Saturday and Sunday were travel days for us as we departed from the Portland airport at 1:30 pm on Saturday, and arrived in Paris on Sunday at 10:30 am. Twelve hours of flying is a LONG time, but everything went without a hitch. I got a lot of reading done, watched the movie The Joneses (with Demi Moore and David Duchovny), and took the smallest of cat naps. After arriving in Paris, we loaded up our little rental car and headed out for Giverny.
GIVERNY
Giverny, 50 miles west of Paris, is the home of Claude Monet's gardens (and yes, his famous water lilies). What a delightful way to begin our French experience, especially since we were travel weary and tired of our many hours of sitting.
ROUEN
We stopped off in Rouen, a 2,000 year old city west of Giverny, to poke about and do a little exploring. It was a sunny Sunday afternoon when we visited and while in town for our short stopover, we managed to visit the Place du Vieux Marche (old market square), Notre-Dame Cathedral, Palace of Justice, the Big Clock, St. Maciou Church, the Joan of Arc church, and the Plague Cemetery. (You'll figure out quite quickly that I love churches and I love cemeteries . . .)
Here's a peek into the Plague Cemetary (now home of an art school):
HONFLEUR
Our lovely hotel in Honfleur, the Hotel du Dauphin, is situated right in the heart of the town square.
Here are some sights from around Honfleur, including some creepy doll art I loved!
Honfluer is a beautiful little town and we've only begun to explore it (we're here for two nights).
And darn it. We missed a monthly flea market in Honfleur by only a matter of an hour. The vendors were packing up just as we were going for an evening stroll.
We were in bed and asleep by 9:00 p.m. It has been a long while since we have been up for a straight 24 hours! On the agenda for today? Normandy and the D-Day Beaches.
5 comments:
Your there! your there! Your quite the travel soilder, getting right to sight seeing and getting on the time zone! Neat little town, your hotel looks darling, are you finding good food?
steph
Bonjour, Dayna! Thanks so much for sharing your adventures, I will enjoy following along. Have a wonderful time!
WOW!!! A trip of a lifetime and such wonderful inspiration for your work! Have an amazing journey!
It's like we get a little bit of France for our own as we armchair travel along with you!
"Thank you for letting me tag along on your vacation. It is more than a birds eye view. I am sure this will be the only time I will be able to go to France. You are a wonderful guide. The pictures are fabulous." Connie
"Wow! You're going to have SO much fun! Thanks for sharing. : )" Jenna
"You are a fabulous tour guide! Happy all is going well." Carol
"Great pics...this is going to be so much fun to follow!!" Bobbie
"breathtaking!" Shelby
"Way to hit the Blog running! Great pics...and lovely creepy art dolls!" Destree
"I will travel France vicariously through you. What interesting and vibrant pix! And you and Howard look fabulous!" Rosanne
"Great pix, Dayna...what beauty you have glimpsed already! Thanks for sharing...I am definitely living vicariously since I didn't fit in your suitcase. Damn that extra pair of shoes! Soak it all in!" Joni
"Be sure to hit the flea markets there. They are amazing!" Dana
"Haveta say, I'm a little jealous...........actually, a lot jealous. Have a wonderful time, you guys. It will be fun to "follow" you around, like when you were in Italy." Sue
"You will now have to return home to recop from your wonderful trip !" Carol
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