Normandy

We just returned from our first trip into the French countryside. Although it seems incredibly decadent to have gone on a trip from what is already more or less a vacation, it was wonderful to get out of the city for a couple of days and explore another region of France. We did and saw way too much to tell it all, so I'll just give the highlights from each day here.

We left from the Gare de Lyon where we picked up our rental car. Abe rediscovered his ability to drive stick shift fairly easily and after a few wrong turns, I got the hang of navigating French roads. We headed first for Rouen, which is a beautiful and fascinating city. We spent quite a bit of time in the cathedral (Ella and Abe sketched it from the same place where Monet did his famous series of paintings). We also saw the remnants of the oldest Jewish building ever found in France. It is under the Palais de Justice and was discovered during a 1970's renovation. There were Hebrew incriptions and graffiti on the walls, and they think it was probably a school built in the 11th century. We also saw the square where Joan of Arc was martyred, now the site of a bizarre modern church/market place complex. We drove on from there to La Pommeraie, a beautiful and relaxing bed and breakfast in rural Normandy. It is run by a sweet British couple whom I think Ella and Jonah adopted as surrogate grandparents for the two days we were there. We enjoyed a delicious 5 course dinner in the dining room, which opened on to the yard. Ella and Jonah were able to go out and play and look for Nemo the cat (who ran the other way whenever he saw them coming) while we lingered over the cheese course and coffee.

The next morning, Abe had arranged for a bottle of cider (a Normandy specialty) to be waiting for me at breakfast. After a breakfast of bread and croissants and Libby's homemade jams (we especially liked the fig & lemon and the plum; Ella, not surprisingly, liked the Nutella [chocolate spread]), we set out for a day on the coast. We went first to a small sea side town called St. Valery en Caux. Ella and Jonah picked their way across the rocks to the sandy beach at low tide. They played in the shallow ocean water for a long time along side the local people fishing for mussels and prawns. Then, we went back up on the quai where we found a kids' pool and playground area. While Abe and the kids' played, I went shopping in several local shops. In each shop I asked them what Norman specialty they would recommend for a picnic. We ate an amazing picnic lunch (linen bread, which has a wonderful nutty flavor, an incredibly fresh chevre which the shopkeeper had gotten from the back of the store for me, delicious tiny mirabelle plums, and two tarts, one apple and cinnamon, one pear and chocolate, which were the best "birthday cake" I've ever had). After lunch, the kids slept in the backseat of the car, while we did some grownup sight seeing. We went to Fecamp, which is the site of the Benedictine Abbey where they make the liqueur of the same name (with a blend of 27 herbs and spices). Then we went to Etretat, made famous by the impressionist paintings of the cliffs that look like an elephant dipping his trunk in the water. We drove across the impressive Pont de Normandie, stopping in the rest stop for a stunningly uninformative display about how the bridge was built. We ended up in Honfleur, a charming portside city. One highlight there was a butterfly house where Ella tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to stand still enough for a butterfly to land on her.

The next morning, we went to Jumieges. This is the cite of the ruins of an abbey that was alternately built and destroyed between the years 650 and 1500. After lunch, we again had some nap/grownup sight seeing time. We drove along the Seine on what is called the thatched cottage route. Some interesting things you may not know about thatched roofs is that they are topped with clay which is then planted with irises. The roots of the irises reinforce the clay and also control the level of moisture in the roof. A well built thatch roof can last 50 years. We also drove through several charming French towns, some so small that you can see the sign marking the entrance of the town and the sign marking the exit from the town at the same time. The kids woke up just in time to watch us take a car ferry across the Seine (very cool). We drove on to our next hotel near Giverny which was situated in a beautiful chateau formerly owned by Philip II of Belgium (or some such). Unfortunately, the "family" rooms were across the road in what I can only guess were the servants quarters; still nice, but not nearly as posh. Abe and Ella were brave enough to swim in the frigid pool before leaving for dinner. We drove for almost an hour looking for a place to eat dinner, finally ending up at a chinese restaurant about 5 minutes from the hotel. We were surprised at how little there is in the area given what a tourist attraction Monet's gardens are. Giverny does not even have a boulangerie. We are not especially commercial people, but we kept thinking of development possibilities for the area. I understand about rural charm, but a nice charming rural bakery would do quite well there.

The next morning we visited Monet's gardens and home. Obviously the gardens are beautiful, but we were surprised at just how beautiful it was in person. Ella is a big Monet fan, so she was very impressed to see his studio, the Japanese bridge, the Japanese prints that inspired him, and the lily pads. We also went to the American museum and saw a nice exhibit on how American art of the era was influenced by French art. We drove home to Paris (what a feeling to feel like you've come home when you reach Paris!), excited to start planning our next trip.