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| First Four Holes of the Viking Rinda Course and Running Track |
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| Chateau de Malmaison |
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| Napoleon Crossing the Alps |
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| Josephine's Bedroom |
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| Napoleon's Office and Library |
Today started out again leisurely (as we will be out until midnight in Paris). Started the day out with a round of golf up on the sun deck and did three laps on the track that covers the back half of the boat (12 laps = mile). Had fish and chips for lunch, and then we were off to the home of Napoleon and Josephine. Built in the seventeenth century, Josephine bought the property in 1799 while Napoleon was out of town. In 1809 they were divorced because she was unable to produce an heir, but Josephine received the house in the divorce. She lived there until her death at the age of 51.
The chateau is normally closed on Tuesday, but they opened it up for just people on our Viking boat giving us an uncrowded view. Facing the front of the home, Napoleon lived on the left hand side (bedroom on the 1st floor above his office on the ground floor), and Josephine on the right side (with dressing room, sitting room, and bedroom on the 1st floor). This was a very early home to have a dedicated dining room; until then people just set up tables in different rooms for different occasions to eat. Strange that he used a horse to symbolize his ride across the alps to invade, when it was donkeys and not horses that were capable of making the journey.
Tonight we did a tour of Paris by night. We saw Notre Dame, the Arc d'Triumph, Napoleons tomb, and the Eiffel Tower all lit up. Hundreds (thousands?) of people were sitting in sidewalk restaurants enjoying their dinner at 10pm at night. Tomorrow we get up at 6 am to depart the boat at 7 and make our way to the train station where we will catch a high-speed train to Lyon to meet our next boat.
