We arrived a few days early to explore Paris on our own. After boarding the ship, we enjoyed our time on ship and explored Le Pecq (port city). Our experience in Normandy was very moving as Viking gave us flowers to place on the grave of our choice and conducted a service in memory of our troops who lost their lives. Viking's longboats are very comfortable, the staff is always working to make life onboard fun, the food is excellent and the excursions are informative/educational. We traveled with a group of 18 who took our own excursions, but joined together in the evenings for cocktails and dinner. The dining staff was very helpful in securing a section for our group to assure we had the opportunity to dine together. When we returned to Paris, our group chose to take the fast train to Lyon and connect with another Viking ship to Avignon. We were coached to the train station and a Viking representative was with us until we boarded. A Viking representative was waiting for our arrival in Lyon where we were coached to our new ship. Well done, Viking!