AMA Waterways is piloting an exercise program with the passengers aboard our ship. Selina Wank, a certified sports scientist, has designed the program and we are some of the first recipients. She explained that the program will eventually be rolled out to all of the ships within their fleet.
The choice this morning was a leisurely walk to the local farmers market led by the cruise director. The other option to get into town was to take the “power walk” with Selina.
It’s a bit intimidating to know that Selina participates in “Iron Man” competitions. What has the pendulum swinging my way is the fact that the approximate average passenger age is about 10-15 years older than me. I thought to myself, “how fast can they really go?”
I decided to risk it and take door #2 with Selina. There are about 120 passengers aboard our ship and approximately 16 of us decided to join Selina. The walk was brisk, but bearable and I was surprised that the entire group was able to keep up with her.
We walked about a half mile along the Seine and crossed the street. There was saw a monument dedicating the men that lost their lives during a rescue mission to the North Pole.
Selina led us up a fairly steep grade. I got to the top near the head of the pack and was surprised that the entire group made it up without any sign of fatigue. Since we turned on a street that was parallel to the side of the hill, we recovered nicely.
Selina announced that we can take a shortcut and head down to the farmers market or go to the forest (another 20 minutes added to the walk). Since no one opted out, I couldn’t embarrass myself by taking the shortcut.
We were led up another incline. Everything became greener and we were suddenly in what appeared to be a rain forest. Huge draping trees were overhead while we were mostly in shadows. The only thing missing were drops of water dripping from the trees.
Selina led us to a clearing where we were rewarded with an incredible view of the church, the town and the river. It was definitely a “Kodak photo spot” without the sign being needed.
After making our way downhill, we entered the farmers market. The fruits and vegetables were colorful, blemish free and the type you generally see in professional photographs.
In addition to the fruits and vegetables, there were seafood and cheese merchants. A person was cleaning out a huge paella pan and they had paella in containers for sale. A functioning rotisserie had whole chickens available.
Since our afternoon excursion was leaving at 1:00 p.m., I opted to play it safe by eating lunch on the ship.
