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VIKING.COM 29<br />
It is a warm, sunny spring afternoon in<br />
Paris as we stroll along the Champs-<br />
Élysées, stopping at a nearby park for<br />
an ice cream. As total Francophiles, with a<br />
serious fromage addiction, we could not wait<br />
to embark on the France’s Finest river cruise.<br />
The prospect of journeying through Paris and<br />
Normandy to Burgundy and Provence all in<br />
one trip was far too good for us to miss.<br />
As first-time river cruisers, we loved the relaxing<br />
pace as our ship, Viking Buri, meandered<br />
through the French countryside and we<br />
relished in the excitement of opening the<br />
drapes every morning to breathtaking views. A<br />
particular highlight was our visit to Giverny, the<br />
former home of French Impressionist painter<br />
Claude Monet. Seeing the iconic gardens and<br />
farmhouse where he lived and worked was<br />
wonderful, and of course the Japanese bridge<br />
and water lilies are instantly recognisable.<br />
We felt inspired by the views from our ship.<br />
It is not every day you get to glide down<br />
the Seine past the charming Île Saint-Louis<br />
and Île de la Cité, the grand and imposing<br />
Notre Dame Cathedral looming on one side,<br />
the other adorned with many châteaux. My<br />
husband and I both fell in love with France on<br />
this trip. Given that the cruise sails through<br />
a country known the world over for its fine<br />
cuisine, it would be fair to expect the food on<br />
board to live up to the local standards and we<br />
were not disappointed. The range of authentic<br />
dishes available at lunch and dinner, stylishly<br />
presented, was amazing, and we liked the
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