Walking in Honfleur

We were nearing the end of our cruise when we docked in Honfleur. Francis took us on a morning walk through the Old Town and we made lots of discoveries there. I did not know that Samuel Champlain started his voyage to the New World from this harbor. As I said, the Seine pours into the English Channel at Honfleur, so it stands to reason that this would be a good starting place.

Of all the little towns and cities we visited, Honfleur is best suited for visitors. The harbor is surrounded by sidewalk cafes and restaurants. Parisians flee the city on the weekends and take the train out here to enjoy the peacefulness of the water. On the Saturday of our visit, half of the harbor was filled with "flea market" type wares. And at 1:00 sharp, all tables and booths disappear as the locals and visitors ready themselves for coffee and croissants in the cafes.

After lunch on ship we set out for a short drive to Bayeux, where we were able to see Mathilde's Tapestry, a 260 foot long embroidered cloth visualizing the Battle of Hastings and the Conquest of England by the Normans. No photos could be taken inside the museum, but outside was a wonderland of beauty. Serene ponds and gorgeous blooms settled our tired spirits before heading back to the ship for our Farewell Dinner.

I have one more set of photos that will encompass our visits to Normandy Beach and the Caen Memorial. They will follow shortly. I hope you have enjoyed our vacation.

Caudebec to Honfleur

On Friday we had an opportunity to discover the little town of Caudebec en Caux, starting with a walking tour, and then making more discoveries of our own. We happened upon a little grocery store that had a nice selection of chocolates. Just across from our dock there is a nice children's play area and many mommies were there with their preschoolers, enjoying the warmth of the day.

As we were settling in for lunch, the captain set sail for our final port of call, Honfleur. We would spend the next three nights there, going out each day to various historic points of interest. But first, Graham and I stepped off the ship to see a little bit of Honfleur. What a pretty town it turned out to be. So picturesque is the harbor, I can imagine jigsaw puzzles fashioned after it.

In this slide show I have included more shots of the beautiful countryside of the Seine. There are many, many homes up and down the river. Some, I imagine, are summer homes, while others appear to be primary residences. As we came into Honfleur, we realized that this is the end of the line for the Seine, as it pours into the English Channel from here. On the north side of the Seine lies Le Havre, the much larger port city that had been decimated by the bombing in World War 2. The large cruise ships and industrial ships go there, leaving Honfleur free to entertain fishermen and tourists.

Hope you enjoy this episode of the Seine River slide show!

Walking Tour of Rouen

We spent a whole day docked in Rouen. In the morning we took a walking tour with a local guide. Two churches were highlighted on the walk: the Notre Dame de Rouen, an enormous and ancient catholic cathedral, and the Church of St. Joan of Arc, very modern and built in 1979. The contrast couldn't have been more marked. Throughout the walk, however, I was keeping an eye open for interesting shops to return to in the afternoon. I found two pottery stores and did go back to both of them. The second one is where I found two precious little soap dishes - one for Meredith and one for moi.

We savored the French food on board and then settled in for the night and a very early (4:00 a.m.) sailing to our next port, Caudebec en Caux. That will be the next stop in the photo parade.

Two more days of cruising pictures

Just to clarify a point that would have caused me some confusion, we were not always moving along the river. Most of the time we spent the night docked in a city, sometimes two nights in the same city. Only once did we actually leave a port in the middle of the night.

So, on this second day of the cruise we were still in Conflans where we were bused out to Auvers sur Oise to discover Vincent Van Gogh. Whatever I might have learned about him many years ago in school was reinforced by a knowledgeable guide. It was so interesting to see the actual structures that featured prominently in his paintings. This, too, was the place where he died and was buried. The afternoon was spent cruising, passing through locks, and enjoying activities on board.

Here is a link to the photo album.

Waking up in Vernon, Graham and I took an early morning stroll through this lovely village before leaving for Giverny. What I was discovering was that most of the towns (cities) we stopped in left the river side in original condition, while expanding into a more modern city inland. The medieval charm of the old cities certainly made for stunning pictures!

Talk about stunning! Monet's Gardens absolutely captured my heart. I could have taken a hundred pictures and still not convey the natural beauty I encountered. No wonder Monet spent his time painting here. Rick Steves says it best:
"It's fitting that Giverny, located 50 miles outside the hustle and bustle of Paris, would become a colorful, flowering monument to Monet. In 1883, middle-aged Claude Monet, his wife Alice, and their eight children from two families settled into a farmhouse here, 50 miles west of Paris. Monet, at that point a famous artist and happiest at home, would spend 40 years in Giverny, traveling less with each passing year. He built a pastoral paradise complete with a Japanese garden and a pond full of floating lilies.
In 1890, Monet started renovating his garden, inspired by tranquil scenes from the Japanese prints he collected. He diverted a river to form a pond, planted willows and bamboo on the shores, filled the pond with water lilies, then crossed it with a wooden footbridge. As years passed, the bridge became overgrown with wisteria. He painted it at different times of day and year, exploring different color schemes."

After lunch on board our ship we set out again to visit a lovely chateau - de Bizy - and then our home-hosted visit with a delightful French couple, Andre and Annette. It turns out that Andre is a retired dentist, so he and Graham had much to talk about. They served us Kir, an aperitif, and a selection of French cookies. Another incredible dinner awaited, after which we gratefully turned in for the night.

Enjoy these photos from Giverny.

I'll get busy with more albums and be back to show off Rouen.

Treasure's Recheck

I called Dr. Earl's office on Wednesday for an appointment for Treasure's recheck and they were gracious to "fit us in" on Thursday before my luncheon at the dollhouse. But when I arrived at 10:30, the office was filled with activity and we waited until nearly 11:00. Then a technician suggested that I leave Treasure with them and come back for her in the afternoon when things settled down a bit.

That left me free to enjoy a birthday lunch for Diana with my Bible study girls, and to show off a few pictures from our trip that I had developed earlier in the day. Treasure was not seen until after 2:00. When I went to get her, Dr. Earl came out front, scratching his head, and said, "I really can't explain this." "This what?" It seems that her tumor has gone back to its earlier size and is no longer the concern it was before we left for France.

So this little girl continues to baffle and amaze us. She had such a good time at Karen's, playing with her friend Max, and enjoying a surprise visit from Jefferson and his people. She looked all over our house Wednesday morning for her buddies. I may have to send her to "Doggie Day Out" once a week so she can play with Max! It wasn't easy, but I finally managed to get a fairly good picture this morning with the red geraniums. Now we will settle in for the summer and make the best of every day.

Editing Pictures

We are home from France! This, I think, has been one of the most wonderful trips I've ever taken. I don't know if it's because it was France, or just the magic of cruising on a river ship. Maybe a little of both. But I know for sure that I want to do another river cruise.

Graham and I did a Royal Caribbean cruise up the inside passage of Alaska several years ago. We both came away just a little dissatisfied with the big cruise ship experience. So when Bill raved about his river cruise in Russia, and extolled the virtues of small ship sailing, we felt we ought to give it a try. This particular cruise included a visit to the Normandy beaches on D-Day and Graham jumped at the opportunity.

The tour dates coincided with our 43rd anniversary. In fact, by taking the Paris pre-trip, we would be in Paris exactly on our anniversary. So that's how we found ourselves on a jet plane, heading for France. We joined forty other travelmates at our hotel and embarked on our French adventure by sleeping off a few hours of jetlag. Then joined them for an orientation with our Program Director and laid out our agenda for the next two days. Here are some of the photos from Paris. (click here)

Our ship, the M.S. Bizet, is a little smaller than some of the Viking or Vantage river ships, but one of the larger of the Grand Circle fleet. We had 111 passengers, divided into three groups with three program directors. It was very manageable and we were able to meet and enjoy many people, both in our group and of the rest of the passengers. Our accommodations were snug, but very livable. The lounge and dining rooms were quite comfortable. And the crew... well, I can't say enough good things about our crew. We were pampered and catered to 24/7 by a crew that was genuinely sad to see us leave. They were wonderful, international, happy people. And the food... oh my goodness. The food was more than wonderful! Click here for a review of the ship, the entertainment, and the food.

I have been editing photos since we got home, and combined with Graham's, there are more than 2000 to go through. Of course, many are duplicates, but we also each saw things the other did not. It's going to take a few days to get them all organized. But I sure did make it easier this time. I took my mini computer with me and downloaded my photos at the end of each day into separate folders, each dated for that day. So I can match the day's photos with the daily itinerary and be fairly certain that I know where each one takes place!

Anyway, here is the first of seven albums, each one describing one full day on board or out on a visit. I'll post some more as I get them edited. Hope you enjoy my trip!