Judy has been under the weather for several days now, and she’s not improving so we decided to cut our trip short and get her home a day early.

While we were waiting to see if she would turn the corner yesterday, I went out exploring Roman ruins in Arles and did some olive oil tasting.

Maybe its because we’ve seen too many palaces and cathedrals in the past two weeks, or maybe it’s because I came with unrealistic expectations, but somehow I was disappointed in Avignon.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I went but sometimes expectations exceed reality.

Read all about the bad start to my day.

It didn’t end up all that bad.

Today was food tasting in the morning at the Paul Bocuse Food Market in Lyon. Wine tasting in Oingt was on tap for the afternoon.

Sailing into Lyon a little before noon was a real treat. The sun was shining, the sky was cloudless and the city was looking its best. The right bank is old; the left bank is new. Some call it France’s second city, after Paris.

Tournus has lost some of its luster in the past few years. The city of 6,000 inhabitants used to have four Michelin-starred restaurants but now they’re down to only two.

Today we get to find out what else this town has to offer.

“He’s young! And Handsome,” gushed Judy when the Captain of the Poetry II was introduced at the Welcome Aboard party. “Is that kid driving our boat?” Was my skeptical grunt.

So ended our travel day from Paris and the Tapastry II to Charon-Sur-Saône and the Poetry II.

Today is mostly a travel day but before pushing off from Vernon we were given the choice of visiting Monet’s Giverny or La Roche-Guyon in which is located the castle by the same name. Memory lane only goes so far and since we have t-shirts from our visit to Giverny with Reagan, we opted for something new. We did get a glimpse of Monet’s house and gardens from the bus as we passed by this morning.

For Judy and me our trip today to the beaches at Normandy was a trip down memory lane. Ten years ago, we visited the same spots with Reagan. We spent our time remembering what we did with her.

We visited two abbeys this morning, one in ruins and one occupied by monks and undergoing major reconstruction. In the afternoon it was Honfleur, a port city at the mouth of the Seine. Throughout the day we saw the Normandie countryside: fertile farms, dedicated mostly to fruit trees and grain crops, many in Spring bloom. The yellow canola plants were especially attractive.

Judy and I took different walks this morning. She explored the town of Andelys while I climbed up to the fortress overlooking the town and protecting our cruise boat from marauding Vikings who used to sail in to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting.

We went together in the afternoon to Rouen to see the Notre Dame Cathedral that Claude Monet painted 37 times.

A relaxing morning cruising down the Seine and a rewarding walk in the afternoon in Auvers-sur-Olse, the town where VIncent Van Gogh spent his final days.

This morning we toured - Judy by bus and I by foot. The afternoon was spent with a very productive behind-the-scenes visit to Versailles. We’ve been there before 10 years ago with Reagan, but this was something special.

We take a food tour of the Marais neighborhood and join our ship, the Avalon Tapestry II, plus some random street and river scenes we saw during our travels today.

And yes, there are pictures!

Our first day in Paris, visiting Notre Dame and the Left Bank’s Latin Quarter.

We’re off to France!