France’s
Seine
A few months ago we asked each other, “If there is only one place we can go before we die, where would it be?” Both of us came up with the same answer, “Paris.”
Tom had just been medically cleared to travel. It would be the longest period we had gone without an international trip. We had had to cancel two planned trips around Cape Horn and to Antarctica in the previous year. We were going through “travel withdrawal.” We were eager to see how we would do.
We put off going to France for years. We traveled all over the world, often on our own. We toured through India, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Turkey, Peru, and much of Eastern Europe – all since September 9, 2001 – all places that people said to us, “I would be afraid to go there,” and all places where we were warmly welcomed. And yet we were apprehensive about going to France. We had heard so much about the Anti-American attitude and were reluctant to go where we would not feel welcomed. We had heard so many stories – both pro and con --- about our need to be able to speak French, and the news media was full of stories about the French dislike of America, with a not-so subtle undercurrent of disdain for all things French. Marie had studied French for a couple of years but neither of us has a knack for languages and we knew we would not be able to converse in French.
Putting all of that aside, we wanted to see the Eiffel tower with our own eyes and explore Paris to see all the wonders we had heard about.
We were greeted with many random acts of kindness, welcomed warmly and once again realized we still have lots to learn about people and about travel.
How we wish we had taken our own advice earlier and put aside all biases and fears as we experienced a new place. Now, just arriving home from a 12 day trip that included a river cruise from La Havre to Paris and five days in Paris, we are ready to return for more!
The first leg of our journey took us to Charles de Gaulle Airport at 7:15 in the morning where we couldn't find the wheelchair that was supposed to be there for us. After finding our initial meeting point in the Terminal 1, we were met by our Viking representative who led us through several terminals to our assembly point to meet the rest of our group. We were tired, needed to keep an eye on our luggage, had no wheelchair, found no place to sit, and were told that we could go get a bite to eat because it would be another hour or so before the others would be there. It was too much effort to drag our luggage and find the restaurant he had pointed out to us and there was no one there to guard our luggage -- so we just stood around and tried not to be grumpy.
After that long uncomfortable wait, where we watched people waiting in long lines to take care of their value added tax rebates before they exited the country, we finally were able to find our way to the bus, again dragging our luggage. It seemed like the first group trip we had been on where we had no help with the luggage, but wondered if our memories were inaccurate. Finally we boarded the bus and began the long (2 1/2 hour?) bus ride to LeHavre, where our ship, the Viking Seine, would be waiting.
It was our fourth river cruise in a small ship and we had decided that that is our favorite way to see countries when it is possible. We didn't have high expectations for the ship and knew that it would sort of be like traveling in a small camper trailer, with everything compact, so we weren't disappointed with the small cabin or the shower that was so small that many people on our ship complained, saying that they couldn't take a shower without the shower curtain wrapping around them and several women said that they couldn't wash their hair until we arrived in Paris and stayed in a hotel with a real bathroom. On our first morning after spending a night on the boat, one or our companions was asked how he liked the shower and he responded, I dropped the soap!" For us this was just all part of the allure of river travel. Not the worst and not the best of ships that we had been on.
La Havre and Normandy
LaHavre is France's major seaport, located on the English Channel (which our guide reminded us was just as much the French Channel!) It was bombed almost 150 times and mostly destroyed during WWII. We had little opportunity to explore the city, as it would serve only as our base while we took a bus tour to a number of interesting sites
Our first stop was at The Utah Beach Landing Museum where we learned about the artificial harbors that had to be hauled from England for the invasion and where the flags of the allied countries involved were displayed.
The seaports where controlled by the Germans and heavily fortified. Winston Churchill decided that since the Allies could not go to the harbors, they "would take them with us." It's not possible to describe the scale of the units of this harbor. The artificial harbor extended for almost a mile into the water. A floating roadbed extended from this harbor to he shore. Several harbors were to be built, but only the British one was operational. The U.S. harbor was ripped apart by a storm before it could be completed. In the picture notice the size of the people compared to the concrete pontoon. Other pontoons are barely visible on the horizon.
Next we went to Omaha beach and the American Cemetery. The excursion was a sobering experience and it left an impact that would stay with us throughout the rest of the trip and that still lingers. It was a gloomy day and fog and drizzle would be with us most of the time. The weather gave us a little better feeling for what happened along the Normandy Coast on June 6, 1944.
Most allied nations which participated in the invasion chose to transport the bodies of the dead back to their homelands. Many U.S. dead also were returned home for burial. However, the American Cemetery contains almost 10,00 graves. The white marble tombstones stand among trees trimmed to resemble open parachutes. It was here that we experienced the most emotional part of the trip.
This picture was taken by a young woman at her request. She then thanked us for helping the French during the war. Tom thought that she must have thought he was a vet but we certainly hoped she didn't think he was old enough for that. Regardless, it was only our first taste of the French kindness and friendliness that we experienced throughout the trip.
The man in the wheelchair was a veteran of the invasion. He was traveling with us and we made it a point to shake his hand and thank him!
Our final stop was at Pointe du Hoc. It was here that 228 U.S. Rangers used rope ladders to scale a cliff over 100 feet high to capture German guns that had a commanding location along the landing beaches. Only 90 Rangers survived, but they were able to take the position. Ironically, the heavy gun they hope to disable had already been removed by General Rommel.
Remains of German gun emplacements. Seeing this picture Tom was reminded of Carl Sandburg's poem, "Grass".
Pile
the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo.
Shovel them under and let me work -
I am the grass; I cover all.
And
pile them high at Gettysburg
And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun.
Shovel them under and let me work.
Two years, ten years, and passengers ask the conductor:
What
place is this?
Where are we now?
I am
the grass.
Let me work.
How can visiting this peaceful place give us any sense of the horrors that occurred here?
Honfleur
Honfleur is a lovely town whose appearance actually matches its pictures in travel brochures. It was the major seaport on the Seine and used by many of the explorations in the 16th and early 17th Century. When the harbor silted up the king ordered the new harbor at LeHavre to be built.
Honfleur was untouched by the battle of WWII. Walking the old streets, we could enjoy looking at authentic medieval structures. The harbor is the center of the town 's activities. Filled with fishing boats and sailboats, it is surrounded by 6-8-story, 25 foot wide homes. Some of the taller homes are actually two 4-storied homes, built atop each other.
St. Catherine's, the largest wooden church in France, was built in the shape of a ship by townspeople to show their gratitude for the departure of the English at the end of the Hundred Year's War in 1453.
Caudebec
After lunch and a late sailing, we arrived in Caubebec-en-Caux at 9:00P.M. Amazingly it was still light enough to have a short tour of the city. (But not great for photos.)
Caudebec was a center for Huguenots -- French Protestants. Huguenots were persecuted in France and many emigrated to the United States from seaports along the Seine. While visiting Notre Dame, built in the 16th century, our guide pointed out places where the Huguenots had defaced the church. The church is most famous for its stained-glass windows, which we could not see because it was dark and the building was closed.
Churches in France are owned by the government and are maintained by public funds. When asked who paid the salaries of the priests, our guide reminded us that the church "has lots of money."
Rouen
Rouen existed at the time of the Romans and first became important in the 3rd century. From the 9th through the 13th centuries it was the center of the power struggle between France and England. These tensions came to a head with the saga of Joan of Arc. She was imprisoned and burned at the stake in Rouen in May, 1431. The site is now marked by a small park commemorating the exact spot where she was executed.
Next to the site in the unique Joan of Arc church. Our plain-spoken guide told us the building had nothing connecting it to Joan of Arc and the significance of its shape is an open question. Does it evoke smoke, is it the shape of a fish or a ship?
Most of Rouen was destroyed by World War II and only a few old buildings remain. Significantly, the second oldest building now houses a MacDonald's. There is no escape from the culture of the U.S. even in France!
Rouen was one of the few places, before Paris, where we had time to explore a little on our own. After lunch aboard our ship, we walked back into the town. We saw several churches (including the ever present Notre Dame), explored the shopping area and had a long conversation with shipmates from Manhattan while they were finishing lunch at an outdoor cafe. Monet spent time in Rouen, painting among other things, the churches. Looking for a memorial to plague victims we discovered an art school housed in a medieval style building.
Les Andelys
An overnight, (beginning at 2:30 A.M.) cruise brought us to Les Andelys by the time we finished breakfast. The lovely town is best known for the picturesque Chateau Gaillard that overlooks the town and the Seine.
Built in 1196, by Richard the Lion Hearted to thwart the advance of the French king it was taken by the French in 1203. The castle would eventually fall into disrepair and over time become a "convenient quarry" for the townspeople and farmers of the surrounding area.
The cruise manager advised Tom that it would be extremely difficult for anyone using crutches to make the climb to the castle. Deciding to see how far Tom could go, we soon arrived at the top.
Below was a beautiful scene of the river valley, chalky white hillsides and the town. From this view our ship looked very small.
The walk down was beautiful and slow. This was an intriguing town where we really wanted to linger.
After returning to Les Andelys, we decided to check out the church we had seen from the ship. It was a short walk past gardened homes to what was actually a psychiatric hospital, whose main building had an imposing church-like dome. Marie, always interested in mental health care in other countries, wished she could have had a tour of the inside of the hospital. But alas, there was no time, and we doubt we could have arranged a tour anyway. So back to the ship and on to our next port, one we had been greatly anticipating since we first planned the trip. Giverny...
