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I just got back from the incredible French river cruise I’ve been raving about for over a year! If you want more details about the AmaWaterways cruise line and the itinerary, check out my earlier post. Unfortunately, our French chef, Romina, couldn’t join us, but my husband Sean and I enjoyed seven unforgettable days cruising with a small group of fellow travelers. When everyone else flew home, we extended our adventure with an extra three days in Paris. It was the perfect blend of relaxation, exploration, and connection with French history, culture, and people.
One of the best perks of sailing with AmaWaterways is that all excursions are included, so every experience—no matter which you choose—is part of the journey. And you know me: I’m all about connecting with places and people. The stories we heard along the Seine were completely magical and made our trip unforgettable. One of my favorite things about enjoying excursions is that sense of connection you get through hearing the stories.
Let me take you along on a few of these special tales we encountered on our cruise and in Paris!
Beaches of Normandy: Heroism and reunion
In Normandy, our guide, Frederique, brought history to life with stories that were both personal and universal.
One of my favorite stories was of 1st Lt. Billie D. Harris. He married Peggy Harris in 1943, but their honeymoon, just six weeks after their marriage, was cut short when he was deployed as a fighter pilot. He was tragically shot down over Les Ventes in 1944, where he maneuvered his plane away from the village to avoid harming civilians. The people of Les Ventes buried him with full honors and held annual ceremonies for him for decades, not realizing that his wife back in Texas had no idea what had happened to his remains. Finally in 2005, Peggy learned the full story—that her husband had been laid to rest and honored in Normandy since 1948, but the records had shown his name as Billie Dharris, so she had never found record of him. Peggy has never remarried. She visited Les Ventes annually, where a town square bears his name, until her own death in 2020. The story was a beautiful reminder of the depth of human connection and remembrance.
Rouen: Tastes of Normandy
In addition to enjoying the city where Joan of Arc lived and was burned at the stake, Sean and I took a Tastes of Normandy excursion here. It was called Tastes of Normandy because this whole area (state) is Normandy. What are the tastes of Normandy? Cheese and chocolate, of course! Cheese originated with early Greeks and Romans living in what is now France, but the medieval French monks began to perfect their cheese-making methods. By the 1700’s, there were already hundreds of distinct cheeses across the country, each reflecting the countryside and environment. Today, there are over 1,600 types of cheese in France! We got to sample a few of them, with crackers and a charcuterie board.
Chocolate didn’t originate with France, but in the 1600’s, one of their queens was introduced to it by chocolate-loving Spain. The French began by drinking chocolate, and within a couple hundred years had moved on to refining chocolate into an art form, inventing pralines, ganache, and chocolate truffles. We visited a wonderful little chocolate shop called L’Atelier du Chocolat, where we watched a chocolate-making demo—and got to sample the results, of course!
Portions of the tapestry
Bayeux: William the Conqueror and the Legendary Tapestry
The charming town of Bayeux is famous for its astonishing Bayeux Tapestry. This 230-foot long embroidery, crafted in the 11th century, shows the events leading to William the Conqueror’s victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Our guide Pascaline unraveled the story behind the embroidered tapestry, which depicts the soap-opera-like build-up to William’s claim to the English throne. I was fascinated to learn that William the Conqueror was both king of England and also the Duke of Normandy in France at the same time, due to his defeating the English king while he was a duke. The tapestry is an artistic masterpiece, and it’s interesting to note that every monarch in England since then, has been of Norman descent!
Vernon & Giverny: Monet’s home and gardens
In Vernon, Sean and I took a guided bike tour that visited the picturesque village of Giverny, where Claude Monet’s former home and gardens reside. Giverny was everything I’d imagined: tranquil ponds, bridges draped with wisteria, and gardens in bloom. Monet, the father of Impressionism, moved here in 1883 and transformed the gardens into the beautiful artwork portrayed by his paintings. Standing by his famous lily pond and Japanese bridge, it was easy to understand why he painted them so many times, capturing the shifting light and colors. Monet was an artist of both the gardens he created, and also the canvases he painted!
Mantes-la-Jolie: apples and bees
In the quaint town of Mantes-la-Jolie, we visited Emmanuel and his daughter Constance Hyest’s apple farm, which grows eight varieties of apples, each chosen with careful foresight. Here, we learned about the 8 varieties of apple trees that this wonderful orchard has. They include many varieties for a number of reasons: if there is a late freeze, all of the trees won’t be affected; there are some trees with a 10-year wait until production, and others with a 5-year wait; and all eight of the varieties create the wonderful flavors of the juice, cider, and pomodos produced here.
In the afternoon, we visited Xavier and Charlotte’s bee farm, where they have more than 400 beehives. Xavier’s bees, descended from hardy English stock, are a source of pride; they only started the bee farm about five years ago, and today it’s a thriving enterprise. We saw a demonstration of the bee trays inside the hive; they always leave honey in the honey chamber for the bees to eat throughout the winter. The honey is harvested in the spring and summer. The bee farm is known for creating strong, resilient queen bees, and they often sell queens to other beekeepers all over the world.
Charlotte, who runs the educational side of the farm despite her bee sting allergy, explained the types of bees and each type’s role and life cycle. Charlotte also runs the on-site shop, where they sell wonderful varieties of honey.
Paris: biking and the stories of the City of Light
On our last day of cruising, we arrived in Paris, where we took an unforgettable scenic bike tour with Helene, our enthusiastic guide. One of the highlights was her tale of the Eiffel Tower, built for the 1889 World’s Fair. Although it was initially meant to be dismantled after 20 years, the Eiffel Tower remained, in part thanks to its use as a communications tower. It wasn’t until the bicentennial celebration of the French Revolution in the 1980s that it was decided that the Eiffel Tower would remain a permanent symbol of France!
Recently, there has been a local debate about the Olympic rings’ place on the tower. While they’re currently down, the mayor has a permanent set of rings being created for the tower, in celebration of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Helene also told us the story of the Luxor Obelisk in the Place de la Concorde. This ancient Egyptian monument, gifted to France in 1830 at the time of Napoleon, dates back over 3,000. The obelisk was gifted to France, after one of their French historians helped decipher Egyptian hierophyphics. Its twin remains at the Luxor Temple in Egypt.
Our final three days in Paris were filled with unforgettable adventures, and lots more stories (and amazing food!) of Paris. During our three days there, we visited the Palace of Versailles, the temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, took a walking/metro tour of the 30 best sites of Paris, climbed the Eiffel Tower, visited the Louvre, and took a food tour. All of them were wonderful, amazing ways to connect with Paris. We grew proud of our metro and train skills. We talked to and interacted with guides and locals, wonderful people who made our stay in the city of lights magical.
Voila!
Besides the stories, we loved the culture, the food, the wonderful little shops and restaurants, the cathedrals, the cobblestone streets, and the beautiful countryside. French food? Seriously some of the best I’ve ever had!
This cruise and our Paris adventures were everything we dreamed of and more. The Seine River and Paris led us through stories of courage, artistry, and friendship. Our trip down the Seine truly brought “joie de vivre!” As the French constantly remark: Voila!
Let me know if you’re interested in help planning your own adventure and letting the local stories become part of your life! I’d love to help you put something together.
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