Rouen to Paris via Les Andelys - Tuesday 29 August

Everyone enjoyed today's later start and David still managed to do his stint in the boat's gym. We left Rouen during breakfast, and had a very pleasant morning cruising along the Seine to the villages of Le Petit Andely and Le Grand Andely (together called Les Andelys), where we docked at lunchtime.

David and I took different tours during the afternoon (in which the temperature reached 38C). I visited the twin villages named above and then viewed Châteaux Gaillard, the castle built by Richard the Lionheart in 1196-98. He was King of England and also Duke of Normandy, but died in 1199 after an eventful life, going on the third crusade, then being kidnapped for more than a year in Germany and held to ransom before his return to Normandy. 

During the tour we also visited another small church, and then another Notre Dame (built after Richard's death by his rival, Philippe August, the King of France who also then took control of this area).

David went on the visit to the Chateau de La Roche-Guyon which was built in the 12th century, controlling a river crossing of the Seine. It is unique in that it is built into the the mountainside and despite the exterior temperature being close to 38 degrees the interior was a cool 13 degrees, a temperature that is maintained even in winter. The limestone is the the significant factor. 

On another historical note the Chateau was famous for being the base of German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel who defended Normandy against the Allies in World War 2 from a bunker located there. Rommel conspired to assassinate Hitler and was required to kill himself to save his family from a similar fate.

After this guided tour there was "free time" which involved a steep 250 step climb to the top which was rewarded with a spectacular view of the Seine and the surrounding landscape. Caution was required on the descent but in the end he got home safely passing Monet's Garden in Giverny on the way back to the ship.

At 5:15pm we set sail for Paris, where we are expected to arrive at 7:30am tomorrow morning.

At 6:30pm there was the Captain's Champagne Reception in the lounge, with a thank you to all the crew who have been looking after us for his week - we disembark on Thursday, and will be very sorry to farewell our marvellous Hungarian Cruise Director.

This was followed by the Farewell Gala Dinner. Mind you, every meal is awesome!

Rouen - Monday 28 August

Deciding not to go on the very full day tour to the Somme Battlefields (I get too emotional - the Barrows went but the Todds stayed behind like us), we were able to enjoy a late start to our day with breakfast at 8am. We then walked into Rouen (we're docked very close), with our Rick Steve's guide notes suggesting our route. The temperature today was due to hit 30+ (it did), and we thought we'd make the most of this quieter and cooler part of the day.

We walked past St Maclou, along a street of half-timbered buildings (I wondered how much longer some of these wooden beams could last...), and around to the Plague Cemetery. In the Middle Ages up to two thirds of the people here died. The area where the well now stands became a mass grave, with bodies dumped in a pit and soaked in lime to hasten decomposition. The bones were later stacked elsewhere around this courtyard. There were many ghoulish carvings on the buildings surrounding the well.



We passed the Town Hall and a statue of Napoleon, and then reached the Palace of Justice - the parliament building, dating from 1550, in a gothic style. This was situated on the Street of the Jews and the area of what had been the Jewish Quarter from the 10th century until the early 14th century, when the Jews were expelled from France, their homes destroyed and their land taken and used for this building.



We reached the Joan of Arc Church and the place where she died (marked by the Cross), burnt at the stake in 1431 in the old market square and beside an older church on the site prior to this modern church (ruins of an older church can also be seen). Joan of Arc is the Patron Saint of France. The inside of this church was very beautiful.



We then passed under the Great Clock (Gros Horloge), dating from around 1528.



Further on was Notre-Dame Cathedral. Looking at the facade, it was amazing to think that Monet had painted close to 30 paintings of it, at different times of the day. Indeed, there was a panel on the spot where he stood his easel, with a photo of one of his impressionist paintings. The cathedral was closed until 2pm, so we returned to the boat for lunch, had a bit of a catnap, and then headed out again around 2:20pm. We decided not to do the afternoon walking tour of Rouen provided by APT, having seen most of it this morning. We went straight to Notre Dame and used Rick's notes to guide us through the cathedral.



We were excited to see a tomb that once contained the heart of Richard the Lionheart; another for Rollo, the first Duke of Normandy and the leader of the first Vikings who decided to settle here after attacking Paris (interesting for those of you who would have watched the Vikings TV series) - he was also the great great great great grandfather of William the Conqueror. There were statues of a number of saints, another chapel dedicated to Joan of Arc.









After this, we stepped out into the heat, and headed for a cafe and enjoyed a couple of apple cider brut. Then it was back to the boat for some more refreshing drinks and a chance to relax.

The buses were late back from the Somme tour, so they had a very long day, that also sounded very emotional. I definitely would not have coped as my eyes welled up just with Jan telling me about it and some of the awful stories of what had happened during those battles.

Rouen - excursion to Honfleur - Sunday 27 August

Very early this morning we docked in the capital of Normandy - Rouen. We will remain docked here for two days.

This morning we thoroughly enjoyed our half-day excursion to Honfleur (about one and a quarter hours away by tour bus - just about everyone went). It was a glorious morning, not too hot, and before it got too busy with tourists.

Honfleur is an very picturesque port and fishing town set in the Seine estuary, and close to the English Channel, opposite the city of Le Havre (accessible via a huge bridge). We enjoyed a one-hour guided tour of the town, and then a quiet hour on our own, before the return journey to the boat.

Originally a Viking port, the 17th century harbour is ringed with 15th and 16th century buildings, very narrow and very high too! The town dates from the 11th century and changed hands between France and England many times during the Hundred Years War (1337-1453). From the 16th to 19th centuries Honfleur was a centre for trade with North America and Asia. Indeed, the French explorer Samuel de Champlain sailed to Canada from here in 1608 and founded Quebec. The 19th century painter, Eugène Boudin lived in Honfleur, and attracted visits from others including Monet. The musician, Erik Satie was also born here. Honfleur was lucky to escape World War II bombings - and so we were able to appreciate the beauty of this old, quaint and colourful town.

We loved walking around the old port, and along the narrow cobbled streets. We saw the old surviving gatehouse (remaining from the original fortified wall), a bronze bust of Samuel de Champlain, many old timber-framed Norman buildings, the Rue de la Prison, old cobbled courtyards, the old salt warehouse with its old wooden ceiling, and I got a peak into the wooden and wood-shingled St Catherine's Church. Fortunately, a World War II bomb that had fallen through the roof of the church did not explode! The separate bell tower was also quite unique.









David and I sat and enjoyed the wonderful views across the ancient harbour, with a glass of cider brut each - a very popular local drink. We decided not to sample the local salted caramel, and might taste the Calvados apple brandy later - an acquired taste, according to some of the other passengers.



We returned to the ship for a late 1:30pm lunch, where I have to say I endulged in two small plates of the best casserole I have ever had - a Boeuf bourguignon. Wow - I described it as stunning, and Jill described it as exquisite. Then, we relaxed in the lounge for the afternoon - it was quite hot outside - 28C). We will have a tour of the town of Rouen tomorrow, and I have to say that this lunch and afternoon were my most relaxing time of the whole trip.

Dinner this evening was our booking at the Chef's Table restaurant at the stern of the boat, with their very gourmet degustation menu. Some of us struggled with the escargots, but I did eat a couple of millimetres of the end of one... Mark helped us out with the others!






In the lounge after dinner, I sampled the Calvados brandy.... I managed probably a teaspoonful!