Three Countries,One Day
We were up at 5:45 to put our bags outside the door. We had to pack things in a carryon for the day. We had breakfast, then met the tour group in the lobby. We had to identify our bags before we got on the bus. It was a nasty, gray morning. I opened the curtains in the room to say goodbye to the Eiffel Tower and the lights were off. We couldn’t see it through the clouds.
We had the ships tour director as our guide on the way to the ship. Emma is “une dame d’un certain age”-indeterminate somewhere between 40 and 60. We left amid a pouring rain and ran into two accidents on the way out of town. We made it to Reims and had a tour of the Cathedral. It’s huge-bigger than Notre Dame. Of course it hasn’t been refurbished and it was pretty dark inside. But the weather cooperated and it cleared up while we were there so the sun was shining in the windows. There are two rose windows, one above the other in the front of the building. In the back are smaller windows done by the artist Marc Chagal. They’re very pretty. This cathedral was where all the French kings were crowned so it’s a pretty important place. Joan of Arc was also here.
‘We had time for lunch and went to a local restaurant. Today is Betty’s birthday so she ordered a pink beer. Verna had to try pink champagne since this is the heart of champagne country. I had a vintage 2025 Coke Zero. Betty and I ordered Caesar Salad with chicken. A waiter delivered 2 and then took them away to another table. Then our waiter came and said there was no more chicken! So we changed. I ordered what I thought was a small steak sandwich. It was a ground beef patty on toast. But it had Bernaise sauce so I was happy.
‘We went back to the bus for a two hour ride to an American cemetery in the country of Luxembourg. It was a short stop because it started raining again. It was beautiful to see such a well maintained resting place for Americans who fought in WWI. From there we went to the ship, which is in Germany in the town of Trier. It was dark and still rainy by then so we couldn’t see much. It is nice to now be in one place where we can unpack and relax. There was a welcome ceremony with champagne, kir royal, my choice, or a mimosa. Our cabin is smaller than the hotel room but it will serve us well for the next several days.. We had a very nice dinner and made friends with Carina, our Portuguese waitress. Now it’s time to rest up for tomorrow’s adventure.
Photos: Reims cathedral, inside and out with the rose windows. The Chagal windows are the narrower blue windows. Next is entrance gate to cemetery and the rows of grave markers. Many lives were lost there. I’ll have ship pictures tomorrow.. And there’s a picture of Betty with her pink beer and the pink champagne. The last photo is a relic from Roman times.
