France Odyssey: Seine River, Reims, & Paris Day 13 & 14

Sunday, October 15th, 2023

This morning we had a timed entrance ticket to visit Sainte-Chapelle. The sun was rising as we were walking toward the chapel.

There was a restaurant nearby so we had some breakfast before it was time for our entrance. We had a great breakfast at Brasserie Les Deux Palais.

It was a beautiful day with no clouds in the sky. Sainte Chapelle and the Palais de Justice were Part of the former royal palace. The Palais de Justice was a courthouse that contained the Court of Appeals. Sainte Chapelle was the Royal Chapel and was built in the middle of the 13th century and of the High Gothic architecture.

King Louis IX built this chapel to hold his sacred relics. He went on crusades and paid enormous prices. His chapel was specifically designed to follow his wishes. Louis IX was considered a saint during his lifetime and was canonized by the Catholic Church in 1297 and was Saint Louis.

The security checkpoint was backed up and we were a little delayed getting into Sainte Chapelle. It was worth the wait! Sainte Chapelle had two levels. The upper chapel housed the king’s most precious relics: the Crown of Thorns and a fragment of the True Cross. The Crown was a wreath of thorns that was supposedly placed on Jesus Christ at his crucifixion. The fragment of the True Cross which was made of wood of the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. The relics were no longer kept there.

Panoramic picture of the second level of Sainte Chapelle

We went up the spiral stairs to the second level first. It had 1,113 stained glass windows that depicted scenes from the Old and New Testament. It was gorgeous.

Facing west and almost 30 feet in width was the Rose of the Apocalypse which was rebuilt around 1485 under Charles VIII and consisted of 87 panels.

When we were finished admiring all of the beauty of the stained glass we then went to the lower chapel (first floor) was fro the royal palace staff. The ceiling was lower and it was much darker because there were fewer windows. The lower level was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the area was divided into a nave and side aisles. The ceiling was filled with the fleur-de-lis pattern and had decorated columns.

There were 13th century original elements from Sainte Chapelle before the French Revolution destroyed them.

The scary gargoyles outside Sainte Chapelle were quite fun to see.

After Sainte Chapelle we walked to the Eiffel Tower to get tickets to go up the tower. We walked along the bank of the Seine River for most of the way. We passed many of the 240 bouquinistes (book sellers) who sell out of green boxes that house over 300,000 old books, journals, stamps and trading cards. In 1991 the bouquinistes of Paris became an UNESCO World Heritage site. These green boxes are located on both sides of the Seine.

It was a great day for a three mile walk to the Eiffel Tower entrance. Below were some of our sites on our walk!

We stopped for a drink at a small cafe on the way because we needed to use the restroom before going in the Eiffel Tower security entrance.

We stood in line to purchase our tickets for the Eiffel Tower and when we were almost to the ticket counter the sign for the tower summit changed from open to close. Three of our group had really wanted to go to the summit and it was a perfect day for it so they were disappointed. We found out later from our hotel clerk that they closed the summit due to the winds!

In a nearby neighborhood was an Italian restaurant that’s menu was 100% gluten free! The food was delicious. If you need to eat gluten free in Paris we would recommend Tasca Bio.

By the time we finished our meal we walked back to the Louvre mall entrance. We wanted to check out the Paris 2024 Olympic store. We looked around but didn’t find anything we had to have other than we purchased the Paris 2024 mascot (the Phryges) for our granddaughter. We stopped by the hotel to freshen up and since it was our last night in Paris we walked around the neighborhood from our hotel.

We passed the Church of Sainte Marie-Madeleine that was built in the style of a Greek temple and was finished in 1842.

There were some interesting head busts by the artist Rero. One had Shift carved on it, one had low resolution and another had Error 404 carved on it.

We eventually stopped at the Cafe Madeleine for wine and shared a charcuterie board. We toasted our great trip and great friends!

Monday, October 16th, 2023

Today we leave Paris for home. We have a late afternoon flight so the hotel gave us a late checkout. The six of us walked for breakfast at Ladurée Paris Royale restaurant. It had a quaint decor.

The hot chocolate was very rich and we enjoyed the gluten free Eugénie which was a shortbread cookie with a soft center and melted coating! Delicious!

After breakfast we said goodbye to our nephew who traveled with us for two weeks. He was staying in Paris for one more day before heading home. We went back to our hotel to pack our bags for flying home and wait for our ride to Charles de Gaulle airport. We said goodbye to the Hotel Du Continent.

Our driver showed up on when scheduled and our flights were on time! We arrived home close to midnight. It was a wonderful adventure in France but as always it was good to be home!

France Odyssey: Seine River, Reims, & Paris Day 8

Tuesday, October 10th, 2023

This morning we are docked back in Paris! Our morning was spent with a city tour of Paris. Our first stop was the Eiffel Tower. It was built for the International Exposition of 1889. The tower stood 984 feet and was constructed of wrought iron.

Another stop was the Notre Dame Cathedral. Building began in the 12th century and it took 300 years to complete the cathedral. The upper part of the cathedral was severely damaged in a fire in April, 2019. We could only visit the outside of Notre Dame. It was planned for reopening in December, 2024.

More sites of Paris that we passed on our morning tour.

**Court of Cassation- Supreme court for civil and criminal cases**

After our Paris city tour the rest of the day was on our own. We stopped at a cafe for something to drink.

Our next stop was the hill of Montmarte. We weren’t close so we took a subway to get close.

The over 250 stairs awaited us to climb them to reach Sacré Coeur basilica.

Sacré Coeur was a popular tourist spot with over a million visitors every year! The Basilica du Sacré Coeur meant “sacred heart” in English. Its exterior was made from white limestone with a Roman-Byzantine style architecture. In front were two statues, one of Joan of Arc and the other of King Louis on horseback.

From here there were great panoramic views of Paris. It was a beautiful blue sky but the Paris skyline was hazy.

Behind the Sacré Coeur was the Place du Tertre we saw many artists ready to draw your portrait or caricature!

We ate lunch nearby at Chez Eugène on their terrace. We had a delicious lunch.

We spent some time walking the streets of Montmarte.

As we were walking around we came upon the two surviving windmills of the 30 that once were on Montmarte. The first one we saw was Le Moulin du Radet. It was built in 1717 and was originally used to ground flour and moved in 1924 and it now sits above a restaurant.

Then we passed the Moulin de La Galette or Le Moulin Blute-Fin. This windmill was built in 1622 and was abandoned. You had to look through the trees to barely make out the windmill!

Le Moulin Blute-Fin or Moulin de Le Galette

We really enjoyed out walk around this area. From the historic windmills of Montmarte we then past the red windmill of Moulin Rouge, a caberet. This was another great spot for O-H-I-O!

On our walk back to the riverboat we saw the Eiffel Tower with the beautiful clear sky.

We walked along the Seine River and saw this bronze monument that was called “Monument des Martyrs Juifs du Velodrome d’Hiver”. It translation was “Monument to the Jewish Martyrs of the Winter Stadium”. It was dedicated to the memory of the 13,000+ Jews that were rounded up in Paris during WWII. At the bottom of the monument was enscribed “Let’s never forget”! Wise words to remember!

On a man-made island near the Grenelle Bridge in Paris we saw the quarter-scale version of the Statue of Liberty. It weighed 14 tons and stood 37 feet 9 inches tall. This was given to France in 1889 by US expats in Paris that celebrated the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. On the base of the statue were two plaques, one with the date July 4, 1776 and the other with the date July 14, 1789.

Our city tour and the time to explore Paris on our own was invigorating and also tiring. We did a lot of walking today! This evening was our last night on the riverboat. Tomorrow we tour the Palace of Versailles.

France Odyssey: Seine River, Reims, & Paris Day 5

Saturday, October 7th, 2023

This morning we arrived in Le Havre, France. It was a major port city in the Normandy region and it was located where the Seine River emptied into the English Channel.

Near our dock we could see the last US Army tugboat that served here from 1944-1946. The boat was now a museum ship.

We rode through the town of Le Havre on our way to Étretat. Le Havre was almost completely rebuilt after WWII. It was the first modern city and one of two post-WWII cities recognized as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. Auguste Perret was the chief architect for reconstruction and used reinforced concrete.

A little over 370 acres of concrete made up the city.

This memorial was to commemorate residents of La Havre who had lost their lives in WWI, WWII, wars in Indochina (1946-1954) and Algeria (1954-1962).

The “Catène de Containers” art installation was constructed from shipping containers by Vincent Ganivet for La Havre’s 500th anniversary.

The Le Havre Cathedral was one of the few buildings that survived the bombings of WWII. The main facade was Baroque and the bell tower was from around 1520.

The Cathedral was built in the 16th-17th century and was only partially damaged during WWII.

This morning our first stop was Étretat. It was a seaside town that was known for its white cliffs which many impressionist painters had painted. The most famous was Claude Monet.

Erosion created arches and the needle-like structure. We had time to climb the east side or west side of the beach. We climbed the west side path that also lead to an 18-hole golf course. The views were beautiful from the top of trail.

Click through the slideshow to see the gorgeous cliffs, beach, and town!

The old wooden Covered Market was built in 1927 for fish stalls. Today there were shops inside.

Etretat had old medieval half-timbered homes.

Maurice Leblanc’s home was built around 1850. Maurice was a French novelist. He called the home “Clos Lupin” after his fictional character from his popular short stories that began in 1905. The home was confiscated by the Germans during its occupation of Etretat. The home eventually was purchased by his granddaughter and she turned it into a museum.

Our next stop was Honfleur, France.

Bell tower would signal when time to get back to work!

Le Vieux Bassin, the old port was a focal point of this beautiful city. It was lined with distinctive tall, narrow, timber-framed, and slate-clad townhouses built from the 16th to 18th century.

Sainte Catherine Church was the largest wooden church in France. Its bell tower was separate from the main building.

The inside of the church.

The La Lieutenance was the last bastion of medieval Honfleur.

We walked past the town hall.

We saw the Roncheville manor which once was the residence of the governors of Honfleur. We walked into the Courtyard of the Roncheville Manor.

Closeup of the entrance to the courtyard of the manor.

We walked down the Rue des Petites Boucheries. The name of this street dated to the 17th century and was named because it was lined with butchers stalls.

Near the harbour was a beautiful vintage carousel. Four of us rode it and enjoyed our ride!

After our tour of the town we had free time. We walked around the beautiful harbor and then found an outdoor patio for champagne and an afternoon snack. The owner, waitress, and a neighbor child helped us and were so kind and attentive.

It was a perfect way to end our time in Honfleur!

France Odyssey: Seine River, Reims, & Paris Day 4

Friday, October 6th, 2023

The Amadeus Diamond arrived in Rouen about 8:00 AM.

Across from our riverboat was the newest area of Rouen and the tall building you see in the picture below was the Archive Tower. It was built in 1965, stands over 300 feet and had no windows.

Rouen, France was a port city along the Seine and was located about 78 miles from Paris. In 1204 the French captured the city from the Normans. Rouen prospered until the Hundred Years War (1337-1453) and it was taken by Henry V of England. St. Joan of Arc, in 1430, France’s patron saint was imprisoned in a tower in Rouen. She was burned at the stake by the English in the city, in May, 1431 for heresy.

Cross monument marked the spot where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake.

The church above was the E’glise Jeanne d’ Arc. It was completed in 1979 and built in the center of Place du Vieux Marché (old market). The inside of the church had a beautiful wall of 13 Renaissance stained-glass windows that were from 1520-1530. They were in the Church of St. Vincent in Rouen that was heavily damaged by the Allied strikes in 1944. The windows were stored in a safe location for the rest of the war. Then the windows were used in the Joan of Arc church!

Also in the church was a memorial to Saint Joan of Arc.

Also located on the Old Market was the La Couronne restaurant. It was where Julia Child had her first French meal.

On our walk through the city we saw the Gros-Horloge or Great Clock. It houses one of the oldest clock mechanisms in Europe. It was an astronomic clock that sat on a Renaissance arch and it was flanked by a Gothic belfry from the 14th century. The belfry housed the bells that were linked to the clock’s movement. All of this was restored from 1997 to 2006.

The two faces of the clock displayed 24 rays of sun against a blue starred sky. There were moon phases on the oculus above the face of the clock. Also, a hand showing the week inside an opening at the base of the dial! Since the 1920s the clock was powered by electricity.

The arch below the clock contained bas-reliefs and the center was of Christ as the Good Shepherd.

The narrow streets of the old town were lined with half-timbered houses. Some of which date back to the middle ages. The town had about 2000 half-timbered homes which were made with timber posts. It was amazing that this many survived with all the devastation from WWII.

The Gothic style Cathedral Notre Dame de Rouen suffered damage from the Allied bombings that occurred a week before D-day. It was hit by seven bombs.

It was the highest cathedral in France after the reconstruction of its cast iron spire in 1876. The cathedral became internationally famous because of the paintings of it by Claude Monet who once lived across from the church.

The beauty of the Rouen cathedral continued inside its doors. The mostly Gothic style could be viewed. The right side of the cathedral was destroyed by the Allied bombing but the restoration was amazing!

Below were additional views of the cathedral.

We stopped in the Le Cacaotier, Hubert Masse, Artisan Chocolatier because we were told this shop had the best chocolate. We got some to take back to the riverboat. We enjoyed this delicious chocolate for the rest of our trip!

The Hilliard Area Chamber of Commerce travelers dressed as pirates to “take over the ship” and we took the second captain as hostage. The captain took many pictures and videos. He thought it was great! We had a lot of fun as the other passengers looked on with amusement!

The captain was on the far left and next to him was his second captain and some of our pirates!

The Hilliard Area Chamber of Commerce “pirates”!

The Hilliard Area Chamber of Commerce president captures the second captain!

We did our O-H-I-O in honor of our Buckeyes!

This evening we set sail for our next port Le Havre!

France Odyssey: Seine River, Reims, & Paris Day 3

Thursday, October 5th, 2023

Over night we arrived at Conflans-Sainte-Honorine which was located 27 miles on the right bank from Paris. This village originally was called Conflans because it was located at the confluence of the Seine and Oise rivers. Sainte-Honorine was added to its name in the 13th century after the female Saint Honorina.

We woke up early and the sun was rising and outside the river looked ominous!

Once the sun was up the river mist cleared and the river and sky looked beautiful.

This morning was a walking tour “Tracing Vincent Van Gogh’s Footsteps” in Auvers-sur-Oise and Auberge Ravoux.

As we were walking into town we were excited to see the Horse Chestnut trees with many of the nuts falling on the ground. To those of us from Ohio we all picked up what we called a Buckeye! They were very similar!

Van Gogh lived here from May 20th, 1890 until July 29th, 1890 when he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was very productive in the few months he lived here. Some of his best works were painted from this area.

During the time that Van Gogh lived in Auvers-sur-Oise he painted almost 80 works in 70 days. One of his paintings was of the Notre Dame d’ Auvers church. The church was begun in the 11th century from local stone and was added onto in 1170. We visited this church which had a copy of his painting hanging in the sanctuary. This church became infamous thanks to Van Gogh’s painting!

We walked by the stairway that was in Van Gogh’s painting, “Stairway at Auvers”!

Another building that Vincent Van Gogh made famous because he painted it was the Town Hall. What he painted was his view of the Town Hall when he left the Auberge Ravoux which was where he stayed.

We also visited the Auberge Ravoux and the room where Vincent Van Gogh lived and died. He arrived here on May 20th, 1890.

L’ Auberge Ravoux Inn and Restaurant since 1876.

Dave sat at the table in front of the Auberge Ravoux and inside Vincent Van Gogh’s table was near the back of the dining room.

He paid 1 franc a day for room #5 which was a little over 75 square feet and was lit by a sky light. He paid 2.50 francs per day for his meals. We walked up the staircase and saw his little room but no pictures were allowed. Vincent Van Gogh tried to end his life by shooting himself in the chest but made it back to his room and two days later died in his attic room.

Vincent Van Gogh was buried in Auvers Cemetery. Six months later his brother Theo died in the Netherlands at the age of 33. In 1914 his wife had his remains moved so that the two close brothers could be reunited after death! We walked to the Auvers Cemetery and visited their graves.

The brothers graves were covered in ivy and sunflowers interspersed.

Emile Boggio was another impressionist painter that died at the age of 63 in Auvers-sur-Oise and was buried here.

We walked back into the center of town we passed a statue dedicated to Charles Francois Daubigny. He died in 1878 at the age of 61 and was a French painter. He was known for his landscape paintings and was considered to be an important precursor of impressionism.

We really enjoyed our walk around the town and in Vincent Van Gogh’s footsteps! Back to the boat we went for lunch and our afternoon was free.

This afternoon we explored the town of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine. We walked up toward the old upper historic center of town.

We stopped at the Saint Maclou Church. It was built between the 10th and 12th centuries and enlarged in the 15th, 17th, and 19th centuries. It had a Romanesque-style bell tower that was topped by a stone spire.

The relics of Saint Honorina were kept in the Saint Maclou Church. She was the oldest revered virgin martyr of Normandy. It was said that her body was thrown into the Seine near the town of Le Havre and drifted to the site of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine and the town reportedly collected her remains and they buried by the Christian community. Her bones are kept in the church.

We walked along the narrow street, Rue de la Tour, and a class of school children on a field trip passed us. Many said hello in English.

Rue de la Tour gave us great views of the rooftops and the Seine River. We also saw the forest of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. This forest had many 100 year old trees and it also was part of the ancient forest of Yveline where many kings of France hunted.

Back down near the river we walked passed City Hall that was finished in 1896.

We looked back up the hill and we could see the Monjoie Tower in ruins. It was part of the medieval castle of Conflans. It was built in the 11th century on the site of a fort that was made of wood.

We set sail around 5:00 PM. We went through a lock before dark.

Tomorrow we visit Rouen, France!

Band of Brothers Tour Day 1 & Day 2

Tuesday, July 16th & Wednesday, July 17th

Our journey began around midday on Tuesday with a flight from Columbus to Minneapolis and then took off for Paris, France around 5 PM (est). We landed in Paris around 7:16 AM Paris time. By the time we went through customs, retrieved out luggage it was 8:15. Our driver was waiting to take us from the airport to our hotel for the next 3 days, the Melia. It is a nice boutique hotel and the location is perfect for us. When we finally arrived at the hotel is was after 10:00. We stored our luggage with the hotel and off we went exploring. The Paris Opera House isn’t far from our hotel, so we walked there to catch our hop on/hop off bus. These tour buses give a good overview of the highlights of the city.

We got off the bus for Norte Dame. On our way there we stopped and toured St. Chapelle. It is a royal chapel and it is located within the Palais de la Cité which was the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century. The stain glass panes covering 15 windows are incredible and depict 1,113 scenes from the Old and New Testaments.

When we finished our tour, we walked all around Norte Dame. We could see remnants of the fire and where workers are reinforcing beams. The area is fenced off to visitors and guarded.

We jumped back on the bus to see the Arch de Triumph, the Eiffel Tower among other Paris highlights. When we returned to the stop where we started, we got off and grabbed some lunch/dinner and then walked back to our hotel to “officially” check in. It was nice to finally get a shower after 26 hours! We rested for about 40 minutes then walked to the Eiffel Tower. On our way to the Eiffel Tower we passed the Place de la Concorde. The city was still cleaning up after their big military parade on Bastille Day, July 14th, 2 days ago. We wanted to be at the Eiffel Tower by the time the lights came on! We enjoyed our time waiting for the lights! It was beautiful! We have to say it was also great people watching!

Even with riding the bus, we still walked 9.73 miles, 22,180 steps, and 7 flights!

Tag: Seine River

France Odyssey: Seine River, Reims, & Paris Day 13 & 14

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Band of Brothers Tour Day 1 & Day 2

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