We Embark

Flotsam

Today the only item on the agenda is to get to the boat. There I will join up with Amy who should be wheels down in Charles de Gaulle Airport any time now. I thought I would take a few minutes to put down a few thoughts about the trip so far and, more specifically, about Paris. Having just returned from breakfast, which the French call petit dejeneur (or little lunch), I find that their little sausages are much preferred over English bangers. And apparently, the chef here channels Julia Childe since the omelet was near perfection.

As in Italy, the town seems to be inundated with scooters (both the sit on and the smaller stand on versions), motorcycles and bicycles. For the most part, the bicycles seem to be electrical assist. And folks on the stand up scooters travel along with the traffic flow, which is fast paced. And the sidewalk cafes are not just on every corner, but there seems to be at least another between the corners. And if you eat outside you must be aware that smoking is allowed which appears to be quite common here.

What I at first took as entrances to the subway, I quickly found to be entrances to underground parking. I learned this when 007 came shooting out airborne into the moving traffic.

Dogs are quite common here with the predominant, say one in five, being French bulldogs (or are they just bulldogs here?). I've seen several dachshunds, some corgis and even a beagle. Not so many poodles.

Now I must pack with checkout time but an hour or so away. I will add to this later today from my Deluxe French Balcony Stateroom aboard the S.S. Joie de Vivre. Till then, Au Revoir.

Le Bateau

Bonjour, we are now aboard our floating home for the next eight days. (I will probably refer to her henceforth as the Joey.) The Joey was built in 2017 and sails under the flag of Netherlands. Her length overall is 410 feet and her beam is 37.5 feet and she pulls 1500 tons. At maximum occupancy she carries 128 passengers and a crew of 52. Our Deluxe French Balcony stateroom is 194 square feet which is much larger than any cruise ship I've been on. While the bathroom is appointed with the expected barking toilet, the shower is spacious (meaning if I drop the soap, I don't have to open the door to pick it up.)

As we left Paris, I stood at the stern of the boat for it was the best location for viewing the Statue of Liberty....What? Have the liberals cancelled Lady Liberty? Did France repossess it? Actually no. The American community gave it to the city of Paris in 1889 to commemorate the centennial of the French Revolution. A quarter-scale replica, it sits on the southern end of Île aux Cygnes in the Seine River just downstream from the Eiffel Tower. Though a gift for the revolution, it was dedicated on July 4^th, 1889, rather than Bastille Day which falls on the 14^th.

I will provide some photos of the ship over the coming days as I have time to explore it. For now, it's past my bed time.