Paris and Normandy - Wrap up

This posts wraps up our river cruise on AmaWaterways Paris and Normandy trip. See all of the Paris & Normandy Blogs here.

Looking back... from Paris

Our first days on the trip took us to Les Andelys and Le Havre.  Highlights here include

• Chateau Gaillard, a 12th century castle
• Honfleur, one of the most picturesque harbors anywhere
• Etretat, beautiful cliffs overlooking the English channel

The next few days were spent in Normandy Beaches and Rouen.  The highlights include:

• The American cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer
• Omaha Beach and Arromanches, where the Allies landed and constructed a huge port
• Rouen with it's beautiful architecture,  chocolates and cheeses

Our final two days in Vernon and Conflans featured:

• Giverny where Monet's Gardens were in full bloom
• Malmaison, where Josephine Bonaparte lived and lavishly redecorated for Napoleon

Food

We would be remiss if we didn't mention the food. The AmaLyra's chefs were awesome.

You always get your choice of entree, appetizer, soups and deserts. And there's even more choices (steak, salmon, etc),  if none of the daily menu choices look interesting. All the food is made to order so they can accommodate modifications for taste or allergies.

[gallery size="medium" ids="8290,8183,8185,8186,8182,8179"]

France by river

Cruising into and out of Paris along the River Seine is such a great way to see this part of France. Once you leave the excitement and lights of Paris, you're quickly in the French countryside - complete with small villages full of character and charm. We loved cruising through history - whether it was mid 20th century World War II, early 20th century to late 19th century impressionist painting, early 19th century Napoleon, the 15th century wooden church in Honfleur and adventures of Joan of Arc in Rouen or the 12th century castle of Richard the Lionhearted.

We also loved bicycling and walking through small villages, picturesque cliffs and exciting big cities. There's nothing quite like walking the streets of Paris with baguette in hand or strolling through Roeuen with freshly made chocolate.

Traveling by river cruise means seeing all of this in a leisurely way, without packing and unpacking, not having to worry about where or when to eat or to see. It's really one of the best ways to get history, activity and luxury in travel. And traveling down the River Seine really has it all.

Want to know more?

There's lots more about river cruising in general on our blog

And you can also read about some of our other trips as well.

And of course you can always contact me directly. We can discuss itinerary, timing, cost, activities and cruise lines. It's one of my favorite topics.