Vernon and Giverny - Friday 25 August

It was good to have a lie-in this morning and time to relax and read, the morning tour not leaving until 10:45am. We had sailed through the night and morning, along the Seine from Paris to Vernon. I couldn't lent help but think of how 1100 years ago, the Vikings had raided Paris by sailing up this very river. We were docked up against a Viking Cruises boat, and had to cross through their sun deck and reception area in order to get ashore. When we returned from our morning outing, another boat had docked beside us, so our boat was like the meat in a sandwich.

The morning tour was a visit to Chateaux de Bizy, hidden behind trees in a huge estate. Our group started with an activity involving trying to determine the scents of herbs and flowers hidden in some small containers. Then there was a tour of the stable entrance area, a courtyard, a look from the terrace over the park-like gardens and dried up ornamental ponds, and then into some of the rooms while we heard some of the difficult history of the families who had owned the estate over the years since before Louis XIV. The tour finished with apple cider cocktails and nibbles.





After a late lunch back on the boat we headed out again, to Giverny, famous for the house and gardens of the Impressionist master, Claude Monet. The artist lived there for more than four decades and immortalised the flowers, footbridges and stone structures of his country estate in some of his most famous paintings, including his renowned Water Lilies series. We loved the gardens, and also had an excellent tour guide. Although it was very busy, we still kept moving and our guide kept us interested without overloading us.









In the evening we had the Gala Welcome dinner (with a special menu) for this one-week cruise. We sat with a couple from Perth who had just joined this leg of the cruise, and another couple from Whakatane who we have sat with before. We set sail for Caudebec during dinner, and had been warned that the engines would be working hard tonight, as we would be fighting the incoming tide further down the Seine (it rises 4 metres at high tide).