25th Anniversary France Adventure -Week #3

14 June 2015

On the river most of today. Stopped along the river to observe the remains of a castle at LaRoche- Guion.  During WWII, Rommel established his HQ here and was fatally injured when Allie Forces bombed the village.

Today, I have been down.  Skipped breakfast & then for lunch knocked silverware on the floor and then spilled my water glass.  Just hasn't been my day.

Arrived in Conflans, a short distance from Auvers Sur-Oisc, where Van Gogh spent the last 7 months of his life.  Here we were able to see the landscape that he painted, where he lived, and his tombstone.  Fun village to step back into time and image being there with Van Gogh.  

This evening we set sail for a small village close by named Paris. Oo la la.

15 June 2015

Began our visit this morning with a three hour boat tour, no Gilligan, it was a bus tour not a boat tour to the highlights of Paris.  Mainly a drive by tour of the Eiffel Tower, Arc of Triumph, Champs Élysées street, The Louvre, Cathedral of Norte. Dome, & the Gardens of Luxembourg. 

 

Cheryl and I departed from our three hour tour after the garden party and walked across the bridge to the Louvre.  Here we were able to see the Angel of Victory Statue and the Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa.  

EDITORIAL To my Mona LIsa Visit:

Today's visit to see the Mona Lisa was... Well the anticipation was greater than the reality!  Here we have a beautiful piece of art painted by a skilled painter and it would be nice to be able to spend some time admire this Master Piece.  Instead, we, all countries and citizens have turned this into an "Amusement Park".  As the throng of people pressed forward to see the painting, it became more important to take a selfie photo of one self then to admire the work itself.  People pushing and. Nudging to get ahead of their neighbor so they could turn around and take a selfie picture of themselves in front of the Master Piece.  I saw only a few select individuals actually trying to admire the work of art has it deserves to be recognized.  I don't have a solution to the issue without restricting the master piece to the general public.  But hopefully, we as people who admire the work of the Masters can somehow educate our friends, children and grandchildren how to show respect and admire the works of the Masters and their Art.

After the Louvre, we ventured via a bicycle taxi ride to the

Cathedral of Norte Dome.  Said hello to Elders from AZ & Canada before entering the Cathedral and observing the art of the Cathedral builders of that age.  Finalized our day, with a bit of souvenir shopping and a taxis ride back to the ship.  

It was a good day and we saw and did a lot for Paris.  Tomorrow brings another day in Paris.  

16 June 2015

Awoke ready to explore the streets of Paris more; but after much consideration all 5 mins, we decide this morning to rest up for our departure tomorrow morning and to prepare for our afternoon tour of Versailles.  

Versailles was a throng of people to see the living quarters of King Louie the 14th and the 20,000 acres of gardens.  An amazing site and visit.

This evening, we closed  our French Adventure dining as we cruised the river through Paris.  A beautiful evening, with friends and Cheryl.  The wonderful way to end our adventure in France.

Tomorrow we leave at 5:45AM to catch our flight back home.   It has been a wonderful trip and we will have great memories of the people we met, new friends and the places we have seen.