Many Great Stops On A Tauck Seine River Cruise To Enjoy
On our lovely holiday river cruise in France we enjoyed all the great stops on a Tauck Seine River cruise. We enjoyed the time we had in Paris for New Year’s Eve to start this Tauck river cruise.
From Paris we sailed along the Seine and docked in Rouen overnight. This stop provided time for wandering in Rouen and a long day trip to the D-Day beaches. From Rouen we sailed to Les Andelys and Vernon where we enjoyed musical interludes. Each stop on our Seine River cruise enhanced our understanding of this region in France.
Paris Was A Great Port To Start From
We spent several days exploring Paris before we boarded the Tauck MS Sapphire in Paris. Once on board, we joined our Tauck tour and explored the beautiful Sainte Chapelle church with its stunning stained glass. While docked in Paris, we also enjoyed a fun day trip to the Chateau de Vaux Le Vicomte.
The big treat for this trip was celebrating New Year’s Eve onboard our Tauck river ship under the sparkling Eiffel Tower. We enjoyed a perfect evening to ring in the new year. This was quite different from our normal very quiet celebrations.
We always loved returning to Paris. And it was extra special this year to celebrate New Year’s Eve in this City of Lights.
Visiting Notre-Dame Cathedral On An Overnight Stay In Rouen
We docked right in the heart of Rouen for an overnight stay. Our guide met us at the ship and we walked into town.
The first stop on our Rouen walking tour was at the Rouen Notre-Dame Cathedral. Work was still underway removing the holiday decorations from the church so we got our first views from a distance. This church in Rouen is the tallest in France, thanks to its cast-iron spire. It was one of the more famous Gothic cathedrals in the world due to all the paintings of the church done by the Impressionist painter Claude Monet.
Our tour took us inside the cathedral. We slowly walked our way around the church and admired the variety in the stained glass windows.
As we walked around we saw a wide range of statues. These statues once stood outside the church but now stood inside to protect them. We also saw several tombs including one said to contain the heart of Richard the Lionheart. Carved statues displayed many different materials.
We saw the beautiful stairs that led to the library but could not visit the library. Exiting through the doors on this side, we stopped to look at the beautiful exterior inside this one gated access point.
On our Tauck Seine River holiday cruise we we spent some time in the Rouen Notre-Dame Cathedral.
Wandering In Rouen
From the cathedral, our guide walked us through the narrow streets of the Old Town of Rouen. We admired the variety in the half-timbered buildings we saw. Many of the buildings were still all decorated for the Christmas holiday season.
We stopped and admired the Great Clock (Gros Horloge) over the arched entrance to the street. Only a single hand indicated the hour. Under the arch we found detailed carvings of local life.
From there we wandered to the main market square to see the Joan of Arc Church. When we visited the Rouen Notre-Dame Cathedral, we found one chapel dedicated to Joan of Arc. She was tried and burned at the stake for heresy in Rouen in 1431. But she was later declared innocent, a martyr and was canonized as a saint. We visited this unique church built beside the burning site. The shape of the church appeared to represent the flames that consumed her.
Inside the church we stopped to admire the beautiful stained glass windows. In another part of town there was a museum to Joan of Arc that we missed on this visit to Rouen.
We slowly made our way back to the ship after an interesting morning wandering in Rouen on our Tauck Seine River holiday cruise.
Day Trip To The D-Day Beaches
Before we did our day trip to the D-Day Beaches, Tauck provided a great video with good background information about D-Day. We learned about the 5 major landing sites led by the American, Canadian and U.K. forces – Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. The ultimate success of this set of battles was the major turning point in the land battle in Europe in WWII. But it came at a high loss of life. Visiting the D-Day beaches was both educational and a way to pay tribute to those that fought for our freedom.
Our bus trip took about 2 hours from Rouen to our first stop at Omaha Beach. Here we saw two of the many monuments in this area. Les Braves was at the water’s edge and looked much like the obstacles the Germans put in the sand to deter landings. The tide was in when we visited so we did not see some of the pieces that still remained in the sand. The Omaha Beach Memorial was installed on June 6, 2004 on the 60th anniversary of the landings.
Looking down the beach we got a good look at the steep cliffs that sat back from the beach. The German gun batteries on top of the cliffs were a major challenge for the landings.
A visit to Omaha Beach sets the tone for a day trip about D-Day on our Tauck Seine River holiday cruise.
A Closer Look At The D-Day Experience
From here we took the short drive to the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer. This vast 172 acre grave site sits on the high cliffs above Omaha Beach. Over 9,000 soldiers were buried here including 4 women and 307 unknown soldiers. It was a very sobering moment when we first gazed over the rows and rows of headstones. The site was divided alphabetically. To visit a specific grave required a guide to know exactly where someone was buried. Special markers showed the Jewish graves.
At one end we saw the chapel. And at the other end a semicircular area with with a bronze statue (“Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves”). The walls provided large maps about the D-Day operation. When we visited, our group laid a wreath and held a moment of silence in commemoration. We wandered slowly around the cemetery and took it all in. Sadly we did not have enough time to stop at the Visitor’s Centre.
Our next stop was at the D-Day Academy. This open air museum contains a large volume of collected items from WWII inside a large hanger. We got a narrated introduction and then walked from exhibit to exhibit. Outside we found a number of vehicles include an amphibious DUKW.
Our visit to the D-Day Beaches brought history to life. It was a moving excursion and one not to miss on our Tauck Seine River holiday cruise.
A Musical Day In Les Andelys And Vernon
On our last cruising day on the Seine Tauck set up two musical events. We landed in Les Andelys with snow flying and took a bus for the short drive to the Notre-Dame Cathedral. We sat by the front altar and musicians quickly joined us (3 violins and a violoncello). The talented quartet played 13 different pieces for us and showed us the wide range of beautiful music that string instruments created. After the concert we had a short time to wander around the church.
The bus dropped us back by the ship. We had a little time to wander in town as the snow fell. High above the town was the Chateau Gallard. This stone fortress was built in 1196 by Richard Lionheart who was both the King of England and feudal Duke of Normandy at the time.
From Les Andelys we cruised to Vernon. A short bus ride took us to the Chateau de Bizy. The chateau is currently still lived in but several rooms on the main level were open for visitors to tour. While touring the chateau, we met a couple dressed in period costumes that showed us how to curtsey properly and a dance of the times.
We entered a large room and sat with a view of a beautiful Erard piano. The piano concert covered 5 very different pieces. Although we were not sure if the pianist really played the piano or was adept at simulating playing to recorded music. Whether live or not, we enjoyed the musical break.
In the Orangerie room (the space used to store the fruit plants over the cold winter months) we found a reception all set up. We enjoyed wine, champagne and sweet treats as we mingled.
We enjoyed the musical day on our last port stop on this Tauck Seine River holiday cruise.
Interesting Stops On A Tauck Seine River Cruise
From Vernon we headed back to Paris and departed the Tauck MS Sapphire. We enjoyed our memorable Tauck holiday cruise with so many interesting stops along the Seine River. Paris for New Year’s Eve was the perfect way to begin this adventure. Our day trip stops provided great variety and more holiday treats. The Tauck itinerary was a great introduction to the charming spots along the Seine River.
Did you enjoy the stops on a Tauck Seine River cruise? Did you have a favourite day trip excursion?
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