MiNDFOOD is invited to the launch of Viking's new river ship, the Viking Radgrid, also to explore 'la vrai France' – in the elegant capital and City of Light, Paris, to magnificent Versailles and thru the picturesque countryside from the Normandy region.
A soft blue dawn is breaking over the picture-perfect village of los angeles Roche-Guyon. Trills of birdsong drift over the sleep-wrapped streets and also over the still, tree-fringed waters in the Seine, where the newly launched Viking Radgrid ship floats peacefully.
As heaven lightens, more details enter into focus, from the sloping mansard roofs atop the stone house for the chalk-white cliffs by which the village is nestled. When i sip my café au lait watching a shaft of sunlight illuminates a single ribbon of clouds drifting over the sky, I reflect this can be a beautiful approach to awaken. You will notice plenty of other memorable moments about this inaugural voyage of the Viking Radgrid, among the newest inclusions in Viking Cruises' fleet of river cruisers. Yet this particular early-morning scene will remain beside me. As soon as we pull-up in the simple wooden dock, it seems like we have stumbled across some hidden corner of France, an area that time forgot – yet this under-the-radar gem is just around 70km from Paris.
Step in time
The magical feeling deepens whenever we step right out the boat in to the lovely potagère garden from the Ch
