Dateline: Les Andelys, France. We spent all morning cruising upstream on the Seine, passing through one lock. The countryside is beautiful, one can see the landscapes the impressionists painted at every turn. The homes with flower-filled window boxes are particularly striking.
More thoughts about Joan of Arc. She saved France from the English, so the French, logically. tried and executed her for heresy. Then, when it was too late, they decided she was a saint instead of a heretic. Is there something wrong with this narrative? I think so, but then I´m not French. It turns out the problem was politics, not religion, but of course she was hassled for being a woman who dressed as a man.
The Seine River is considerably smaller than the Rhine River, and there is substantially less barge traffic on it as well. Virtually all of the officers on these river ships are the children of barge-owning families. In other words, it is a family business passed down from father to son and daughter. You grow up on the rivers and you become a river captain. I doubt if we have anything like it in the States.
In the next very few days we will see the palace at Versailles and the Louvre, as well as a quick overview of Paris. That works for me, I´m not fond of big cities and Paris is big. I know some of our fellow-travelers will feel shorted on the Paris experience, perhaps including the other DrC. Maybe next time, eh?
