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Paris and the Heart of Normandy Captured Our Hearts! Full Trip Report - Viking Rolf


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Hello Fellow River Cruisers!

We are just back (November 5 - November 12) from an absolutely A M A Z I N G week on the Viking Rolf sailing from Paris to Normandy and I couldn't wait to sit down and tell our happy tale of the IN-SEINELY good time we had on the Seine!

A little about us.. we are both in our mid fifties and this is our second river cruise. We sailed on Avalon last November on the Rhine and loved every moment. We couldn't wait to book another river cruise and this time we decided to try Viking.

It was yet another week filled with beautiful ports, delicious food, plentiful wine, lovely new friends, smooth waters and the realization that we are now spoiled forever by river cruising.

The pace on Viking was perfect.. just the right amount to do.. never too much and never too little. Just right.

The weather was OK.. not terrible.. not great. It started out sunny and cool in Paris and ended up mostly cloudy and rainy for at least part of each day thereafter. We brought our hoods and made sure to grab one of those huge red Viking umbrellas that were so sweetly and conveniently given out at each port along with a bottled water and a warm greeting.

I'm ready to relive the adventure.. come fly with me!

 

Saturday evening November 4, 2017 at JFK..

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The Skydeck at the Delta Lounge was open and it was a glorious evening!

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Our nonstop flight to Paris was ready to board.

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Goodbye New York.. see you in a week!

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A full dinner was served..

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Fastest flying time that I can ever remember! 6 hours and 15 minutes from JFK - CDG.

Guess it was those 150mph tail winds.

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A glass of wine.. a few TV shows.. a short nap.. and we're almost there!

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We had purchased our own airfare but bought the RT Viking transfers to and from the airport. The van ride was a speedy 45 minutes from CDG to the port of Le Pecq. Here is our first glimpse of what was to be our home away from home for the next week.. The Viking Rolf.

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We arrived at the ship at around 9:30am and were greeted warmly by everyone who we encountered, which was a theme that was repeated over and over for the entire week.:hearteyes:

Moving to the lounge we sunk into the comfy seats.. we were exhausted.. but so excited knowing that this was just the start of our fantastic adventure.

It was still pretty early so there were groups of well rested people who were still waiting to depart from last week's cruise, as well as the bleary eyed travelers like us who had just arrived on overnight flights.

At 10:30 we got the very happy news that Cabin 215 was ready and waiting for us!

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I don't have to tell anyone here that cruise cabins aren't particularly huge but there was plenty of room for all our things. Everything was band box neat and beautiful. The bathroom floor was heated.. nice! :hearteyes:

 

We showered and changed lickety split, ate a quick and delicious buffet lunch with wine, and then boarded a 12:30 shuttle from the ship into the center of Paris. They usual drop off and pick up spot is at the Winston Churchill statue near The Petit Palais but there were many roads closed that day and the bus couldn't get near there. No worries.. they moved the drop off point 2 bridges to the left near the Pont de l' Alma. We were to be back there by 5pm to catch the shuttle back to the ship.

We ran here, there and everywhere around Paris in those 3 plus hours. Over to Place de la Concorde.. up to the Opera House and Galleries Lafayette.. across to the Champs Elysees and down to the Arc de Triomphe.. we were all around town. We bought 2 large shopping bags of Nespresso capsules to take home. Half price in Europe.(y)

 

By 4:30 we were pooped and were very happy to board the bus a bit early and settle in for a relaxing ride back to our ship.

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We met our cruise director Lionel who was AMAZING!!!! He was so funny that we are truly still laughing at his jokes a week later! His comments were so clever, and absolutely hilarious.:D

We met Hotel Director Ursa as well.. she was a smiling fixture on our cruise the whole week and was incredibly sweet and helpful.

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We chose to take the included full day tour of Paris but to trim it down to a half a day tour so we could do our own thing in the afternoon. We took our electronic devices and earpieces from the room and picked up our 2 sets of cards at the front desk. One was a card with your bus/group assignment and the other was a card that you took when you got off the ship so Viking could keep track of who was on and who was off the ship. The buses picked everyone up promptly at 9:30 and from there visited the main sights on the right bank. The guide was great.. chatted all the way into Paris. After about 2 hours we were dropped off at the Hotel de Ville where we walked as a group over to Notre Dame. We have visited Paris many times but never realized that right in front of the Cathedral is "Point Zero" for the city of Paris.

 

Copied and pasted..

Point Zero or Kilometer Zero is that location chosen in a city that all distances are measured from. This small octagonal brass plate set in the ground is considered the official center of Paris and, as mentioned, it marks the exact spot from which all distances throughout France are measured (in relation to Paris).

 

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Gorgeous.. Gorgeous.. Gorgeous!!!

We chuckled at our usual Cathedral joke from the "Rugrats in Paris" where the character Betty, when asked how she could take a nap in such a beautiful church she replies "Seen one church, seen em' all. Wake me if you spot a hunchback.";)

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After the guided tour of Notre Dame there was 2 hours of free time before the group met up again for the continuation of the bus tour to the Left Bank. This is where we parted ways and did our own thing. We hustled down Rue de Rivoli past the Louvre and across Place de la Concorde. We had some shopping to do and were on task and focused!:D

At the Vuitton flagship store on the Champs Elysees we had our bags searched and we were wanded with a metal detector before entering the store. Most big stores had security upon entering.. it was sobering but a sign of the times. We felt very safe though.. never felt uncomfortable or threatened. We browsed along the Rue Saint Honore and up along Boulevard Haussmann. We enjoyed a Grand Marnier crepe near the Tuileries. Using a SIM card we bought on our last trip to Europe over the summer and we called our 3 daughters and our mothers.

 

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We walked miles and miles (or should I say kilometers and kilometers;)) and enjoyed every magical moment of the day. We headed back to the Winston Churchill statue pick up point ahead of the bus that was picking up people at 5:00.

 

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