Everything Viking France: Normandy, Paris, Provence

[FuelScience]

42 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

We're doing the train which also includes a walking tour before returning to the ship. I'll decide mid-tour whether I do the walking tour or head off on my own.

It's about a mile from the docking site in Tournon to the candy store. Just leave enough time to walk to Valrhona and back.

[Peregrina651]

28 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

When I was researching our Rhone cruise, the Tournon steam train ride had bad reviews.  Can you skip that part for chocolate and then join the walking tour?

 

How would one know here and when to meet the group? I'm not worried about the train ride and am looking forward to the views of the countryside.

[MURPHY27]

10 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

How would one know here and when to meet the group? I'm not worried about the train ride and am looking forward to the views of the countryside.

 

When docked, Viking has town maps at the reception area.  The guides give instructions how to meet up or walk back, in addition, reception has cards with the exact dock address if you taxi back.

[philw1776]

Train ride is OK, not great.  Nice woodsy hillside scenery.  Interesting manual turntable turnaround at top.  Stood outside car on platform for the ride back down which was quite fun. Included a snack & drink of something, I forget.

[Peregrina651]

59 minutes ago, MURPHY27 said:

 

When docked, Viking has town maps at the reception area.  The guides give instructions how to meet up or walk back, in addition, reception has cards with the exact dock address if you taxi back.

 

I think it is a lot different in this situation since the train ride is miles out of town. I think it is one thing to try and meet up again with the group when you are leaving a walking tour and been told to be at this place at this time for the return to the ship, versus trying to meet up with the walking tour when they aren't even sure when they will reach the starting point. To my way of thinking, too much in the timing is unpredictable or subject to last minute change and we would have to commit to being at the meeting point regardless if we later decide we don't want to do the walking tour because the guide will be looking for us.

 

5 minutes ago, philw1776 said:

Train ride is OK, not great.  Nice woodsy hillside scenery.  Interesting manual turntable turnaround at top.  Stood outside car on platform for the ride back down which was quite fun. Included a snack & drink of something, I forget.

 

The engineers in our group will really like that!

[MURPHY27]

13 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

I think it is a lot different in this situation since the train ride is miles out of town. I think it is one thing to try and meet up again with the group when you are leaving a walking tour and been told to be at this place at this time for the return to the ship, versus trying to meet up with the walking tour when they aren't even sure when they will reach the starting point. To my way of thinking, too much in the timing is unpredictable or subject to last minute change and we would have to commit to being at the meeting point regardless if we later decide we don't want to do the walking tour because the guide will be looking for us.

 

 

[MURPHY27]

Sounds like it’s own little excursion.

[CharTrav]

On 2/24/2019 at 12:51 PM, lackcreativity said:

Your timing is very fortunate for me. We leave on April 25 for Russia and the Baltic Sea, and I have been thinking about booking Lyon & Provence while on board for 2021. We already have Paris to the Swiss Alps booked for next year, so I will be looking forward to your blog.

We will be doing Paris to the Swiss Alps (starting in Geneva with the pre-cruise extension).  I've prepared and uploaded for all to use everything I've been able to gather about this trip including excursion prices and times.  The prices are for this year - 2019 - so they may change in 2020 but at least it'll help you ballpark the cost.  Also -- as you probably already know -- excursion times on Viking River are never specified down to the hour, the best granularity you get is morning, afternoon, evening.  We did France's Finest (starting in Avignon) last Summer (2018) for which I prepared (and posted) a "day-by-day" for it as well.   Again -- the excursion prices are for 2018.  Hope both are useful to you.  Regarding excursion departure times - I'm thinking it  might be nice to post an update for France's Finest with the exact times from our trip.  The link to both documents is in my signature box. It's DropBox -- no account required to access and download.

 

Oops -- looked at my signature -- and France's Finest isn't there .. think I'm gonna have to re-organize my drop box (and my "resources available") links -- to get around the "no more than 3 links rule".  Sigh .. In the meantime -- here's the link to last year's France's Finest -- https://www.dropbox.com/sh/thqcbd09bdbtux5/AADkTyIVTozCaKPEc_QKtfi9a?dl=0

Edited February 27, 2019 by CharTrav

[Peregrina651]

17 minutes ago, CharTrav said:

We did France's Finest (starting in Avignon) last Summer (2018) for which I prepared (and posted) a "day-by-day" for it as well. 

 

Here is a link to CharTrav's posts in the 2018 roll call. It starts here at post#51:

 

[Peregrina651]

For pictures from the Steam Train excursion see (post #36):

 

[CharTrav]

21 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Here is a link to CharTrav's posts in the 2018 roll call. It starts here at post#51:

 

Have re-organized my DropBox and updated my Signature area so folks can get at everything I've posted since 2016. Now to announce this on my other two roll calls... where else???  Hmmmm.....

[CharTrav]

Just finished scanning all the Viking Dailys from France's Finest last Summer and uploaded them to DropBox.  You can use the link provided in my signature line to open my shared (no DropBox account required) folder for Viking River (those reading this on a mobile phone -- https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gn6c0ksfrske43v/AAB7cWswBU83_6RY4DQ8vqLTa?dl=0). Then open the folder for France's Finest.  Note that when you arrive in LePecq and later bused to the hotel in Paris -- there is no "Viking Daily" distributed to all;  each person receives a personalized packet of info from the Viking agent at the hotel.  Altho the schedule data may vary slightly based on the time of year (Spring vs Summer etc.), hope the info provided in the scanned Dailys is useful to all. 

 

Btw -- decided NOT to go thru the effort of updating the day-by-day document with departure times for each excursion -- too much work.  Also decided the Dailys would serve that function just as well plus more.

Edited February 28, 2019 by CharTrav

[Peregrina651]

What I don't see on your DropBox account is the link to your Cruise Critic posts in last year's  roll call. IMHO, that would be a nice addition. You have lots of helpful commentary in those posts.

[CharTrav]

6 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

What I don't see on your DropBox account is the link to your Cruise Critic posts in last year's  roll call. IMHO, that would be a nice addition. You have lots of helpful commentary in those posts.

Ok. I can try but the "no more than three URL links" police might prevent me from doing so. Hmmmm. Have to figure out how to set this up so that should I go into prolific revu posting mode on every cruise I do, I provide that link without violating that rule. Ah. What a challenge. You folks are truly greedy!!!!  😁

 

[Peregrina651]

#51

On 1/8/2019 at 7:10 AM, Peregrina651 said:

All Roll Calls for France's Finest, Paris & Normandy, Lyon & Provence:

 

• All Viking Paris Heart of Normandy cruises
• All Viking 2018 Lyon & Provence
• All Viking Paris & Normandy 2018 cruises
• All Viking France's Finest 2018 (CharTrav's live blogging starts at Post #51)
• ALL 2019 Viking FRANCE'S FINEST
• ALL Viking 2019 Lyon & Provence
• All 2020 Viking Paris & the Heart of Normandy
• France’s Finest May 31, 2019
• Viking Paris to Normandy July 20
• Viking Rinda Sept 2018 Paris to Normandy
• Viking France's Finest Cruise, September 24, 2019
• Viking France's Finest 9/2 -9/16
• Paris & The Heart of Normandy Viking Rinda Aug 1 - 2018
• Viking: Avignon to Lyon: April 14, 2019
• Viking France's Finest || 11-25 July 2018

• Viking: Avignon to Lyon: May 21- May 28, 2019 & Paris 3 day post

 

[Peregrina651]

2 hours ago, CharTrav said:

Ok. I can try but the "no more than three URL links" police might prevent me from doing so. Hmmmm. Have to figure out how to set this up so that should I go into prolific revu posting mode on every cruise I do, I provide that link without violating that rule. Ah. What a challenge. You folks are truly greedy!!!!  😁

 

 

Done. See Post #215.  At least that takes care of this thread --and it was time to move the list forward.

 

PS-- I started going over the Dailies and best of all, they include the docking location at each stop along the way. I'm starting to load each pier into Google maps and then take a street view walk into town. I will try to put a list together over the next  few days if  have the time.

Edited March 1, 2019 by Peregrina651

[philw1776]

I've heard that on the Normandy trek you do not go down onto Omaha beach.  Possibly onto some other beach?
What about the Commonwealth tour version that granddaughters might take instead to see the Bayeux Tapestry?  The actual real world tapestry that is reproduced scaled up between floors on Viking Ocean ships.  Get onto Brit/Canadian beaches?  

Any details on either tour appreciated.

Edited March 1, 2019 by philw1776

[MURPHY27]

15 minutes ago, philw1776 said:

I've heard that on the Normandy trek you do not go down onto Omaha beach.  Possibly onto some other beach?
What about the Commonwealth tour version that granddaughters might take instead to see the Bayeux Tapestry?  The actual real world tapestry that is reproduced scaled up between floors on Viking Ocean ships.  Get onto Brit/Canadian beaches?  

Any details on either tour appreciated.

 

You do not walk the sand in Omaha Beach w Viking, but you do walk along the German artillery bunkers that overlook it.  Viking does conclude the tour with ceremony at the American Ceremony that was nice.

[OneSixtyToOne]

1 hour ago, philw1776 said:

I've heard that on the Normandy trek you do not go down onto Omaha beach.  Possibly onto some other beach?
What about the Commonwealth tour version that granddaughters might take instead to see the Bayeux Tapestry?  The actual real world tapestry that is reproduced scaled up between floors on Viking Ocean ships.  Get onto Brit/Canadian beaches?  

Any details on either tour appreciated.

 

We took the Commonwealth tour and IMO is a better tour.

• The tour is much less crowded (we had only 8 people)
• You get to walk right on Juno Beach, right in front of the bunkers. (BTW all bunkers are closed because children found unspent explosives in some of them a number of years ago)
• The Canadian visitors center is purposely staffed with Canadian college students , who are of a similar age as the troops who came ashore on D-Day. They show a very moving film.
• You visit Bayeux to see the Tapestry which BTW is schedule to go on a multi-year display in the UK so this might be the last opportunity to see it in Bayeux for several years. The museum has full size replicas of the boats William used to cross the English Channel and well as dioramas of Norman villages and settlements.
• You visit the Pegasus Bridge and Museum, the site of the first Allied D-Day casualty. It's the bridge featured in "The Longest Day" ("Hold until relieved"). The bagpipes of the piper are there as well as full scale reproduction of the gliders used in the assault and various others artifacts. It was one of my favorite places to visit in Normandy.
• You visit two cemeteries that are a bit inland, where Commonwealth troops, as well as some German troops are buried. One is in a very charming small village so you get to see more of the Norman countryside.

Unless you have a personal reason to go to Omaha, I highly recommend the Commonwealth Tour.

 

Pegasus Bridge Memorial and Museum

 

Edited March 1, 2019 by OneSixtyToOne

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, philw1776 said:

I've heard that on the Normandy trek you do not go down onto Omaha beach.  Possibly onto some other beach?
What about the Commonwealth tour version that granddaughters might take instead to see the Bayeux Tapestry?  The actual real world tapestry that is reproduced scaled up between floors on Viking Ocean ships.  Get onto Brit/Canadian beaches?  

Any details on either tour appreciated

 

We are doing the Commonwealth tour on March 30. DS and BiL are doing the US tour.  We will try to fill in details and answer any unanswered questions then.

 

I did read that in the Tapestry Museum, you ride by the tapestry on a people mover (like seeing La Pieta at the 1964 NY World's Fair). There is no lingering; you get about 20 minutes to view it. There is an audioguide with commentary that you listen to as you ride by the Tapestry.

 

OneSixtytoOne, is there a memorial service at Juno beach? TIA.

[MURPHY27]

23 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

I did read that in the Tapestry Museum, you ride by the tapestry on a people mover (like seeing La Pieta at the 1964 NY World's Fair). There is no lingering; you get about 20 minutes to view it. There is an audioguide with commentary that you listen to as you ride by the Tapestry.

 

I visited the Musée de la Tapisserie in November 2016 and there was no conveyor system at that time.  It was uncrowded and we were able to stop & rewind the audioguide at any point if we wanted.

Perhaps they have added? Or its possible this is the plan for the expected 2020 British exhibition.

[OneSixtyToOne]

47 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

We are doing the Commonwealth tour on March 30. DS and BiL are doing the US tour.  We will try to fill in details and answer any unanswered questions then.

 

I did read that in the Tapestry Museum, you ride by the tapestry on a people mover (like seeing La Pieta at the 1964 NY World's Fair). There is no lingering; you get about 20 minutes to view it. There is an audioguide with commentary that you listen to as you ride by the Tapestry.

 

OneSixtytoOne, is there a memorial service at Juno beach? TIA.

 

There is no service at Juno. It’s a different atmosphere, college kids, not soldiers. The interactive exhibits are well done as is the moving film that is shown.

 

As far as the Bayeux Tapestry is concernerned, we visited less than two years ago and it was not a moving walkway (maybe that is planned for the UK tour?) The display case is a very long (70 meters) rectangular space and you walk around it. The audio guide is triggered by sensors so it describes what is in front of you. If you are in anyway a history buff, this is a must see. To give you an idea about the importance of this moment in history, I’ll link you to James Burke’s Connections, which features a piece of the tapestry that shows the Norman superweapon, the stirrup. Connections S1E3

Edited March 1, 2019 by OneSixtyToOne

[Peregrina651]

2 hours ago, MURPHY27 said:

 

I visited the Musée de la Tapisserie in November 2016 and there was no conveyor system at that time.  It was uncrowded and we were able to stop & rewind the audioguide at any point if we wanted.

Perhaps they have added? Or its possible this is the plan for the expected 2020 British exhibition.

 

Or I misunderstood.

 

But I did read this recent comment in a review on Trip Advisor. I think it may be a changing situation and that this is the most current report:

 

This exhibition is very well arranged, but seems to be managed to move people through at a constant pace. The audio guide (once started) cannot be paused or moved back so you have to move at the pace of the guide. It takes under an hour to follow the guide, but you could easily spend a bit more time to appreciate it.

[MURPHY27]

2 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Or I misunderstood.

 

But I did read this recent comment in a review on Trip Advisor. I think it may be a changing situation and that this is the most current report:

 

This exhibition is very well arranged, but seems to be managed to move people through at a constant pace. The audio guide (once started) cannot be paused or moved back so you have to move at the pace of the guide. It takes under an hour to follow the guide, but you could easily spend a bit more time to appreciate it.

 

I think that refers to when it’s crowded.  The tapestry itself is in a glass display that wraps around in a U shape.  The area you walk is not very wide and Im sure when crowded the guides keep everyone moving along without the opportunity to pause & study a section.  I went 2nd week of November when Normandy is almost shut down and I think there were 8-10 others walking the tapestry.  

We were lucky, but its very detailed,  I’d love to see it again with a knowledgeable private guide.  I suggest if of interest to you, it’s best to be familiar with the history of Harold & William and perhaps study it online first bec so much is going on.

[Peregrina651]

1 hour ago, MURPHY27 said:

We were lucky, but its very detailed,  I’d love to see it again with a knowledgeable private guide.  I suggest if of interest to you, it’s best to be familiar with the history of Harold & William and perhaps study it online first bec so much is going on.

 

 

Will do!