{"id":23390,"date":"2016-11-13T01:50:00","date_gmt":"2016-11-13T08:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/?p=23390"},"modified":"2017-04-25T20:58:13","modified_gmt":"2017-04-26T02:58:13","slug":"fear-of-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/2016\/11\/fear-of-france\/","title":{"rendered":"A Year After The Terror Attacks, It’s Time To Return To France"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cTwenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn\u2019t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 Mark Twain<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Paris

Paris on a beautiful October day. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

I have fallen in love with France – once again. Why we stayed away for so long (collectively as North Americans, I mean), I will never fully understand. One year ago today, terrorists killed 130 people in a wave of attacks throughout Paris. Another 368 were injured. The world reeled, and\u00a0French President Fran\u00e7ois Hollande declared a state of emergency, which was extended until the end of January after\u00a0a madman using a truck as his weapon killed 84 people in Nice this past summer.<\/p>\n

Both attacks had serious\u00a0consequences for tourism: Foreign visitors to Paris since the start of 2016 fell 15 percent when compared to the same period during the previous year, according to stats from the Tourism Office in Paris. Some sources put the decline at an even greater percentage.<\/p>\n

I spent three\u00a0weeks in France from mid-October until early November. My time there was magical. Leaving Paris, I boarded a jet to New York not only feeling as bubbly as a good champagne about France but also vowing to find a way to live there in the next few years. Yes, it was that good, which was somewhat surprising given how the media has portrayed France during the past 12 months. Fortunately, those portrayals appear to be fading and France seems to be returning to a period of relative calm.<\/p>\n

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‘Things seem to be under control,’ said our tour guide Frederic Ollivier, pictured with\u00a0his son Christophe in Les Andelys. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cYou may have felt a few months ago that France was not really safe, especially when you see soldiers patrolling in the town with their machine guns,” said tour guide Frederic Ollivier, who took us on bicycle tours of Rouen and Les Andelys. “If anything had happened between November and now, it would have been hard for us to convince people to come, but things seem to be under control.\u201d<\/p>\n

One Year Later, Thank You For Coming<\/h2>\n

To put things in perspective, Fred told me that he is planning a trip to Turkey, which his wife thinks is too dangerous. \u201cBut when you are motivated to see a place, you go, even if there is a certain amount of danger,\u201d he said. \u201cIn France and in Europe, things have gone back to a peaceful period that we hope is going to last.\u201d<\/p>\n

He thanked us for coming to France, as did others during our journey along the Seine. One man in Vernon asked where we were from as he walked past. “The USA,” I said, to which he replied with a hearty “Welcome.”<\/p>\n

\u201cThe world came together for us in New York after 9\/11, so we felt a responsibility to be a part of the global community, and it was important for us to come here to support France,\u201d said Michelle Robey, a New Yorker cruising with her husband Brian, a pilot for American Airlines.<\/p>\n

Last October, the Robeys, both in their 40s, began planning a trip to Paris for the following April. Then came the November terrorist attacks. The Robeys would have proceeded as planned, but friends they were traveling with thought it was too risky.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe tried to tell them that you can\u2019t live your life like that, but they didn\u2019t want to go,\u201d Michelle told me. \u201cSo then I suggested Brussels, because I heard it was beautiful, and then a few weeks later we had the attacks on Brussels. They said, \u2018No, no, no, we want to stay in the States.’ ”<\/p>\n

So the Robeys suggested California to their friends, and then came the attacks in San Bernardino. \u201cIt was really bizarre, that chain of events, so we ended up going to Bryce Canyon in Utah,\u201d Michelle said. \u201cIt was the safest place we could think of.”<\/p>\n

But it wasn’t what the Robeys wanted. They wanted to send a message. “Brian as an airline pilot flies every September 11, whether he has a scheduled flight or not,” Michelle said. “He will go rent an airplane if he has to. It’s an act of defiance.\u201d<\/p>\n

France 2017 Bookings Picking Up<\/h2>\n
\"Testing

Testing her bike, AmaWaterways’ Kristin Karst. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201c2016 obviously was not the best year for France,\u201d says Kristin Karst, AmaWaterways’ executive vice president and co-owner. “But we know whatever is down will be up again.”<\/p>\n

AmaWaterways operates in three regions of France: Bordeaux, Provence and Paris\/Normandy. \u201cThe river that was probably hit the hardest was the Seine, because of the proximity to Paris,\u201d Karst says.<\/p>\n

She points out that millions of people live in Paris and the surroundings, and they continue on with their daily lives. She goes on to say that on our cruise, we witnessed no cause for concern. Quite the contrary, “we enjoyed the people, the local flair, the local markets,\u201d she said. “We should not let anything keep us from having these beautiful experiences in life.”<\/p>\n

Bookings for 2017 have picked up because people are going back to their routines, and there’s not much in the media discouraging people to visit France, she says. “France has always been a number one tourism destination and it will be again, because it is just so beautiful,” Karst says. “The people are very friendly, there’s so much history and the food is fantastic. It’s just an amazingly charming country, so we are very positive about 2017 and we are absolutely positive that for 2018 our ships will be sold out again.”<\/p>\n

AmaWaterways’ 2018 Rhone itineraries are already more than 75 percent booked already, she says.<\/p>\n

\"Cruising

Cruising into Les Andelys. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

Two Cruises In France<\/h2>\n

In October, I river cruised from both Bordeaux and Paris. I just stepped off of AmaWaterways\u2019 AmaLegro last week\u00a0in Paris after a memorable seven-night cruise along the Seine.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not exaggerating when I say that the mood on board AmaLegro was euphoric for the duration of the cruise. It began on the very first night, when the captain maneuvered AmaLegro in front of the Eiffel Tower for picture-perfect framing. Huddled on the outside decks, we snapped photos of the monument as AmaLegro staff brought around complimentary glasses of Calvados (an apple brandy from Normandy) to break the chill of the October evening.<\/p>\n

\"The

The captain maneuvered AmaLegro and spotlighted the Statue of Liberty before we sailed from Paris. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

We were only a few hours into the cruise, and yet it appeared that all of us onboard AmaLegro had absorbed that spirited French sense of Le Joie de Vivre<\/em>, a feeling that was not to leave us for the duration of the cruise.<\/p>\n

Part of the reason for the heightened mood was due to the weather, which was sunny and in the 70s for nearly the whole week. Another part of it was due to the wonderful crew on AmaLegro. The captain, whose French is better than his English, said in a heavy French accent, \u201cI love you\u201d to the audience during his farewell speech, and you got the sense that he meant it. Throughout the cruise the captain would grab the hands of people and drag them on the dance floor, coupling strangers and encouraging them to dance together. I\u2019ve never been on a river cruise with so much toe-tapping.<\/p>\n

Let’s Go Back To France<\/h2>\n
\"Flying

Flying our flag: Welcome back. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

But it took the beauty of France and its people to send spirits soaring into the stratosphere. On our bikes rides and walks, we\u00a0were greeted by locals\u00a0telling us to have a nice day, Bonne journ\u00e9e.<\/em><\/p>\n

The affinity between the French and the Americans\u00a0is a natural one. Fred, our tour guide, said: \u201cThere is a very close link that dates back to the two world wars.”<\/p>\n

During our eight days on the Seine, we struck up conversations with locals in small bars and cafes in the towns where we docked. We rode bicycles, up to 30 miles on one day and 24 miles on another day, through beautiful French countryside.<\/p>\n

We visited the Landing Beaches. We sampled Camembert (and other cheeses), cider and Calvados, all staples of the Normandy region. We dined on oysters, which AmaWaterways brought on board, fresh from Normandy.<\/p>\n

\"At

At Monet’s Gardens. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

We strolled through Monet\u2019s gardens, dressed in fall colors, and perhaps inspired by the Impressionist painter, we aimed our cameras each day of the voyage to create works for art of our own.<\/p>\n

To sum up our cruise along the Siene: It was magical, as is much of France. And after spending the better part of October and part of November in this wonderful country, I left wanting to tell others that\u00a0it’s time that we all rewarded ourselves with a trip to Paris, Bordeaux or the Rhone river.<\/p>\n

On the anniversary of\u00a0the Paris attacks, it’s time for us to make a statement and to return to France, a country that welcomes us with open arms and a warm embrace.<\/p>\n

Note: AmaLegro finishes her ten-year tenure with AmaWaterways in two weeks. She is being transferred out of the fleet and replaced on the Seine by AmaLyra for 2017.<\/em><\/p>\n

Also see\u00a0Cruising Bordeaux On CroisiEurope\u2019s Cyrano de Bergerac<\/a><\/p>\n

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Paris on a beautiful October day. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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View of the Eiffel Tower from my stateroom window. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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The captain maneuvered AmaLegro and spotlighted the Statue of Liberty before we sailed from Paris. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Flying our flag: Welcome back. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Approaching Les Andelys. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Captain Claude Grard. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Scenic cruising past beautiful landscapes along the Seine. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Our wonderful cruise manager Annie Lebailly toasts hotel manager Talida Lupu. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Pastry chef Orsolya Toth serving up Crepes Suzette. \u00a9 2016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Corporate Chef Stefan Schmitz prepares fresh oysters from Normandy. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Belgian waffles for breakfast on AmaWaterways. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Cheese tasting on AmaLegro \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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At Monet's Gardens. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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At Monet's Gardens. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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At Monet's Gardens. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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This is November in France? Photo by Mike Louagie<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Bikes on board AmaLegro. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Testing her bike, AmaWaterways' Kristin Karst. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Ready for Halloween. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Celebrating Halloween on AmaLegro. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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All dress up and nowhere to go. \u00a9 2016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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The pumpkin who loves wine. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Leaving Les Andelys. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Saddling up to tour Rouen. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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In Rouen. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Oysters, wine and friends. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Having a beer at a local bar in Caudebec-en-Caux, Mike Louagie & Ralph Grizzle. \u00a9\u00a02016 Bar Patron<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Enjoying the view. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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View from Chateau Gaillard in Les Andelys. \u00a9 2016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Our tour guide Frederic Ollivier and his son Christophe. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Our wonderful tour guide Frederic Ollivier. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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AmaLegro docked in Les Andelys. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Grisel? An old spelling of my last name. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Chateau Gaillard in Les Andelys. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Les Andelys. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Captain Claude Grard (left) and 2nd captain Alexandre Prevost. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Cruising into Les Andelys. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Industry along the Seine. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Docked side-by-side on the Seine. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Gorgeous evening. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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Sunset on the Seine. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n

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In the wheelhouse, sailing back to Paris. \u00a9 2016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cTwenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn\u2019t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.\u201d \u2014 Mark Twain I have fallen in love with France – once […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25692,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"full-width-content","footnotes":""},"categories":[79,6,409,41,368,367,366],"tags":[599,770,768,704,767,765,769],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23390"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23390"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23390\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}