FRENCH fancy
As 10 white doves took flight, an awed silence filled the air at Port de Grenelle in Paris, save for some faint “oohs” from the crowd, watching as the birds’ fluttering wings powered them into distant specks high above the River Seine.
Moments before, Karine Hagen, executive vice-president of Viking Cruises, had announced that on the christening of eight new longships (four in Paris, and four by a live link to Amsterdam), the company was releasing “some peace and hope into our skies”.
After two years of pandemic problems, the celebration of a new beginning at this long-awaited event was overshadowed by the war in Ukraine and, out of respect, festivities were
