Quick trip through Normandy

We picked up a rental car by our hotel in Paris and programmed our GPS for Rouen via Giverny. I love Claude Monet and really enjoyed seeing the gardens that inspired so many of his paintings. We tried to capture the essence of the weeping willow trees, lily pads and bridges that are reflected in his paintings with our little canon camera but somehow I think we lost something in translation! We spent some time in the museum and also toured Claude Monet's house before continuing on down the road to Rouen.

Rouen is the capital of northern Normandy. The Notre Dame Cathedral at the center of town is extremely old with origins dating back as early as the 4th century. This huge gothic cathedral has been destroyed and rebuilt over the years due to damage from wars, among other things. It looks like a giant drippy sandcastle and has been painted many times by Claude Monet.

Our hotel in Rouen was an experiment in saving money. On the plus side, it looked out on the cathedral and had a decent breakfast. On the minus side, the bells rang several times per hour and the only furnishings were a wobbly small desk with a small, straight back chair and the bed. It was spartan, but clean and worked for one night. We walked from the hotel to the Place du Vieux Marche, where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. Along the way, we walked down a charming street lined with shopping, and under an arch supporting an astronomical clock. It is not quite as complex as the one in Prague but very unique.

To round out our exploration of Rouen we walked the other direction from the Cathedral to an area called Place Saint-Mark. This is a pedestrian area with lots of restaurants. We found a nice spot with a great patio and sat down with a bottle of wine to enjoy the evening. We just happened to be seated right next to a couple of really nice guys from England that struck up a conversation with us. Given that we have been a bit socially deprived over here, we really enjoyed the interaction and got lots of good tips for making the most of our last month in England!

From Rouen, we set our sites on Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery. This turned out to be a really moving experience for me. We spent lots of time in the exhibit before wandering through the cemetery, pausing at the memorials. It is hard to imagine the courage it took those soldier to get off those boats. It is also amazing the amount of training and preparation that went into this important effort to liberate France and ultimately the rest of Europe. I can't even fathom what a different world this would be without that united effort by so many.

We also visited Arromanches les Bains at Gold Beach and went through the exhibit that details the extremely elaborate floating military bases created there. It was crazy how much engineering went into designing breakwaters to create a harbor that could supply the Allied war effort in France. This harbor was built in England, hidden in the English channel and then pulled across the water to be reassembled at Gold Beach. Originally there were to be two such harbors but one was severely damaged by storms on the journey to France. Supply ships with items as big as tanks arrived daily to dock with this floating base and unload everything needed to sustain the troops. The supplies were carried to shore using floating bridges as well as amphibious craft. Winston Churchill dreamt this up and it was apparently the key to success in Normandy.

Another must-see town in the northern Normandy region is Bayeux, famous for its historic tapestry that tells the story of the Norman conquest of England. It is actually an embroidered cloth that is 1 1/2 feet tall and about 224 feet long. This was a fun way to pick up a history lesson! We enjoyed the charming main street for shopping, had a quick look around the romanesque cathedral and stopped for lunch at an outdoor cafe before hitting the road again.

Getting back to the airport on Sunday night was an experience. Our trusty GPS definitely didn't choose to use the freeways and we ended up on very small roads that backed up in many of the small towns along the way. We were wondering if we would make it in time for our flight, but all's well that ends well. We are home now. Lots of driving but a good experience...