September 10

We set sail at 7 AM, I was up and watched us pull away from the other ship and then head downstream.

 Our first destination was a stop as Les Andelys and Chateau Gaillard. It was a big foggy that day so not the best views and not worth hiking up all that way to take pictures with poor visibility.

 It was more interesting to watch the JB and the crew at work mooring the boat. When they do this in the middle of the day, they have an audience and just go about what they need to do. However at one point the one crew guy called for a slack line to release the cable positioning the walkway. Well, they tightened it, so had to be repositioned before anyone could walk off the ship.

 

 Another reason I chose to stay on the ship was the fact that I woke up with swollen feet and ankles. A combination of so much walking and probably eating things that were causing me to retain fluids. So an easy day on the feet was in order. I haven't seen my feet swollen like this in years and I wanted to save my feet so I could get through Normandy in a few days.

 

 I was not bored during the day. I sat on the sun deck for a bit, did try to read and after lunch the Captain gave a talk about the ship and what makes it special and how it is cared for. It sails pretty much 9.5 months out of the year. Plus the captain gave a glimpse into his private life, former owner captain of a river barge, wanted to change as he is now married with a small son. A few pictures of him are above.

Late afternoon, we unmoored and headed to our next stop Rouen, plus the weather improved as the day went on as well. So got a better shot of the Chateau.

 Plus we were able to get a short visit to the galley to see where all of the delicious meals are made. The executive chef explained how they are able to pull together all the meals they serve. For the most part all the food is loaded in Paris for both the trip down and then back.

We arrived in Rouen at dinner time and were double docked with another ship.