12 | Viking Explorer Society News
A very
FRENCH CHRISTMAS
By John Wilmott
S
piced mulled wine, roasting chestnuts,
freshly baked gingerbread, candied
fruit… sound delicious? Yet it's not
just the flavours that make a European
Christmas market so seductive, it's the aromas.
I followed my nose around the festive markets
in Paris and then in Rouen during the generous
time spent ashore on Viking's Christmas on the
Seine voyage. Wooden stalls glowed gently in
the half-light of winter, tempting passers-by
with sweet treats, wooden toys, candles and
seasonal decorations.
In one of the Paris markets, a reindeer display
formed a charming centrepiece. At Rouen, the
booths were set up in front of the mighty
façade of the 12th-century cathedral. There
could be no finer setting as I sipped my vin
chaud while a cook sizzled my crepe in a pan.
After those winter warmers I wandered
through Rouen's narrow lanes, admiring the
astronomical clock, the Palace of Justice and
Place du Vieux-Marché, where Joan of Arc met
her grisly end.
It was just a short stroll back to the stylish
Viking Fjorgyn, which we had first boarded in
the heart of Paris with the Eiffel Tower directly
ahead. While up on deck, the 300m steel giant
suddenly erupted with flickering lights, which
it does on the hour over the Christmas period.
The night before we set sail, three local opera
singers joined us in the lounge to ease us into
the spirit of France.
Leaving Paris, calls at the picturesque towns of
Vernon and Caudebec-en-Caux were
rewarding and it was from the latter that I
took the short, included trip to Abbaye St
Wandrille — founded 1,400 years ago—to
witness the monks' Gregorian chanting. It was
spellbinding. My favourite trip though, was the
