In my last post I wrote about our time in the Loire Valley. Our next stop was the Giverny in the Normandy region, where Claude Monet lived and found inspiration.
Trip Overview
Travel > France
Paris - 2 days
Loire Valley - 3 Days
Normandy Region - 3 Days
Travel > Home
Normandy Region – Day 7
Saturday, October 24, 2015
In the morning we packed up and left Amboise. It turned out Margot wasn't feeling well and on our way to Dinan (our original next stop) she threw up in the car. It was a solo occurrence and seemed to settle her stomach, but Tom and I thought the best idea was to skip Dinan and head to our last stop, Giverny, which was about an hour from the airport in Paris. Luckily, the hotel we booked for our last few nights could accommodate us that night, so we changed course. Danny and Christine were already very close to Dinan, so they had lunch by the beach and met us that evening. We had a quick lunch at a rest stop and made it to Giverny in the late afternoon. Giverny is a quaint town on the right banks of the River Seine and once home to Claude Monet. Our afternoon involved playing outside at the hotel, a walk around Giverny, another stop for groceries and a trip to McDonald's in the next, much larger town of Vernon. Then Tom and I enjoyed crepes and drinks at the hotel after Danny and Christine arrived, while Isabelle and Margot colored at the table.
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| Welcome to Giverny! |
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| Happy to be out of the car! |
Normandy Region – Day 8
Sunday, October 25, 2015
The outdoor play area at the hotel had a strong draw for the girls. They loved it! So while they played in the morning, we figured out plans for the day. Claude Monet's home was just down the road from our hotel on Rue Claude Monet, so we walked over there when it opened. It was our first truly sunny day and you could see why Monet decided to live there for 43 years. The gardens were beautiful with the leaves changing colors and all the flowers still in bloom. The Water Lilly Pond was truly spectacular to see! His home was also an inspiration of color. My favorite rooms were the dining room that was a sunny yellow from the walls to the furniture and the kitchen which featured beautiful blue tile.
Our next stop was the town of Rouen, which is about an hour northwest of Giverny. It is considered the capital of the Normandy region and it is also where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. The church of Saint Joan of Arc now stands in the center of the ancient market square where it happened and we actually parked beneath it. We spent a lot of time walking around Rouen, which had beautiful timber buildings and many churches. Our favorite was Rouen's own Notre Dame cathedral. It was also a favorite of Monet - he did a series of paintings on it. After lunch, more walking around and a ride on a small carrousel, we came back to the hotel and the girls played in the garden for a long time while I sipped on the glass of wine Tom brought me. Later we went to the Vernon McDonald's for dinner. That night the time changed in France and we fell back an hour. The following week it would happen at home, so that made two weekends in a row for us, with jet lag sandwiched in between. We survived...I swear!
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| Inside Monet's home |
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| In Monet's gardens |
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| The Water Lilly Pond |
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| In the gardens outside Monet's home |
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| Exploring Rouen |
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| A girl and her guidebook |
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| Well deserved! |
Normandy Region – Day 9
Monday, October 26, 2015
We woke up to fog, which was beautiful, but not so great for walking around. That didn't stop us! In the morning we walked to the Giverny Museum of Impressionisms where we saw an exhibit of impressionist paintings, including a few by Monet. We also saw an exhibit of photographs of Monet's garden. It was interesting to see the different perspectives. The girls' favorite part was the kid area where they played and learned about photography. The museum has great gardens, so we wandered around there for a bit and saw a student painter setting up. She was from the US, but is in school in Provence. She was going to paint Monet's haystacks (they recreated a similar scene). After the museum we continued our walk down Rue Claude Monet. I ran back to our hotel to make the girls' lunch and everyone else walked to the church. We then stopped at Restaurant Baudy for a light lunch. This is the same place where Monet and friends used to hang out. There is a garden in the back with an old studio set up so you can see what it was like during Monet's heyday.
Danny and Christine headed for home after lunch and we went to La Roche-Guyon (with a pit stop to the Vernon McD's. The girls wanted more food!) The drive to La Roche-Guyon was through the hills and the sun was starting to peak out. The town is also located along the Seine, just west of Giverny. It has a great chateau and gardens. We explored every inch! After, we went back to the hotel so the girls could play outside and then back to McDonald's for dinner. Isabelle said this was her favorite part of vacation because they had fun, kid-friendly video games that projected on the table we ate at. Playing video games while eating, what kid wouldn't like that? After dinner we packed, because we were leaving the next morning at for the airport.
Monday, October 26, 2015
We woke up to fog, which was beautiful, but not so great for walking around. That didn't stop us! In the morning we walked to the Giverny Museum of Impressionisms where we saw an exhibit of impressionist paintings, including a few by Monet. We also saw an exhibit of photographs of Monet's garden. It was interesting to see the different perspectives. The girls' favorite part was the kid area where they played and learned about photography. The museum has great gardens, so we wandered around there for a bit and saw a student painter setting up. She was from the US, but is in school in Provence. She was going to paint Monet's haystacks (they recreated a similar scene). After the museum we continued our walk down Rue Claude Monet. I ran back to our hotel to make the girls' lunch and everyone else walked to the church. We then stopped at Restaurant Baudy for a light lunch. This is the same place where Monet and friends used to hang out. There is a garden in the back with an old studio set up so you can see what it was like during Monet's heyday.
Danny and Christine headed for home after lunch and we went to La Roche-Guyon (with a pit stop to the Vernon McD's. The girls wanted more food!) The drive to La Roche-Guyon was through the hills and the sun was starting to peak out. The town is also located along the Seine, just west of Giverny. It has a great chateau and gardens. We explored every inch! After, we went back to the hotel so the girls could play outside and then back to McDonald's for dinner. Isabelle said this was her favorite part of vacation because they had fun, kid-friendly video games that projected on the table we ate at. Playing video games while eating, what kid wouldn't like that? After dinner we packed, because we were leaving the next morning at for the airport.
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| The haystack |
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| At Restaurant Baudy |
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| Isabelle was our tour guide at Chateau La Roche-Guyon |
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| You can see the old tower of Chateau La Roche-Guyon |
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| In the gardens of Chateau La Roche-Guyon |
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| Relaxing along the Seine |
Travel > Home – Day 10
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
We did it. We all woke up early and were on the road at 6:30. It was still very dark and as we made the hour drive we saw the sun rise. It was beautiful! We got to the airport with plenty of time, returned the rental car and got checked in. Luckily McDonald's started serving lunch just in time for our 11:30 flight and we got our lunch to-go. The girls were great on the plane! Couldn't have asked for better behavior! I have to admit the iPad was a big help. We made the long flight home and landed around 2:30 in the afternoon. I was so relieved to have everyone home safe! By the time we made it through customs, got the car and swung by to check on the house we were building, it was 5:00 before we made it home. Isabelle was sound asleep, but Margot was wide awake! At least we were all in bed by 8 that night. We were a tired bunch!
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| Let's go home! |
By the way, if you haven't read my last few posts, you're probably wondering why we spent so much time eating at McDonald's. It was the only restaurant we knew would be truly safe. In France we would use the electronic ordering system which listed all of the ingredients and allergens. Bonus, their Happy Meals came with hardcover books and the girls always ate the food. It was a win-win for us.
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