Camembert, Calvados and Cider - the good C words
As is usual with me, I like to push my luck when it comes to holidays and so with a smidgen under the annual leave required for my husband, we missed the first two nights and met the ship (A-ROSA VIVA) in Rouen. This was good fun, involving a First Class train from Paris, a quiet carriage, two children eating their way through France’s most audible picnic and a cross man shhh-ing us every few minutes.
So, let me tell you about the ship. I’ve done a few river cruises before (twice on the Rhine and once on the Danube). The ships are always roughly the same size, around 200 passengers, and are usually the same setup, three decks plus a sun deck. It’s SO personalised compared to a big ocean ship. I love ocean cruising so I’m not knocking it at all, but this is just another level: friendly, always the same faces, a barman who knows your drink, a first officer who carts your young son-turned-devotee around all week. It’s really impossible to not feel like you’re coming home at the end of a day ashore.
We had two interconnecting balcony cabins. If you’ve not river cruised before, I would heartily recommend going for a balcony. There is honestly nothing like slowly sailing down the river and hearing the gentle lap of the water, watching life on the riverbanks just glide on by.
Rouen is the capital of Normandy and famous as the place where Joan of Arc got burnt at the stake. It’s got a strangely Shrewsbury-feel, half-timbered buildings and cobbled streets, albeit a significantly more incredible cathedral (sorry Shrewsbury), a beautiful astronomical clock and even the oldest inn in France (1345!).
Sailing out of Rouen was a spectacular experience. The landscapes are so green and lush with chalky cliffs and mile upon mile of untouched nature. The sun deck is the perfect place to enjoy this with a cocktail, chatting, sailing, the kids playing shuffleboard or trying to murder one another over a game of Dobble as the sun sets...
After Rouen, we sailed to the pretty town of Caudebec famous for its camembert. On embarking the day before, we had got chatting to Hannes who was the DJ. Hannes had only recently joined the ship, a self-taught music teacher he was probably the most passionate and serious man I have ever met about music. He invited us on a ‘Musical Journey of Caudebec’. We met him promptly at the quayside at 10:15, with his guitar and canvas blazer slung about his shoulders and an instruction that we must only ask any questions via the medium of singing. As you can imagine, this was a very memorable couple of hours for us culminating in a pre-lunch shot of Calvados (a wince-inducing apple brandy).
That afternoon, we took a tour towards the coastline at Deauville (holiday destination of choice of many Hollywood heyday stars and really beautiful), as well as Honfleur. This is where the Parisians come for a weekend break. Historic streets, a stunning harbour, super-chic and so many excellent places to eat and drink. We helped ourselves to a cider tasting here. It’s apparently a thing that they drink cider from these wide, shallow teacups so we sank a dry, a sweet and a rose, all from the region and all delicious.
The next morning we woke in Les Andelys, a tiny town presided over by the hilltop ruins of Chateau Gaillard, which was where Richard the Lionheart fortified the border between the English-held areas of Normandy against the French. We – through a combination of strong calves and ice cream-related bribery – topped the summit admiring gorgeous views across the countryside. What struck me here was that this incredible piece of history had swerved the crowds of day-trippers. And that’s possibly one of my favourite things about river cruising. You are not entering into tourist traps, you are delving deeply into a region, and seeing things you probably wouldn’t know you wanted to visit otherwise. It’s great to do both, but in the crazy busy months of summer and with the words ‘over-tourism’ being bandied around, it is great see an alternative in action.
That afternoon, we sailed out of Les Andelys towards Vernon, famously home to Giverny, Monet’s home and garden. We walked around the perimeter of the famous lily pond through the vibrantly coloured flowers and gardens. I don’t count myself a gardener but for an art appreciator or a hardline horticulture fan, it is surely heaven.
On Tuesday, we sailed towards Paris all day. This is where you truly relax. Our new friend the first officer had taken Dave on a tour of the ship’s engine room the day before, so I took my couple of hours back in the spa. There are loungers inside and out, a hot tub and a sauna. I sat with my book in total peace and quiet watching the world go by.
The next morning, we got up early to spend the full day in the city starting at the Eiffel Tower. I was absolutely awestruck by how many people were risking life and limb to stand in the middle of a main road to get a picture of themselves with it. There was also more than one couple in full wedding attire having a photo shoot. We walked along the banks of the Seine to the Tuileries Gardens. We stopped for a spur-of-the-moment lunch at a restaurant called Les Antiquaires enjoying every French stereotype – frogs’ legs, Normandy oysters, snails and a vat of wine. Afterwards, the kids took advantage of us and we withdrew 50 Euros and let them go wild in the fair which filled the Gardens. We finished at the Claude Monet Lily Pond exhibition at L’Orangerie which brought our entire experience full circle.
In short, river cruising is the most relaxing, pretty and enjoyable way to really get to grips with a region. It’s not all big sights and box-ticking, and that is exactly its charm. Whether you have considered yourself a cruiser, or indeed a river cruiser, or not, I’d say the main thing to think about is whether a holiday off the beaten track with superb local food, drink and a truly boutique service are for you. For me, it’d be a yes every time!
Fancy it? I work with an excellent choice of river cruise lines promising everything from kid-friendly to butler-runs-your-bath. I’ll guide you through the entire experience to find something absolutely perfect for you.