Paris to Normandy, Day 6 -- Conflans & Versailles

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Photos from Day 6, Conflans to Versailles

Day 6 was the first day we started seeing the effects of what the regular flyers complained about on our flight over to France. May 1st, May Day, is a national holiday for practically all of Europe. It is Labor Day to celebrate the workers, and most everything is closed. Although this was the last day of April, the locks on the Seine would be closed tomorrow and we must get back to Paris by tonight. Remember the grumpy old rich guy I mentioned earlier on this trip? Well, he was the only one I heard complain that he wished he knew about this before booking this week. Never mind that this holiday is nearly as old a custom as working for a living and that his ignorance was likely due to self-indulgence, but some of the passengers took the opposite approach and considered our voyage special.

Some of the passengers rose early to take a tour of Richard the Lionheart's Château Gaillard, but Barb & I, in fact all 6 of our group, decided to sleep in a little this morning and take a longer breakfast with our very special servers Kristina (Crys Tyna ) & Ana Patricia Fernandes. Because of the holiday coming up that celebrates the working heroes, I tried to campaign for a day where the passengers would serve the Viking employees, but couldn't get an "Amen" from enough volunteers. Anyway, the passengers to Richard's castle were to bus from there to meet the boat in Conflans later that morning, which was another reason I wanted to stay aboard ---to see the Seine and salute her farewell.

After a pleasant breakfast I went to the bridge for the short cruise from Rouen to Conflans. I was astern when we started to approach a lock, and as the space for our boat narrowed I noticed the captain coming out of the bridge to have a cigarette. As I walked toward the bow I felt like screaming up to him, "Hey, Cap! Shouldn't you be driving?" He was just standing starboard casually looking over the side as we neared collision with the wall on the bank. I was quite surprised to see a small square box that looked like a storage container with a joy stick on top. This was how he was guiding the boat to the canal. Ah, human ingenuity. Another cool trick this boat could perform would be to duck its bridge for the lower overpasses. Notice the hydraulic potential in this shot; inside the bridge there is a small hatch above the captain's seat where he could peek out during the transition. I ran down the steps to make sure Barb was not missing this event, and snapped this shot of her and Lauri in the lounge watching the whole show. You might be able to notice me in reflection and Dan sitting on the far side not missing a beat. On my way back up I was asked to shoot these happy folks. I never mind shooting other people, but usually warn them that I might by habit focus more on the waterfall, mountain or tree in the background. As I walked by with my camera in hand, I heard, "Will you take our picture?" I said, "Sure," then turned to them, brought the camera to my face, tripped the shutter and walked away. They were still laughing when I returned to take their phone.

Photo 2 in the gallery is a self portrait in which you can see my shadow looking down the wall of the Seine with our boat reflected in the water, and you may not need too much ganja to imagine other elements. When we docked in Conflans there was a tour of the town scheduled before lunch. I started off with them, but, since my knee was starting to remind me of the two nasty falls I took earlier this year, I only accompanied them to the Bateau Chapelle Je Sers docked just a few hundred yards upriver. I skipped the church (which was probably named Notre Dame) favoring a rest before our upcoming visit to Versailles. Besides, I didn't want to be late for lunch with Kristina, Ana and Josef.

Charlie ordered another pulled pork sandwich as Josef poured me some more wine and we heard the nightmare tour of the Lionhearted legacy from those who ventured the earlier morning excursion. Their bus made it back in time for lunch and they all made us abstainers happy to have missed the opportunity. Apparently their bus driver lost his way to Richard's and arrived at the castle a half hour late, and the walk uphill was too steep to storm the grounds with any energy. Some said the view was breathtaking and others indicated they had no breath to take. We all looked forward to the bus that would take us to Versailles.

Most of the passengers signed up for the tour of Versailles and we were to bus there, then meet the boat back in Paris. Most of the guides on the tours were wonderful, but Versailles Group 3B had the All-star of them all. What a great personality. He loved what he was doing and no one could do it better. Funny, witty and an enormous love of history and people. He reminded me of our hometown history hero, Tony Brooks, who used to work with the Luzerne County Historical Society. Tony is now the VP & Chief Operating Officer of Bright Life Travel. Ok, I'm going to Versailles before this tuns into a commercial.

In photos 12, 13 & 47 you can see some of the golden gate that was recently restored at a cost of $8,000,000 –Euro dollars, which would be over 11 million US. When we finally reached the entrance our guide asked for any umbrellas to check before entering. He also came to me to take my tripod. This was the second time I brought it, and again would not be allowed to use it. Actually I knew beforehand it would not be allowed inside, and I wouldn't want to be that annoying tourist anyway, but brought it to get some shots of the exterior. I was told they'd keep it securely locked up until I retrieve it, but was a little concerned I didn't get a stub to identify my ownership for when that time came.

Inside, of course, was more congested with tourists because of the confining ropes, closed rooms, and holiday crowds. Although the French Labor Day was tomorrow, many people in the country wisely took the whole week off to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Versailles has more windows bringing in light than the Louvre, but a minimum ISO of 500 with a norm of 1250 was still required to handhold the snapshots of the interior. AND I carried the extra batteries this time, so was able to use my own camera throughout. In spite of the history of place and the wonderful entertainment coming to my left ear from our knowledgeable guide, I was soon ready to leave the opulent interior for the vast gardens that surround the palace. Whenever a window invited me to see some of the grounds outside I would make my way to it and accept. Photos 22, 23 & 24 are some examples.

When we finally reached the exterior I immediately sought our guide to help me find my tripod. Well, even with his many connections, it took some 20 minutes following 3 different security directions to locate it. Finally I faced the facade with camera and tripod. Barb & I never made it to Marie Antoinette's dollhouse area (Hameau de la Reine) on the far-out side of the garden because we ran out of time. It was a place she remembered when she was here with Celeste, and she really really wanted me to see it close up, but now it's just another reason to return.

On our way back to the boat the bus took us through downtown Paris, and I got a shot of the arch and Champs-Élysées out the back window, photo 48. We were on an impromptu route due to the change in plans because of the holiday. It was our guess that the boat wasn't quite docked yet when we were suddenly dropped off at the statue of de Gaulle, and told to meet back in 40 minutes. Hmmm... not enough time to shop... so we all headed for a bar with bathrooms, soon returning refreshed for another visit with Kristina, Ana & Josef.

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