U by Uniworld, The B

April 27- May 5, 2018

The Seine Experience, Roundtrip Paris

 

Friday April 27, 2018

Well not leaving at 6:00am is delightful but 8-hour flights, not so much. Landing in Paris also delightful cuz Paris is always a good idea!

Mike and I picked up Govy a bit early from preschool and they dropped me off at the airport. Check in was a breeze however, the security line was the.worst. I have ever seen at the Des Moines airport! Have I mentioned that I am my own worst client?! And after all my years of traveling, I am still a ball of stress until I am checked in and at the gate.  Today was a 1^st…I had to ask passengers to cut in line because the flight was boarding, and I was WAY back in line…way back.  Thankfully, I made it through in time, WHEW and here we go!

Reagan met me right at my gate in Minneapolis and we went to have lunch since we had a couple of hours to kill.  After some over-fried cheese curds, fried pickles, salad and soup we headed towards the gate.

We were delayed about 20 minutes, no big deal though. The flight over was uneventful, long, and uncomfortable. You know, air travel.

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Saturday April 28, 2018

Bonjour Paris!

Arrival customs was almost like Mexico with MBI. It was a process, a long process. I called the number for the transfer and left a message hoping that our driver would still be there.

After we got our bags and changed some money, sure enough our driver was waiting for us. We headed to the private sprinter van for the ride to the ship. Look out The B, here we come! The ride was about 40 minutes and here we are!

We boarded around 10:30am and got checked in. Rooms were not going to be ready until about 2 so we headed to brunch for a little delicious food and a smoothie.

From brunch we walked around the ship and then landed in the lounge, with full tummies and heavy eyes.  We relaxed in there until our room was ready. We.were.done. So ready to get in our room and take a little nap!

Once rooms were ready we unpacked, got organize and fell into the most comfortable bed on the river, a puffy haven of comfort!! After a quick hour nap, we went up on the top deck, relaxed in the sun and had a drink until the briefing meeting.

At the briefing meeting they went over the safety information and the trip day-by-day. We finally got more information on the included sightseeing as well as the U Time optional tours.  There were several changes from the original information that we had gotten so there was a bit of disappointment but some fun new options too, like the Petite Trianon and Gardens of Versailles.  After the briefing we signed up for: Versailles Gardens & Petite Trianon; Walking and the Biking Tour in Rouen; and Biking & Giverny in Vernon. Going to be an amazing week!

We went to check the dinner menu, but it wasn’t anything to not get out and about for so, we opted to walk to La Tour Eiffel and have dinner around that area, cuz PARIS!

The walk was about 2.5 miles along the Seine through an industrial area, so not too much to look at. We did see a couple of nice bridges, Pont Mirabeau and Pont de Bir-Hakeim. We also walked by the Statue of Liberty too. Excitement built the closer we got to the Eiffel Tower!!

We came up the steps of the Pont d’lena and there she was!!! Boom, welcome to Paris! Towering (yup, see that there) above us was the massive steel beauty in all her glory. No tears this time but, even though I’m on visit 3, it never.gets.old! Standing right near the base, looking up at the steel marvel is still a majestic experience. Pretty amazing!

We headed up to the Trocadero for the view from over there and then It was time to eat.

I had booked Reagan and Guy in this area at the La Clef for their trip last year. She had an Italian place that they had enjoyed and a pizza (I know, but for real) sounded great so we headed over to La Brasserie Italiene. Dinner was quick and delicious, Parma pizza for me and gnocchi for Reagan.

After dinner we went back over to the Trocadero to watch the Eiffel Tower *sparkle*, always worth the evening trip over.

From there we walked back down towards the river to get a taxi back to the ship, it was about a 10 Euro ride back to the ship.

We got back about 10:00am and we’re D.O.N.E. with this fabulous but looooooong day!

Bonsoir Paris!

A demain, back to Conflans-Sainte-Honorine!

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Sunday April 29, 2018

Conflans-Sainte-Honorine

SIDE NOTE: This is the city that the school we visited 23 years ago was in, Lycée Jules Ferry. My homestay family lived in the next small town, Andrésy. We didn’t have a chance to get to the school, but it was cool to be back in the same area that helped start this all 23 years ago and have a bit of time to walk around. (1995: Conflans & 2018: Vernon)

So, here’s a fun new experience, waking up in the puffiest, delightfully cozy bed; rolling over; popping the shades and slider open and watching France sail by…not a terrible way to start a Sunday…or a Monday…a Tuesday…

One of the nicest things about this experience is that tours and sightseeing do not start until about 10:00am or 11:00am. Today our Versailles tour was at 12:00pm. So, we got a lazy morning. Reagan did yoga in the Ice Bar on the top deck and I slept in. We went and had brunch of smoothies, eggs, fruit and pastries; they had a fantastic brunch selection but, 3 Euro for a TINY Coke Light wasn’t exciting…but today, didn’t matter.

After breakfast we decided to walk around town for a bit before we took off on the included Versailles tour.  We didn’t have enough time to walk back over to the school that I went to in 1995, but we did hit a flower shop that smelled like a small slice of heaven. I got the cutest little cement rose for the planter.  We saw the ruins of the Tour Montjoie, built in the late 11^th century.

This is one of the big reasons that I fell in love with Europe all those years ago…it’s old, really, really old and so beautiful. Europeans take such pride in the history that comes with their villages, towns, regions and work hard to preserve these master pieces of history for generations to come. Thank You, Thank You!

We headed back to the ship and got ready for Versailles.  The original plan was not to go to the “little house” BUT this tour was to the Versailles Gardens and to Marie Antoinette’s Petite Trianon annnd it’s included! Since I have not been to the Trianon’s and it was a wet, drizzly day, we headed for opulence.

It was about a 40-minute bus ride from Conflans-Sainte-Honorine on a nice coach. We arrived and were dropped off at the ever-impressive front. I got my 2018 picture to match with my 1995 and 1997 pictures, chateau still looks the same!

We walked around the front to the left and entered the gardens. We had free time to wander until we met for the tour. Reagan and I wandered through the left gardens and saw the dancing water that was set to music. We could have stayed there all day, it was lovely. After about 40 minutes we headed to the meeting point.

The group met the guide and we headed to the Petite Trianon, Marie Antoinette’s domain and get away from the little house. It’s a beautiful area and her home was stunning, of course. We also had time to tour her garden’s a bit before heading back to the bus.

I had popped into the shop to try and find a replacement for my MA broach but there were no MA options for purchase.  I did get a picture of one of the MA door handles that matched the one I had gotten in 1995 but I was hoping to replace it even though I’m now MM.  It was so pretty!

After we got back we had a little time before the ship departed so Reagan and I had to check out the Bateaux Chocolate that was right by the ship. When you see a Chocolate Boat, you go to the Chocolate Boat. It’s really very simple. I had hot chocolate with mango creme brûlée, ugh, de.lish. Reagan also had hot chocolate and a strawberry tart. The owner came over as we were finishing, and our course had questions about the sleek black boat and where we were from. She was really nice, and the afternoon treat was perfect!

Then it was time to get back onboard and ready to head to Rouen.

For dinner onboard, it was burgers and frites…exactly what I had come to France for…a cheeseburger.

So, that was a bit of a disappointment, it wasn’t terrible, but I’m from Nebraska. For dinner there is a shared starter, then soup and one meat option or one veggie option and desert. The burger was okay but not what I expected.

Still getting used to the time change we headed back to our room to get ready for tomorrow.

Versailles, delightful as ever.

On y va to Rouen.

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Monday April 30, 2018

Rouen

This morning we woke up in the historic town of Rouen. The weather decided not to play nice, blasted Mother Nature! With wind, sideways rain and SNOW, we opted out of the walking tour and I spent a bit of time in the lounge working with a view of the city, hopeful that the weather would get better and we could do the biking tour in the afternoon.

We met some new friends while in the lounge, Victoria, Marissa and Lindsey and then decided to taxi into the city center in the afternoon with Victoria. The rain let up a bit and it was a 7 Euro ride from the ship. Ended up having to buy an umbrella but super glad that I did.

We saw the giant clock, amazing!

Went into the Notre Dame Cathedral of Rouen, a marvel! Reagan and I lit candles at the shrine of Joan d’Arc in honor of girl power, cuz that, and she was amazing!

Stopped by the closed (knew I was closed but wanted to see it) Joan of Arc museum on the most charming street.

Visited the Cathedral of Joan d’Arc and the site where she was burned at the stake, so that was an interesting landmark to see.

It was still wet, cold and drizzly so Reagan, Victoria and I stopped at Le Guillaume for a beer and pizza, it was really yummy and a nice break from the rain.

After lunch we started to head back to the ship, looking for a supermarche to get some Coke light, wine and snacks. It was a circle of adventure to find it, but we did!

Waking back to the ship was through a Cat 4 Hurricane so that was super fun… but the $15 umbrella held up well as a shield.

Once back on the ship it was hot chocolate for all and time to get ready for dinner. It’s nice that they have “Mugs” a little cubby right outside of the dining room with a coffee/hot chocolate machine that is self-serve.

Dinner tonight was a charcuterie plate to share, cream chicken soup and blacken cod or penne pasta. I had the pasta, it was…eh. Really kinda surprised on the food, I was expecting better.

After dinner we had a few minutes before the Rouen Pub Crawl.

The weather had cleared a bit and the winds had gone away, so it was a nice walk back into the city to the 1st Pub, Delirium. This pub is located right at the base of the Giant Clock and we had tried to pop in to it earlier, but it was closed. I had a delicious cherry lambic and then we were off to the 2nd stop, Le Vicomte.

Le Vicomte was more of a Bar du Vin so I opted for a Belgian Duvel, or two… There was more room to sit and chat, so we were able to get to know Lindsey and Marissa a bit better an also met Leigh who totally living her best life and rocks traveling solo! We had a really nice time with lots of laughs. A fun evening in Rouen!

All of a sudden it was 1:30am and the yawns started to kick in, so we headed back to the ship with our U Host, Anna. The weather on the walk back was perfect, so thanks for that Mother Nature.

So tired, we were on the fence about the Pub Crawl but figured, why not, we’re in France! We were really glad that we ended up going, it was a lot of fun!

Back on the ship it was calls home, popped on a movie and at 3:30am, time for bed.

Well Rouen, Mother Nature gave us a run for our money we didn’t let her keep us down!

Bonsoir!

A demain, Honfleur

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Tuesday May 1, 2018

Claudebec-en-Caux

Honfleur

This morning was a slow-moving morning after the late Pub Crawl. We ended up docking in Claudebec-en-Caux instead of Honfleur due to the port authority, but it wasn’t really announced so there was a little bit of confusion, C’est la vie!

Claudebec is home to the Victor Hugo Museum and the museum of the Seine, both closed as May Day is a bank holiday in France.

It was a beautiful day, sun was shining, birds were chirping, and we were excited for the port town.  We’d have loved to have been docked right there but we took a coach from the ship through the most charming area full of old world, true thatched roof homes along a small, winding 2 lane highway. I’m ready to move.

Upon arrival to Honfleur we had a guided walking tour around the small waterfront area and through the church. This place is known for caramels and mussels and is de.lightful! It also really helped that the weather was perfect.

After the tour, Reagan, Marissa, Lindsey and I did a little shopping, got the caramels and had lunch outside, with a view of the marina at Le Pele-Mele. Reagan and Lindsey got their pots of mussels. I had ham, greens and bread and Marissa got a crepe that was stuffed with all kinds of goodness. Cider is also popular and know in the Normandy region, so Reagan and I shared a cute little pot of delicious cider.

After lunch we had a little more time to walk around, popped into a few more shops and then went and visited St Leonard Church. The church was pretty with beautiful frescos. It was then time to head back to the bus.

We took a more direct route back to Claudebec and had a chance to go over the Normandy Bridge so that was cool.

Once back in Claudebec we had a little bit of free time before the ship sailed so Reagan and I decided to take a bike ride with the included bikes that they had ready to go. We went to the desk to sign the waiver and get the bike lock key. Perfect, all set, or so I thought. I’m too short, story of my life. So, Reagan went on a bike ride and I walked to the Cathedral de Notre Dame Claudebec. It was not open but was beautiful from the outside, it dates from the 1400’s.

I walked around the cute little town in the sun and then it was time to be back on board.

We got ready for dinner and tonight was French; beef bourguignon and for desert, eclairs!! Deux eclairs, pistachio and chocolate, no lie the pistachio was the better of the two. Oh.so.good.

It was still daylight as we departed so we grabbed some blankets and hung out on the top deck to watch as The B sailed away.

Tonight, is the silent disco so we had to go and check it…I was expecting more music options but there were only 3 channels to choose from on the headphones: techno, kind of an R&B and Latin.

Nobody was really dancing more hanging out and rockin out while hanging in the Ice Bar. We lasted until about 11pm and called it.

Tomorrow is my birthday!! Impressionist painting class and then GIVERNY!! Can.not.wait.

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May 2, 2018

Happy Birthday to ME!!

Les Andelys, Vernon & Giverny

This morning the girls took the “brisk uphill hike” to castle ruins, which is not the way for Kala to start her birthday. They delivered me a croissant to our room and off they went. I sloooowly got ready for the day that I have been waiting for. Not that the rest of the trip hasn’t been amazing, but this is GIVERNY day!!!

The painting class and wine was in the Ice Bar at 10:30am and was soooo fun! They brought a painter onboard to help and we sipped and painted as we sailed from Les Andelys to Vernon. Great way to start my day! Keeping with the theme of the day, I did water lilies with the Japanese Bridge. It’s getting framed and should really be in the Orsay, lol. {blue tint is due to the windows in the Ice Bar, makes every.thing. blue}

There were 2 options to get to Giverny, by bike or by bus. The path is a flat bike trail for the most part, but with the bike situation I was not sure how that was going to work. Well, they have 1 smaller white bike so perfect…but, really not. This little bike has smaller wheels and I had to peddle like 6-to-1 and about stroked out on the ride but damnit I was getting to Giverny.

Oh, there were some pissed people too cuz I got the ONE, smaller bike. For real, I about left it and had it billed to the room rather than ride that thing back, could have cared less about the cost at that point…that bad. It’s a good thing that I was floating about Giverny and Monet that I sucked it up and cartoon peddled my tush back to the ship.

I digress, let’s get to the A.MA.ZING part…it’s my birthday and I’M AT GIVERNY!

I’ve been trying to get here for 30 years. This is my 3rd trip to France but it’s always been more off season, so I pushed off visits to Monet’s gardens. When this opportunity came up with a visit ON MY BIRTHDAY, there was no question. I’m getting pretty spoiled with these amazing birthday days (Mexico ‘16, Havana ‘17, Giverny ‘18), I love a good celebration trip!

We peddled through the tiny town of Giverny and parked our bikes. We’re here! We’re here!

Our guide Chloe was really good! I was in a bit of a happy-tear filled daze walking through the real-life paintings that I have been collecting for most of my life.

The gardens were a dream, a colorful, fragrant, delight to the senses.

We also got to tour Claude Monet’s famous pink and green home, but the guides could not join us in there. Chloe gave us some pointers prior to going in. It’s a lovely home with lots of light and color. The salon was super inviting with paintings everywhere! The yellow dining room and the blue delft tiled kitchen (swoon, but not the kitchen part, ha!) I want to recreate.

I was the last one out and there were giggles cuz they KNEW I would be; walking around with my mouth open, soaking all in. Chloe had more information for us now that we had been though the house and then we ended in the gift shop where I bought all.the.everythings. But not really cuz every print I liked…I already have. I did get a book, Christmas ornament, one of the delft tiles, mini replica of the house for my office, Maddie her fan and me a fan (cuz her will be destroyed) and a gold collector coin. So, yea, all the everythings. Happy birthday to me!

It was time to get back on the bike….%&#^*#. Time to pull up my big girl panties cuz it was the only option. I rode the whole way, except for the last little hill get up over the Seine to the ship. I might not be able to move tomorrow…but I did it!

Back at the ship I cursed my bike and went aboard. We had a little over an hour until dinner, we’re hungry and thought that waking out my jelly legs would be a good idea, so Reagan and I went into town to see what we could find. I got a baguette and a Coke Light and wanted to find a fromagerie. We walked and wandered the cute area around the ship and by the time that we found one I’d eatin almost the whole damn thing. So, there was no need for cheese. But I got my 1995 comparison picture, so there’s that.  The amount of bread and cheese that I have eatin boarded on redic on like day 2. Reagan got a croque monsieur from a shop and we sat in a little park, so she could eat that. Vernon was another storybook-like charming town with stunning old-world architecture, cobblestone streets and all the beauty that is Europe.

We headed back to the ship. For dinner, we had the share plate that had bacon wrapped apricots, oh my goodness! Reagan like the Spinach soup and then full of baguette, went straight for the chocolate slider…yup! Almost done with the slider out came the birthday cake! I mean it’s my birthday, no need for food when you can double down on French Chocolate, mais oui! Everyone sang, and we dug in. Of course, I shared with the girls and then with Victoria and Tim too.

In a chocolate comma we headed to the lounge to hang for a bit. We chatted and laughed, they had some cocktails. I haven’t really drunk much at all on this trip which is totally fine with me, been too busy seeing and doing. With all that we have been doing l’eau has been my friend and it’s kept me going like the energizer bunny.

Made it until about 12:00am and went to sleep having had a fantastic birthday!

Even 22-year veteran travel consultants have bucket lists and today I got to cross off a big one-off mine. Visiting my favorite painter, Claude Monet’s home and gardens at Claude Monet’s Garden, Giverny, France was an enchanting, colorful, happy-tear filled, delicious smelling, dream. Days like today are why I do what I do. I LOVE helping people experience those kinds of moments for themselves. It’s what started me on this path all those years ago and still keeps me wanting to see what’s around the next bend. Merci to U by Uniworld for the best day!

A demain, Into Paris and off the ship.

Look out Victoria Palace Hotel, here we come!

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Thursday May 3, 2018

Paris

The B sailed into Paris around 10:30am and we were able to dock at the closer pier today, thank goodness! The girls and I stopped to see if the Batobus passes were available and were told that Sabrina had gone to get them. So, we headed out on foot. Reagan wanted to get back to a specific chocolate shop and Lindsay wanted to do some shopping, so we headed to the Eiffel Tower and then wandered through Paris back towards the ship. We stopped at Monoprix (French Target), I grabbed baguette avec jambon et fromage, ✔️. We ate there and then made our way back to the ship.

It was around 2:30pm, so Reagan and I went to get the rest of our stuff together and say our goodbyes.

We’ve really had a fantastic time on U by Uniworld’s The B. Clearly there are quirks that are being worked out, but the itinerary is really fantastic, staff is great, and I’m completely sold on river cruises. Would be interested to try I again in a year or so to see how they move forward. Wouldn’t hate trying The A on the Rhine either.

We got checked out and they called us a taxi.

We waited for the taxi up top, in the sun, with a view and on y vas…

We arrived at the 5-star, family owned, boutique, Victoria Palace Hotel, located in the 6th arrondissement, around 3:30pm. As we were checking in, Michael Erwin, the sales manager and my friend from STN met us at check-in and personally escorted us to our lovely, Twin Jr Suite, room 504. Gah, it’s beautiful, bathed in beautiful yellow, floral fabric that glows in the sunlight from two floor to ceiling windows that both open to French balconies. It’s everything a room in Paris should be. Delightful to have good friends, J’adore Paris! He gave us the low down and left us to get settled.

We went down to the quaint, comfortable bar right off the lobby and ordered a bottle of champagne and cheese plate, C’est magnifique!

After the bubbles and snack, we really were not that hungry so asked to have our dinner reservation moved to the following night, they took care of it and we headed towards the Tuileries.

It was about a 25-minute walk through all that is Paris and we came in through the Louvre, impressive as ever, and headed for the park. With no real destination in mind we wandered the Tuileries until they closed and exited at le Place de la Concorde. Gotta say, HATE the giant Ferris wheel here. No issues with London but non-merci here in Paris. Completely obstructs the view from the Louvre, down the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. C’est la vie as they could care less what I think.

After all this time and all the waking this week, I felt a blister start on the bottom of my left foot, awesome. We headed black into Saint Germain and grabbed a taxi back to the hotel, worth the 7 Euro.

There is a Franprix on the corner that we popped into a grabbed some soda and Reagan got some crackers and hummus.

Bon Nuit Paris.

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May 4, 2018

Paris, our last day.

This morning I woke up to a streaming shot of sunshine that made the room glow. Bonjour Paris!

We were not in a huge hurry to get moving but wanted to get to breakfast. We got ready for the day and headed to the breakfast room located on the main floor off the lobby.

The breakfast room at the Victoria Palace Hotel is a bright, sunny room with several hot choices, including scrambled eggs, sausage and bacon. Lots of fruit choices, yogurt, pastries, bread and cheeses. If you go hungry here, it’s your own fault.

After breakfast a quick stop in the suite to preform foot surgery on my blister and gather our stuff.

Taxis are only 7/10€ each way so we got a taxi to l’Orangerie Museum, my very favorite on earth.

There was a short line and we were in! It wasn’t too crowded so there was time to sit and look at Monet’s large nympheas beauties. They still make me want to stand in the middle and slowly spin around. There was no actual spinning, but I did have the chance to sit and just soak it in. I could have stayed there all day.

From that little slice of waterlily heaven, we walked through the Tuileries and I finally found the little train that I wanted to get Gov Gov!! It’s the only place that I had seen them today, whew! We went up through the Louvre Carrousel, did a little shopping, then decided to have lunch in the Tuileries. We ate at La Terrasse de Pomone and it was croque Monsieur for both of us…outside…in the sunshine…in the Tuileries…in Paris. Talk about a nice girls’ lunch!

After lunch it was calls home before school and we went to jump on the Batobus.

We boarded with our pass at the Louvre stop and had to take it back down past la Tour Eiffel before getting to our Norte Damn stop. No worries it was a nice ride.

Once outside the Notre Dame we went to look for bathrooms and walked all the way around until we found them tucked into the right back corner of the cathedral, in the little garden behind. We walk back around front and got in line to go in. While in line we saw Victoria & Tim, how random amongst the thousands of people there! They jumped in line with us and we entered together.

Mass was in progress so there was not much talking and more heads up looking.

After we looped through Reagan wanted to try and see about climbing the bell tower. There were 4 spots left so we took 2 of them.

Climbing gave me flashbacks to 1995 when Annie, Amy and I went and got trapped on a tour. It’s still quiet the leg workout and worth it once you get that view. The bummer is that now there is fencing all around so, not the unobstructed, clear views that there once was. I was still able to snap the same picture of Reagan that I snapped on Annie 23 years ago, so that was kinda cool!

Hey, guess what happened next? Got trapped again! This time with the other Wright sister in a holding pin waiting to go down. Really? Deux pour Deux on this joint…

Once down, it was about 5:30pm and we weren’t sure if we’d make the Sainte Chapelle but headed in that direction. There was a line and it was almost closing time, so we got ice cream and wandered back along the Seine looking at the vendor stalls. Reagan got some souvenirs and a gift for Guy.

We then grabbed a taxi and headed back to the Victoria Palace.

We got another bottle of champagne and sat in the bar to relax after another fun day!

I tried to catch Michael to thank him for a lovely stay, but he was chatting with another guest in the lobby and bubbles were waiting. When I went back to check, he was gone. As it grew a bit later, we ended up cancelling our diner reservation and decided to eat at a closer suggestion from one of the staff from the day before that was closer to the hotel.

Left, Left, Left and we were at the Le Petit Littre Paris. We were asked if we had a reservation which we did not, but they found a table for us no problem. What a cute tiny place with delicious smells coming from the kitchen. Once settled someone came over and explained the whole menu (super nice) and we ordered. I got the avocado and goat cheese on toast, parmesan and asparagus risotto and was So.Full buuut it my last night in Paris so I had to go from the creme brûlée. Eat ALL the food! Reagan had the cod and a caramel meringue desert that she said was delicious.

We slowly walked back to the hotel and got packed back up. The driver will be here at 6:30am.

After school calls to the kids and the hubs and it was lights out.

Tomorrow, sad bus day….But I get to see my family!!!!

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May 5, 2018

Au revoir France!

Beep beep beep, 5:30am alarms went off and it’s time to get ready to go.

We got checked out and waited outside as the weather was again wonderful. Our driver was right on time and we were off to CDG.

As much as somethings changed, some stay the same, CDG is a mess. Lines for days so still need a minimum of 3 hours to make it happen. Annoying, but C’est la vie!  We had about 30 min before boarding and got a snack.

On y va!

Flight from Paris was uneventful, long but I was able to sleep for a bit and knocked out my blog so that’s good!!

Upon arrival to MSP I tried the mobile passport app and it worked this time, super slick!  They let us both back in, we tossed our bags back on the belt and went to get a little American fast food.  Our gates were C9 and C11, yup planned it that way!

Time for the quick flight to Des Moines and to my babies!!

France, you never disappoint. Ever.