After five amazing days in Paris, we headed west to begin a journey through Normandy.
One last photo from Paris as we headed to Gare Montparnasse.
Our first family ride on the TGV -- about 200 mph!
So, technically, our first day outside of Paris was in Brittany. Our TGV took us to Rennes, where I studied abroad 20 years ago. Rennes, in the eastern part of Brittany, was a perfect starting point for our exploration of Normandy. It was also fun for us to pick up our car here and do a quick drive through Rennes on our way North. Great memories!
We started off in St. Malo, a beautiful fortified medieval town on the Brittany coast. This was the view from our hotel -- thank you to Fred for suggesting we stay here -- and also for all of his suggestions for exploring Normandy!
At low tide, we could explore over a hundred feet out.
Gloria collecting shells.
Luke and Oliver.
St. Malo is an ancient city with walled ramparts. Here we are exploring the fortified wall.
By sunset much of the water had come in and what we had walked around was now under 10 or more feet of water.
Day TWO of Normandy (and Brittany) as we depart wonderful St. Malo and head to...
Mont St. Michel!
A monastery has been here since the 700s. The island was once part of Brittany but due to changes in the flow of the river between Brittany and Normandy, it is now part of Normandy.
Despite wars over the centuries, it has never been conquered -- making Saint Michael a hero for all of France.
It was a prison during the French revolution -- not a bad place to be imprisoned!
The bridge that connects this island to land.
One our way to the top! These kids did not complain.
Arrived!
Luke and Chad.
Luke.
Amy and Oliver. The kids enjoyed pointing out what was Gothic and what was Roman.
The cloister garden.
Gloria.
Oliver.
Luke.
Amy and Gloria.
Gloria won the award in the family for taking the most steps.
Chad and Oliver.
A nice space for enjoying a little snack after all the walking and exploring.
What an amazing time! From there we drove north to Arromanches. We drove by St. Lo where Monsieur Genet told us about how when he was 12, he and his family had to walk 40 miles west to Avranches to escape the bombing of the city during WWII. This story really brought to life what the kids had read about.
That same afternoon we began our drive to the D-Day beach area, with a stop off along they way in Bayeux.
Oliver and Gloria.
We happened upon one of our favorite restaurants of the trip -- a creperie.
My scrumptious dinner -- entirely blog-worthy.
Oliver and Chad.
Oliver, Gloria and Luke.
Bayeux also has an amazing Cathedral and it miraculously survived WWII.
Our walks along French streets might be some of our favorite memories.
We arrived that same night in Arromanches on the Normandy coast, which was part of Gold Beach where the British led its invasion during WWII. The British built an amazing temporary harbor from old ships and pontoon boats, and much of it still remains and is visible at low tide. When we arrived, we were able to see them and explore around them.
Gloria with remnants of the artificial harbor built overnight before D-day in Arromanches.
Luke.
Oliver.
On Day THREE, we began with an exploration of the WWII museum in Arromanches. Oliver above.
Luke.
Gloria.
We began our drive to explore the D-Day beaches, starting first at the site of the German artillery bases.
It was incredible to explore the many places the Germans built bunkers.
We paid a visit to the American Cemetery. It was a powerful visit for all of us.
Oliver.
Oliver.
We were all inspired by the sacrifices made by so many.
Afterwards, we continued our drive to Omaha Beach.
Gloria.
Oliver decided to collect sand from each of the D-Day beaches we explored.
Next we headed to Utah Beach, where the paratroopers landed.
Oliver.
Oliver and Gloria.
Collecting a little sand.
We enjoyed our drives there and back. Such narrow roads through beautiful, charming villages.
Back in Arromanches, an oyster lover's dream!
Yummie gelato!
Some sand from Gold Beach.
The view from our Arromanches hotel, where we could see Gold Beach and the artificial harbor at low tide.
We loved the D-Day Beach area and Arromanches!
Day FOUR of Normandy, we headed off to beautiful Honfleur, a fishing village along the coast and a former Viking stronghold, where the Seine meets the sea.
We enjoyed a nice meal along the water. Luke and Amy.
Gloria and Chad.
My favorite translation of the trip: "Avocat" is the French word for both avocado and lawyer. This restaurant offered an appetizer of lawyer and shrimp. Of course, we had to have this -- and it was great!
Noodle time! Gloria.
Oliver, Luke and Gloria in front of the old fisherman houses.
Amy and Chad
Luke, Gloria and Chad walking around Honfleur.
The beautiful church in Honfleur, made mostly of wood.
Oliver.
Fun rides!
After a fun morning and early afternoon in Honfleur, we headed over to Etretat to explore a site made famous by Monet. We crossed this amazing bridge on the way.
We arrived in Etretat -- which ended up being a real highlight of the trip. The amazing white cliffs that protrude into the sea with pockets of erosion were quite a sight. The town is small and we felt like we nearly had the place to ourselves. We had this incredible view from our hotel -- not sure we will ever have a hotel view again that will match this!
That same afternoon, we set out on a hike to view the cliffs.
Oliver.
Gloria.
Oliver.
Gloria.
Luke and Chad.
Amy and Luke.
Luke and Gloria.
Luke.
Luke.
We happened upon a restaurant in Etretat that ended up being one of our favorites of the entire trip. Traditional Norman cuisine, warm atmosphere and kid friendly food.
I enjoyed mussels with cream sauce -- wow!
We enjoyed a movie night back at the hotel.
Day FIVE of Normandy, we lingered a bit longer in Etretat than we had planned -- it was hard to leave!
Breakfasts in Europe. Ahhh...
A little more exploring of the coastline before we left to head south.
The beach was actually made of rock, not sandy, making walking a bit more adventurous.
Gloria, Oliver and Luke. At high tide this whole area is under water.
Amy was inspired.
Luke.
Luke.
What an amazing place!
Back in the car! Three cool kids.
The happy driver.
We headed for a short trip to Rouen, made famous by Monet who painted its Cathedral in different lighting and different times of day and by Joan of Arc, who was burned at the stake here in the 1400s.
French chocolate? Bien sur!
Rouen has a beautiful and very walkable city center. Great for souvenir shopping.
The Cathedral in Rouen; we enjoyed a little picnic lunch here on the steps.
The Cathedral soars, and there isn't a lot of space in front of it, so to really appreciate it, you have to do what Oliver and Luke are doing above.
At the site where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake.
After Rouen, we went to the last stop on our trip, Giverny, where Monet had his gardens and studio.
Lucky us! Carole drove north from Paris to join us for this last day!
Amy and Gloria.
Monet's home.
Carole and Amy.
Oliver, Luke and Gloria.
Gloria.
Monet's inspiration for his water lilies paintings. Gloria. Luke and Oliver.
Gloria.
Luke.
Amy and Chad.
Luke.
Haystacks.
Carole took some great family pictures for us! Coming to this year's Christmas Card!
We enjoyed a great last dinner in France with Carole in Giverny.
Luke, Carole and Gloria.
Luke and Carole.
Our jaws dropped when Carole gave the kids these. Monsieur Genet noticed the kids' interest in the Liberation of France on D-day and in particular their interest in his stories of his experience there as a boy. As a gift, he gave the kids these original newspapers from 1944 and 1945 documenting the invasion and liberation of France. These will now be precious possessions in our home that we will frame, prominently place and treasure forever, reminding us of this amazing part of French-American history and the dear friendship we have with the Genet Family.
Carole and Gloria.
We are so lucky for Carole's friendship!
Amy right at home in France.
We enjoyed one last night's sleep before leaving from Paris the next day. These kids traveled so well together and asked great questions throughout the entire trip. They and we learned so much and had so much fun -- exploring museums, delving into history, wandering beaches and re-connecting with dear friends. I told the kids that I'm a Francophile -- and they asked, what is that? I told them it is someone who loves French language and culture. They said, "Well, then we are Francophiles too!" Music to my ears.
Boarding our flight.
What a memorable trip!
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