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Day 7 & 8 Mantes-la-Jolie, France Departure: 2:15pm (Arrival: LePecq/Paris, France 6:30pm)
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Morning Activities: The Viking Kadlin arrived at 12:30am in Mantes-la-Jolie, and after breakfast there were several choices as to the morning’s activities. First, there was an optional tour to The Palace of Versailles, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Unfortunately, there was a threatened workers’ strike and the ship’s management team made the hard decision to not take guests all the way to Versailles and they not be able to get in. A tour of Chateau de Chantilly, one of France’s finest chateaus and art collections, was offered instead of Versailles. Second, a free shuttle bus service into Paris with a drop-off at the Petit Palace off the Champs Elysees and then shuttle service back in the afternoon to the ship in Le Pecq. Third, an on-your-own walking tour of Mantes-la-Jolie was available.
Walking Tour: We took the short walk into the center of Mantes-la-Jolie, a very small town on the Seine River. The first thing you notice is the Collegiate Church of our Lady of Mantes (Collegiate Church of Notre Dame of Mantes) because it dominates the views of Mantes as it sits on a bluff above a bend in the river. The church was built in the 12th century and although not a cathedral, it was built on a cathedral-like scale and is of interest to architectural historians. Mantes-la-Jolie was the center of heavy bombing during WWII, but the church escaped relatively unscathed even though most of the town was flattened. Another surviving structure was Saint-Maclou which was originally a parish church built in the 11th century. It was burned down by William the Conqueror in 1087 and rebuilt the beginning of the 12th century. The church was not maintained and fell into disrepair. The tower is all that remains today. There are only a few main streets with some side streets that make up the center of Mantes so our walk was relatively short, but we found some interesting places to shop. After our walk across the Seine River Bridge, we headed back to the ship for lunch.
Walking Tour: We took the short walk into the center of Mantes-la-Jolie, a very small town on the Seine River. The first thing you notice is the Collegiate Church of our Lady of Mantes (Collegiate Church of Notre Dame of Mantes) because it dominates the views of Mantes as it sits on a bluff above a bend in the river. The church was built in the 12th century and although not a cathedral, it was built on a cathedral-like scale and is of interest to architectural historians. Mantes-la-Jolie was the center of heavy bombing during WWII, but the church escaped relatively unscathed even though most of the town was flattened. Another surviving structure was Saint-Maclou which was originally a parish church built in the 11th century. It was burned down by William the Conqueror in 1087 and rebuilt the beginning of the 12th century. The church was not maintained and fell into disrepair. The tower is all that remains today. There are only a few main streets with some side streets that make up the center of Mantes so our walk was relatively short, but we found some interesting places to shop. After our walk across the Seine River Bridge, we headed back to the ship for lunch.
Map of small town of Mantes-la-Jolie
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First view of Collegiate Church of our Lady of Mantes- dominates the sky of Mantes from all directions
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Statue of dog - sign explained its significance but it was in French
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West façade of church
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Door of church
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Another view of church
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Beautiful old building next door to church
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Beautiful old building next door to church
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Fountain near church
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Favorite kind of shop
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Favorite kind of shop
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Interesting shops with living area upstairs
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Interesting shops with living area upstairs
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Shopping area with street closed to traffic
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Shopping area with street closed to traffic
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Fascinating doors
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Fascinating doors
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Fascinating doors
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View of Seine River bridge that artists like to paint
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Walk across the bridge
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Fall color is still around
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Christmas decoration around street lights on bridge
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Close up of flowers on bridge
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Fall color along Seine River
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Northeast side of church as seen from the bridge
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Saint-Maclou tower - all that remains of small church
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Street in front of Saint-Maclou tower
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Lunch Menu
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Front of Napoleon's Chateau de Malmaison
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Up-close view of chateau
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Included Excursion: After lunch, we boarded the coach to travel to Napoleon Bonaparte’s Chateau de Malmaison. The chateau was actually purchased by the emperor’s wife, Josephine, in 1799 while Napoleon was away and it served as the seat of Napoleon’s French government from 1800-1802. After the two divorced, Josephine lived there until her death in 1814. After Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo, he spent his final days in France at the chateau until he was exiled to the island of Saint Helena. On the tour of the chateau, you walk through all the opulent rooms and then go outside to walk around the beautifully landscaped grounds of the chateau.
Up-close view of chateau
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Side door of chateau
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Inside of chateau
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Beautiful chandelier and ceiling
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Inside of chateau
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Inside of chateau
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Statue of Napoleon
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Library
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Bedroom
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Bedroom
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Statue of Napoleon
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Statue of Napoleon
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Opulent dining table with gold dinnerware
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Sitting room
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Bedroom
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Fancy decorative items
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Another bedroom
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Another sitting room
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Gardens on side of chateau
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Back of chateau
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Side of back of chateau
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Chateau's moat
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Grounds in back of chateau
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Grounds in back of chateau
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Grounds in back of chateau
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Grounds in back of chateau
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Grounds in back of chateau
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Grounds in back of chateau
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View of grounds behind chateau
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View of grounds behind chateau
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Fall colors
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View of side yard of chateau
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Dinner: During the afternoon the Kadlin cast off from Mantes-la-Jolie and sailed to Le Pecq where we arrived just before dinner. Although we had already had our official “final dinner” the night before, this was really our final dinner and it was a delicious one. All the meals had been very well prepared and gave us a taste of the French cuisine although one night, one of the choices for dinner was turkey and dressing and all the fixings that go with it. It was going to be difficult to go back to our everyday home cooking after the week of the chef’s special entrees and desserts.
Dinner menu
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Arugula salad with chickpeas
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Appetizer
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Salmon with brussel sprouts
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Vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce
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Pumpkin pie
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Apple beignets with vanilla sauce
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Final Bill: Settling your onboard account before disembarkation morning is important so you don’t have to be worrying about it as you prepare for disembarkation. Most everything is included in the cruise fare except the following: optional excursions, laundry, phone calls, bar tab, specialty coffees and teas from the beverage menu and personal purchases from the gift shop. The account can be settled by cash (US dollars or Euros) or credit card. Traveler’s checks are not accepted. Gratuities for the staff are not billed to your account but can be given separately to thank them for their good service.
Optional Excursion: At 9:15pm we boarded the coach again to travel into Paris for the Paris by Night Tour. Our tour guide and driver led us throughout the city to see it in all its illuminated glory. Christmas lights were beginning to appear throughout the city as well as all the beautifully lit stores and streets. Our one and only stop was to the Eiffel Tower where we were able to observe the light show that appears for about three minutes at the top of the hour each night. It was spectacular and not to be missed. We arrived back at the ship around 12:00am which made it a very short night.
Optional Excursion: At 9:15pm we boarded the coach again to travel into Paris for the Paris by Night Tour. Our tour guide and driver led us throughout the city to see it in all its illuminated glory. Christmas lights were beginning to appear throughout the city as well as all the beautifully lit stores and streets. Our one and only stop was to the Eiffel Tower where we were able to observe the light show that appears for about three minutes at the top of the hour each night. It was spectacular and not to be missed. We arrived back at the ship around 12:00am which made it a very short night.
Paris at night
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Paris at night
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Paris at night
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Paris at night
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Paris at night
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Police station lit by colors of French flag
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Eiffel tower at night
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Eiffel tower with twinkling lights for 3 minutes at top of hour
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Disembarkation Morning: A very detailed schedule had been printed in the Viking Daily Newsletter giving guests the exact time their luggage should be placed at their door the morning of departure and the exact time their coach would be leaving for the airport. Since LePecq was about an hour away from the airport and we would be travelling in rush hour traffic going into the city, we had to leave about 4 hrs. before flight time. That meant we were up very early to not only get dressed and put our luggage out, but to also eat breakfast. We got to the airport well in advance of our flight and were met by Viking representatives who guided each group to the correct part of the airport for check in and security check. It was very reassuring to have their guidance in making our way through this large and unfamiliar airport.
Final Thoughts: This river cruise was very relaxing and memorable especially if you enjoy seeing beautiful scenery, visiting historic places, learning about unfamiliar cultures and trying different foods. The staff made the trip very comfortable from the moment we were picked up at the airport until we returned to the airport. Although this was the last cruise of the season, the staff was just as friendly and as enthusiastic about seeing to our every need as they would be at the beginning of the season. Loved every minute of the trip!
Final Thoughts: This river cruise was very relaxing and memorable especially if you enjoy seeing beautiful scenery, visiting historic places, learning about unfamiliar cultures and trying different foods. The staff made the trip very comfortable from the moment we were picked up at the airport until we returned to the airport. Although this was the last cruise of the season, the staff was just as friendly and as enthusiastic about seeing to our every need as they would be at the beginning of the season. Loved every minute of the trip!
THANK YOU FOR READING THIS CRUISE REVIEW!
You have reached the end of our guest reviewer's 2017 Viking Kadlin river cruise review. Thank you to our guest reviewer for her great review. If you have any questions for her please feel free to write to RyG's Cruise Guide and I will get you a response from her.
You have reached the end of our guest reviewer's 2017 Viking Kadlin river cruise review. Thank you to our guest reviewer for her great review. If you have any questions for her please feel free to write to RyG's Cruise Guide and I will get you a response from her.