Walking on walls

 We are sitting in a rather unusual hotel room with the shower visible as part of the room and only the toilet separate! It is rather cute and authentic. We had to wait while the room was cleaned so Meryl and I went into a local shoe shop and bought one pair of shoes each. It was fun attempting to try the shoes on with the lady having as much English as we have of French but she was lovely and we are happy with our purchases, they do make great shoes here.

This morning we went to a place called Cancale and went for a walk to see fantastic views of the coastline. Then we drove to Dinard, a thriving beach resort where they even have sand! Finally we went to the walled city of Saint Malo which we found very interesting. Biscuits seem to be a specialty here and we thought we better try some out, very different but yummy. Meryl tried the other specialty, sardines, there was one whole shop dedicated to sardines of every variety!!

Keith's arty shot looking
through the Dinan bridge

Dinan Port

Cancale Port

View from Point Du Grouin

Saint Malo








Biscuits, shoes and sardines

We are sitting in a rather unusual hotel room with the shower visible as part of the room and only the toilet separate! It is rather cute and authentic. We had to wait while the room was cleaned so Meryl and I went into a local shoe shop and bought one pair of shoes each. It was fun attempting to try the shoes on with the lady having as much English as we have of French but she was lovely and we are happy with our purchases, they do make great shoes here. This morning we went to a place called Cancale and went for a walk to see fantastic views of the coastline. Then we drove to Dinard, a thriving beach resort where they even have sand! Finally we went to the walled city of Saint Malo which we found very interesting. Biscuits seem to be a specialty here and we thought we better try some out, very different but yummy. Meryl tried the other specialty, sardines, there was one whole shop dedicated to sardines of every variety!! Sorry no photos today because the internet is too slow.

From History to Religion


We went to the Battle of Normandy Museum which we all thought was very well done and extremely interesting. Mont-St-Michel was worth a visit but incredibly touristy - about 10,000 people there. We were delighted to leave the madding crowds to our peaceful B&B out in the countryside with our friendly English hosts.

British War Cemetry, Bayeux 

 

At Mont-St-Michel



Our B&B - Petite Chesnee

A Tapestry in Pictures, A Wander through History

Today we had spent the day marvelling at the world of the middle ages, learning some history and being moved by the sacrifice of those who gave their lives to save Europe from Hitler.

We started with the Bayeux Tapistry which was made in about 1070. It is an amazing creation and even more so that it has survived nearly a 1000 years. We learned a bit about ancient English history as well.

Then off to the D Day beaches. We saw a 360 degree movie on the landings and the place as it is today. Then to a museum which went into some detail on the landings and the artifical harbour which serviced the invasion.

The highlight of the day was a visit to the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. There are 9387 soldiers buried there and 1557 missing soldiers. It is very well done. It is a moving experience to be amongst those who have given 'their future that we might have ours'. The Americans do do this stuff well.

Finished the day as we usually do with a large meal washed down with a delicious dessert. We have agreed that we are going to cut down to one dessert a day (se we don't come home looking like a bunch of walruses).

Bayeux Tapestry

 

Honfleur

 


Camembert in Camembert!




American War Cemetry at Omaha Beach



This is why we have to stop eating so many deserts!!!!

Les Andelys, Rouen and Etretat

Our drivers Glenn and Keith are doing a great job. They say they are finding it easier driving on the wrong this time after the practice in America. We followed our 'Back Roads of France' book and found the two delightful villages of Les Andelys and Lyons-la-Foret. In Les Andelys we went up to ruins of Chateau Gaillard which had breathtaking views across the valley. It was built in 1196!

We stayed the night in Rouen. It is a lovely city. The tour of the clock tour was very interesting and we saw the oldest restaurant in France opened in 1345! Also saw many churches and enjoyed some lovely music for Easter Sunday but did not sit through a French sermon. Piping hot chocolate croissants straight out of the oven were a delicious start to the day!

This afternoon we visited Etretat with half of France!! It was incredibly busy and took us ages to find a park. The French were enjoying the beach (all stones and water 13 degrees!!!). Many were also doing as we were - climbing up the while cliffs. Stunning scenery. Now we are back in our B&B in the countryside.

View from Chateau Guillard to Les Andelys

Famous clock in Rouen

Etretat

We have eaten a few of these!!





Monet's garden - Flowers Glorious Flowers

Glenn was heard to say that he had tears in his eyes because he was so emotional about being France! It was great to head out amongst the yellow fields and quaint villages. First stop Monet's Garden. Claude Monet the painter who founded the Impressionist school lived in Giverney for 43 years. His house and garden were magnificent! 

We will let the pictures tell the story.

Last Days in Paris

We are just getting our things packed ready for an early ride to the airport to collect the car tomorrow morning. We are heading back to the Eiffel Tower tonight to see the lights because last night we spent so long in the queue that we missed the best of them. Eventually we made it to the top and the night lights looked great but the wait was rather tedious. Keith and I have certainly noticed the huge crowds compared to our time here 7 years ago. Today dawned with beautiful sunny skies again and we headed to the Louvre. What a huge place, for awhile there I thought we may never get out. We saw, of course, the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and Napoleon the Third's apartments which were amazing and lots of other art as you can imagine. Four hours later with tired legs but cultured minds we headed to a patisserie and had quiches that melted in the mouth and desserts to die for, lots of walking required to burn those calories up! This afternoon was a little more leisurely with a trip to the Conciergerie where they kept prisoners before they were beheaded, the crypt under Notre Dame and a wander in the Jardin du Luxembourg (a lovely garden). Tomorrow we head to Monet's Garden which should be great. Talk soon!

Napoleon's Apartments



Pantheon



Rodin's sculpture garden
plus two sexy men

Keith loved this shot of Meryl taking Glenn in the Paris hotel.

She didn't realise she was in the mirror.



Eiffel Tower at night



Sore Feet

Bonjour Everyone

Our bodies are telling us that we have covered an enormous area today. We began by strolling down the Parisian streets to the Musee d'Orsay where Glenn expressed his delight at the magnifique building and art. We then visited the l'Orangerie and were pleased to find only a small line. Next we began a long walk up the Champs Elysees and followed Ian's advice and walked up 284 steps to enjoy the view from the Arc de Triomphe. A visit to the cemetery du Pere Lachaise was next. We paid our regards to Oscar Wilde and were surprised at his graffiti covered grave. To keep Meryl happy we finally tracked down a bus to travel back instead of a peaceful quick metro ride! We finished with the 13th century stained glass of Sainte Chapelle.

View from Arc de Triomphe

View to Business Centre of Paris



View up Champs Elysee



Sainte Chapelle





We have lift off!

The long awaited journey has commenced. We were farewelled by Andrew and Penny from Canberra and everything has gone very smoothly. All the flights left on time. We had a lovely set of seats on the A380 from Melbourne. Sleep was difficult to achieve on the Air France B777 but we arrived safely. Caught the train in from the airport and, being the expert travellers we are, we guided a lost soul from Wangaratta into town. The long climb up from the station was notable for the attempted pickpocketing of Kathy. Fortunately we noticed what was happening and nipped it in the bud - or perhaps they realised they were about to steal a pair of sunglasses and gave up.

We spent the morning wandering about taking in the atmosphere at Notre Dame Catheral and having a nice breakfast. We were going to see the Impressionists at the Musee d'Orsay but the 1km long line put us off. We will be back another day. Have now checked into our 'full of character' hotel and are resting pending another foray into the joys of Paris. The weather is spectacular blue skies and mid 20s, perfect.

2 Days to Go!

We leave at 12:25pm from Canberra to fly to Melbourne. Then from Melbourne to Singapore leaving at 3:30pm. We have a short wait in Singapore and then change from Qantas to Air France to fly to Paris. We'll arrive in Paris at 6:05am.

Some of you have asked for an overview of the trip.
France 19 April to 15 May
Italy 15 May to 22 May
Austria 22 May to 6 June
Switzerland 6 June to 24 June
Norway 24 June to 3 July
London 3 July to 8 July

France Itinerary

Paris 19th -23rd April

Rouen 23rd April

Etretat 24th April

Caen 25th -26th April

Mont-Saint Michel 27th April

St Malo 28th April

Tours 29th- 3rd May

Dijon 3rd - 5th May

Annecy 5th - 7th May

Provence - Buis-les-baronnies 7th - 14th May

Grasse 14th May

13 days to go!

Glenn, Kathy, Keith and I leave for Europe on Monday April 18th!!! The time is rushing up. So many things to do before we go.