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Part 1

It is now the 10th of June, and Bruce has just let off at the quay where the Viking Spirit is moored. We said our hurried good byes to Bruce, as it was starting to rain. Due to the very heavy traffic coming back to Paris from Chalvron where Bruce's country home is, and we did not arrive at the quay until around 6:30 PM, which actually turned out to be a good thing. We did not have to sit through what was probably a long and boring pre-cruise lecture. LOL

Our reception was excellent, and the people manning the gangway were very helpful in getting us on board. It was actually raining lightly, but increasing. Check-in was a breeze, and we went to our cabin, which was just down the hall from the lobby. There was a bottle of champagne waiting for us on the table, and a couple of gifts, a ball cap and a tote bag. It was all part of the Silver Spirits package we had purchased, which meant that we did not have to pay for any drinks from the bar, or for wine with dinner that was other than the "house wine". As it turns out, wine is complementary with both lunch and dinner, as well as beer. We never actually ordered a specialty wine except once, because the house wine was actually excellent.

We freshened up a bit and then went up on deck before it got too dark to see anything. We were both pretty excited about being on board at last, and looking forward to the sights we would see along the way on the Seine as we headed for Normandy.

This is the sun deck, and the rain has stopped for now. We didn't realize it then, but we would not spend much time here.
There were so many sore excursions, that we were kept on the move. We did congregate here for our Emergency Drill.

The Eiffel Tower is lit up at night, and it really makes it stand out. Beautiful!

Of course, who can resist a shot like this. Pete took a similar shot of me on our first trip to Paris.

This is the bar and lounge at the bow end of the ship. It was also the gathering place for many events, and briefings.

We enjoyed a cocktail or two every night, and the bar tender would bring us a martini to us at the beginning of dinner.

For some reason they count the 10th of June as day one, even though we couldn't board until 4:00 PM. They must count nights, not days. On day two we would remain at the quay, and in the morning after breakfast we had a city tour. This is the main reason that we didn't to too much sightseeing while we were staying with Nacho and Mauricio during our first three days in Paris. We knew about this city tour, as we had read our itinerary. The tour was actually very good. We went by motor coach, and stopped at many places to view sights on foot.

In Paris there is so much to see. The photo at the lower left is the island in the middle of the Seine, and the middle
building is the Temple Prison, where the royal family was held, after King Louis XVI was deposed and the monarchy
abolished on 21 September 1792. So ended an amazing era, the French Revolution had culminated in their King being
beheaded, and 9 months later, his wife Marie Antoinette, was found guilty of treason, and she too was beheaded by the
guillotine on 16 October 1792. It's too bad our system of government does not have the intestinal fortitude to criminally
charge, and imprison leaders of our banking institutions, and the CEOs of failed financial institutions, who through
their greed, mismanagement and abusive use of power, which has caused so much grief here in America today. These
men have done nothing any different from what King Louie XVI and his court did to the French people of the 16th and
17th century. At least, that is my humble opinion. History actually does repeat itself, except the part about the guillotine.

Marie Antoinette at the Temple Prison Louis XVI, King of France

Our tour took us by the Louvre Museum, although we did not stop. It is an all day affair, and miles
of walking to see it, and that would not include seeing it all. That would take an extra day. We've
actually visited the museum twice before, and loved it. A must see when in Paris.

This is Point Zero for Paris, from which all distances are referenced.
It is in the middle of the plaza in front of the Cathedral of Notre Dame.

This is one huge church. the Notre Dame Cathedral, and one of the most famous cathedrals in the world

The entrance to the cathedral is massive and beautiful. The sculptures above the door tell a story,
which I shall relate below. The cathedral was begun in 1163 and was completed in the 1240s.

I can't remember everything our guide told us about this sculpture, but I do remember a few things. All the people
on the left are the righteous ones, and they are about to enter heaven, as they all look up towards the heavens. All
those on the right are the sinners, and they are being dragged into purgatory, and hell and damnation, for their sins.
You can see the devil on the right and next to the angel who holds the scale of justice.

The stained glass windows were magnificent. It is always difficult to get a really good
photograph of a stained glass window, but I keep trying. A close-up below shows the detail.

The detail and craftsmanship is unbelievable. Our guide told us that the stained glass
windows were removed during the war, and hidden is a safe place underground. I'm
sure it would be very difficult to reproduce such beautiful windows today.

In Part 2 I will show you more photos of Notre Dame, and other things.