ACWMom "Official" Trip Review-Uniworld SS Joie de Vivre-Paris to Normandy

[ShyOne60]

Thanks for the food pictures. Everything looks delicious!

[jpalbny]

Even though I am sick of winter, the snow pictures are really beautiful.

 

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[acwmom]

JP, we just had snow on Saturday, and again yesterday. It melts by the afternoon, of course, but it's April in KY!

 

I agree with you, experiencing snow in France was kind of cool, and we were prepared for it.

 

The chateau was a new excursion for us, and we knew it gave us a tower climb, so we were psyched.

 

The story of the chateau is interesting. It has been privately owned, and in recent history, (30-40 yrs) the family was no longer able to care for it. Many of its belongings were sold at auction. They eventually made an agreement with the French government, and the two co-manage the property (to the best of my recollection) with the family still residing there. The chateau, and keep, are open to the public for tours.

 

Of historical interest, after D Day, Rommel defended against the Allies from a bunker in the chateau.

 

The original "castle" was built into the cliff, and the chateau was later constructed in front of it.

 

The climb to the top was one of the most difficult we have ever done. The stairs were very tall, and irregular. Some must have been 18 inches. Add to that snow, and, we definitely had to watch our footing. Sadly, JP, I didn't get any pictures of the stairs, but they're out there if you google them.

[acwmom]

The Chateau. The third picture shows it's integration into the cliff, and a door from the original castle in the wall. There was also a proper English garden. The 5th picture is a view as we sailed by, later in the week.

 

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[acwmom]

We were the only group in the chateau, so it was easy to get some great pictures. It is in great condition

 

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[capriccio]

 

The climb to the top was one of the most difficult we have ever done. The stairs were very tall, and irregular. Some must have been 18 inches. Add to that snow, and, we definitely had to watch our footing. Sadly, JP, I didn't get any pictures of the stairs, but they're out there if you google them.

 

Robin - you may know this already... beginning in the middle ages castle stairs were purposely constructed in varying heights and widths to force attackers to slow down or better yet fall all over one another.

[jpalbny]

And the stairs curved to the right while going up (clockwise rotation), so that the attacker's sword arm wasn't as free to attack the defender above. Think how valuable a left-handed swordsman would have been in those days! I could have been in high demand as an attacker.

 

Cool pictures. Looks like a nice place to visit.

 

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[sawtooth]

The snow makes it look magical.

[acwmom]

Our guide told us the "keep" was closed, but we saw others coming down, so much like Ben Gates, Riley, and Abigail left the tour in National Treasure, we broke off on our own to climb.

 

The views didn't disappoint. Apologies for the snow on the lens:-)

 

Toward Paris

 

 

 

Toward Rouen

 

 

 

The garden, and neighbors across the river

 

 

And, a nearby hilltop home

 

[acwmom]

We took the bus back to the ship, so we could set sail for Les Andelys. I don't believe this is a stop for those who sail when Monet's Gardens in Giverny are open.

 

When we got back to the room, we had beautiful flowers, and Valrhona chocolates waiting for us.......Social media connections really are nice to have!

 

 

After lunch we had our cruise overview in the lounge, while we sailed.

 

The view from our cabin, in Les Andelys, of Chateau Gaillard

 

 

And, the waterside, with a lot of water!

 

 

[acwmom]

There were two tours in Les Andelys. One, a walk (hike) to the castle ruins, the other, a bus tour to the castle overlook, then driving tour of the town. Since we had been here before, and it was quite cold outside, we decided to stay onboard. We enjoyed our afternoon snack delivered by our butler, then went to The Bistro, to check it out. This time, we only had some bread. It was Captain's Gala Night, and we didn't want to get too full.

 

Robin

[acwmom]

Cheese and olives, personalized cutlery, and one of the beers onboard. The menus, and table decorations. Food to follow

 

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[acwmom]

For starters, we chose the scallop, then the mushroom cappuccino, for the main course-veal tenderloin, and dessert-petit fours and chocolate explosion.

 

There was a little confusion, as we thought we would automatically get the salad and pasta courses, since there were no options to choose from, with those courses, but that wasn't the case. Not a huge deal, as we had more than enough to eat.

 

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[Lois R]

Hi Robin, not sure if you have seen any of my previous comments or not......but your photos are just wonderful:D

[acwmom]

Hi Robin, not sure if you have seen any of my previous comments or not......but your photos are just wonderful:D

 

I have, Lois, and thank you! Most were taken with my phone, a few with my "real" camera. More to come, work has been busy, with it being spring break, and hiring 2 new employees.

 

Robin

[CDreamer]

Robin, we will also be taking this cruise this year so appreciate your detailed report and all of your pics!

[acwmom]

Robin, we will also be taking this cruise this year so appreciate your detailed report and all of your pics!

Thanks for following along! This was our second time on this itinerary, so chose the options we hadn't done before. I'm happy to answer any questions.

 

Robin

 

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[CDreamer]

Robin, thanks. So far no specific questions, but am following your report with great interest & really appreciate your detailed review!

[acwmom]

Tuesday....Mont St. Michel Day!!!!!!

 

Note: This was an added cost, "Masterpiece Collection" excursion. The departure time was 8am with a return of 6pm. Due to road construction near the docks in Rouen, the bus didn't pick us up until 8:30, and we didn't return until a little after 7pm.

 

The included excursions for the day were a visit to Chateau de Champ de Bataille in the morning, and a Rouen walking discovery tour in the afternoon. Those who toured the Chateau enjoyed it.

 

With regard to Mont St Michel.........my biggest fear was that it was going to be much smaller than I expected. After all, on Google maps satellite view, it's hardly a blip. However, when we first spotted it, and were still an hour away, I knew that my fears were unfounded.

 

Lunch was included with our excursion, and we ate at La Mére Poulard. I wish we could have fended for ourselves, and spent more time exploring the island. Because of our late arrival, the meal was rushed, there were no options, and it was, well, not very good.

 

HOWEVER........Mont St. Michel did not disappoint, and I can't wait to return and spend more time there!

 

Pictures to follow:-)

[acwmom]

The menu, and the choices which were made for us.

 

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[acwmom]

We had 45 minutes to eat, from start to finish......we were served first, and barely finished......once done, we met our guide, who somehow managed to make up for lost time and gave us a great tour.

 

A handful of the group decided not to make the climb to the monastery, and stayed behind to shop.

 

We experienced, rain, sleet, wind, and sunshine.

 

The "island" is well protected, with a drawbridge, gate, and metal door.

 

I highly recommend visiting here. It is incredible.

 

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[acwmom]

The guide took us the most gradual route possible, and educated us quite a bit, about the history of the island. The current island permanent population is less than 20. We were there in mid/late March, and there were a fair number of people. I can't imagine the crowds in the summer.

 

Pictures in the next post......

 

Robin

[acwmom]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[acwmom]

Continuing our upward progress....

 

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[jpalbny]

So glad Mont St-Michel didn't disappoint (other than the food, which is so atypical). It is truly an amazing place. We visited by car from St-Malo a few years back, and had the opportunity to watch the tide start rushing in while we were on top of the Mont. Incredible! We were sure to keep an eye on our car, to make sure it didn't float away...