking tour then the first day?  Despite St Denis’ reputation now related to the 2015 bombings, tours are regularly given by local guides.

Was the basilica’s crypt open?

Edited March 28, 2019 by MURPHY27

[CharTrav]

15 hours ago, dolllover said:

We didn't sign up for the Chateau de Flecheres excursion. Going on the Beaujolais and Truffles tour instead. Has anyone heard back about this tour? If it sounds like a bust I can change it.

My husband did the Beaujolais and Truffles while I did the Chateau de Flecheres. Just checked with him on his impression of it and the answer was he liked it. 

[Peregrina651]

8 hours ago, MURPHY27 said:

 

St Denis has changed so much, but it offers a glimpse of problems faced by many.  Viking didn’t offer you a walking tour then the first day?  Despite St Denis’ reputation now related to the 2015 bombings, tours are regularly given by local guides.

Was the basilica’s crypt open?

 

Viking did offer a tour the first afternoon but it was not of St. Denis. Instead, they chose to bus those who were interested to Enghien-les-Bains. 

 

In  spite of being within walking distance of Basilica St. Denis, Quai St. Ouen is not a great place to be docked. It is in an industrial area, right on a busy street with limited parking for the buses. It is not a great area for walking off the ship because of the traffic and because of the lack of sidewalks. 

 

I think the answer to your question is yes, the crypt was open. 

Edited March 28, 2019 by Peregrina651

[Peregrina651]

Giverny this afternoon. A few observation for those to whom a visit to Giverny us one of the reasons or choosing this itinerary, to help you to determine the timing of your cruise. 

 

Let me start by saying that we really enjoyed our afternoon at Giverny. 

 

If you are coming because you absolutely must see the waterlillies in bloom, DO NOT come in March. Try May, June but also note that these are very busy months and you will be sharing the Gardens with more than just your fellow Viking passenger. 

 

If like me, you can't stand the heat, at least be aware that if you chose to travel at the beginning or end of the season that you not see the bold colors, many flowers will not be in bloom and many of the trees will be without leaves.