Thursday October 22, 2015 – Giverny, France to CDG to MIA to FLL

We had to get up very early at 6:00 am so we can drive to Paris, refuel the car, and turn it in. 

We left Giverny a little before 7 am and took a more direct route as recommended by Sandrine.  The traffic was heavy and at a standstill at some points.  I drove and it was dark, rainy, and congested.  It took us a little over 1 ½ hours but the GPS got us to CDG by the better route.

We first went to the Total gas station at CDG airport and refueled the car.  Then we reprogrammed the GPS to take us to the Terminal 2 Enterprise car return.  It took us right there.  Whew!  The car return was swift and we went to check in for our flight.  We got an expedited pass through immigration and security.  We went to the lounge and had breakfast and coffee and waited less than an hour to load onto our flight.

They called our flight, we went to the gate (all of the way at the other end of the terminal, of course), immediately loaded onto the plane and settled in for our 10 ½ hour flight from CDG to Miami.  The meals and service were good and we were able to nap soon too.

On arrival in Miami, we went through immigration and customs easily.  Fernando was there to meet us and he took us back to Ft Lauderdale.  We are anxious to see the final results of our construction that has been underway while we were traveling.

It is so good to be home.  Another wonderful adventure comes to a close.  I think I enjoyed this one much more than Tim but we had fun together.  We are home for about 7 weeks and then it’s time to go on another adventure.

Wednesday October 21, 2015 – Giverny, France

We got up at 8:15 am, again before the sun.  We slept pretty good and fortunately there was no baby crying.

Breakfast by Sandrine was good – some yogurt, apple sauce, breads and home made jams, and fruit.  We enjoyed talking to a couple from Perth, Australia – Mike and Liz.  They will be at our table d’hote tonight.

We headed into Giverny on foot to the Van Gogh house and museum.  We had tickets that Emilie had sent to us.  We first went to the gardens – beautiful. 

The beautiful gardens at Giverny

Even though it is September, there are many flowers blooming in the gardens

The lily gardens at Giverny

Calm and serene

A small man-made canal used to irrigate the gardens at Giverny

A beautiful field of sunflowers outside Giverny

Many unusual flowering plants

Beautiful flower gardens at Giverny

Then we went into the flower garden which still had lots of blooms.  Van Gogh's house museum was next.  It was all very interesting.  The flowers in the flower garden were spectacular.

Beautiful tile work in Van Gogh's kitchen

The outside of Van Gogh's house

We then walked around Giverny and went to the impressionistic museum.  Not much there.  We bought sandwiches at a shop in Giverny before we left town.

We headed back and got the car and headed for a short ride out to La Roche Guyon Castle .  There is a huge castle used by Rommel in the war.  It was closed for lunch, so we walked about the small town, got some lunch, and then ate our sandwiches on a bench in a small park.  The sandwiches were awful again!  I went next door and bought a pastry (figue) that was a good ending to a bad lunch.

Part of La Roche Guyon Castle

Then we headed back to the ticket booth at the castle, got tickets and headed into the castle for our tour.  The route wasn’t marked very well, but we saw all of the sights.  Walking up the tower to the dungeon was very hard and my knees are hurting me.  But I made it to the top.  Getting back down was also hard.  My knees were killing me.

La Roche Guyon Castle as seen from the gardens on the river

Beautiful river scene at the gardens

The had some interesting art in the gardens

From the top of the castle looking toward the river in the distance

Panorama of the view from the roof of the castle

The dove headquarters

A winding stairway to the turret of the castle

The parade grounds of the castle

Beautiful tapistries inside the castle

The extensive library

We then headed to Les Andelys to see the Chateau Gaillard.  It is a huge ruin that has a magnificent view of the River Seine and the town of Andelys below.  It was another hard walk up the hill.  We paid to go in but there wasn’t much to see.

The castle ruins at Les Andelys - Chateau Gaillard

Some of the remaining walls of Chateau Gaillard

A selfie through the old walls with the River Seine in the distance

The village of Les  Andelys at the foot of the mountain

Mostly ruins with very little restored at Chateau Gaillard

Tranquil land to the west along the River Seine

Panorama from the castle

We walked back to the car and then drove into Andelys to get a coffee and crepe – no one was open!  We went through Andelys and then to Petit Andelys.  I found a creperie but it was “ferme”!

We then heading back to Vernon.  We stopped and parked and had café allongees at a café.  No crepes though.  We had to laugh that when we didn’t want crepes, they were everywhere and now that we want one, there are none to be found!

We got the car and headed back to the B&B.  We packed, caught up on email, read, and took it easy for the rest of the afternoon.

At 7 pm we opened a bottle of wine to enjoy before Sandrine’s table d'hote dinner.  This is the last bottle that we purchased on this trip.

We met the others at 8 pm for the table d’hote.  It was Mike and Liz, Robert and Sheila from Chattanooga, Sandrine and her husband, and us.  A delicious meal and engaging conversation, mostly about France and travels.  We got into a hot subject when the conversation between Tim and Sandrine’s husband turned to politics. Uh Oh!  Sheila got into it too and it is apparent she is a Tea Party Republican.  I tried to steer the conversation to other things and then Liz got into it too, but she is quite liberal.  We really liked her.

We went to bed about 11 pm and fell right to sleep.  Tomorrow is a long travel day.

Tuesday October 20, 2015 – Belle Isle to Giverny, France

We got up about 9 and went to breakfast at 9:30.  It is just getting light here.

We left for the port about 11:30 am.  We got in line for the ferry and went to a bakery to get a sandwich to take with us so we can eat lunch on the ferry.  I also got a pain au raisin but it didn’t make it until lunch!  We took a short stroll around the small town and looked at the market they had set up in the square.  There were interesting mussels and clams there.

The unusual seafood at the market on Belle Isle

We left Belle Isle at 12:30.  We ate our sandwiches on the ferry and they were awful.  We arrived on the mainland about 1 pm and immediately headed to Giverny, about a 6 hour drive away.  I drove half of the way and Tim drove half.  Later we found out that we got a speeding ticket in this stretch.  I'm sure it was when he was driving!!!!  We seem to have issues with each other when the other is driving.  It's a never ending battle for us and that’s frustrating - just like an old married couple!

The ramp used to drive our rental car onto the ferry - it was "tight"!

Villa de Jade as we sailed away on the ferry from Belle Isle

We arrived in Giverny and found our B&B on Rue Van Gogh.  Our host, Sandrine, met us and showed us around.  The house is old and not updated, or at least not in our taste.  The bath room we have is not attached to our room but there is a curtain in the hallway that we pull to make our trip from the bedroom to the bathroom private.  It is strange, but it works.

Sandrine made reservations for us in Vernon at 8:30.  We drove in and found a place to park, and it happened to be right in front of the restaurant.  Dinner was great, but the restaurant was packed and the 2 member staff was very, very busy.  An enjoyable dinner none-the-less.

We headed back about 10 pm and went to bed.  We are concerned that it could be noisy in the house as there is a baby staying there too!  Uh oh!

Monday October 19, 2015 – Belle Isle Island, France

We slept until 8:45 – it's still dark outside.  The sun comes up really late and it is so quiet here.

We went to breakfast about 9:15 – baked apple, breakfast soufflé, and yogurt with coffee.

We took our time and left about 10:30.  We headed to the northwest end of the island to Pointe de Poulains.  We saw Sarah Bernhardt’s house and museum.  There is a lighthouse there but it was very cold and windy.  Such a beautiful coast.

Our B&B at Villa de Jade

Sarah Bernhardt's house on Belle Isle

A selfie before our cold walk out to the lighthouse

The lighthouse on the southwest edge of Belle Isle

Beautiful rocky coast line

The stratification of the rock was fascinating

Beautiful vistas

Then to the dunes and huge beach at Plage de Donnant.  There were a few surfers in the water, but not much surf.  They were squealing with delight anyway.  It ends up that Manuel and his son were there!

Desolate sandy walkway to Plage de Donnant

The beautiful wide Plage de Donnant

Then we went to Bangor.  We stopped at a lunch place – ferme.  Are there any open in Bangor?  NO!  Tim wasn't happy.  So we went to La Palais, parked, and ate at the Red Fish Restaurant.  We both had mussels – Tim mueniere and mine with 2 mustards.  The dishes were delicious.  Both came with great fries.  I had ile flottante for dessert which was yummy.  We finished lunch with coffee.

We walked around Le Palais and then went to the Citadelle Vauban which Fouquet (of Vaux le Vicomte fame) helped build at one point.  The site dates back to the 1100’s and was built several times.  It was huge and the views from the ramparts was special.  We watched as the ferry sailed into Le Palais.

Some beautiful large buildings in La Palais on Belle Isle

The moat area around Citadelle Vauban

The drawbridge entry into Citadelle Vauban

Beautiful lookout points to the sea from Citadelle Vauban

We can see our B&B, Villa de Jade, from Citadelle Vauban

Beautiful rocky coast and blue water in the sea

The city of La Paradis on Belle Isle as seen from Citadelle Vauban

The ferry coming in to La Paradis

Another selfie taken from Citadelle Vauban

A guard lookout point in Citadelle Vauban

Beautiful stone structure leading into Citadelle Vauban

The drawbridge entry into Citadelle Vauban

Then we went to the Grande Pharo – the large lighthouse.  We’ve seen it beaming at night.  Unfortunately, it was closed today but we walked around it and took in the sites.

The impressive Grande Pharo Lighthouse

Grande Pharo as seen from the bottom

Then we drove to Port Coton.  Van Gogh painted these cliffs and the foam that is created during storms.  It was beautiful.  We walked around and took in the sights.

Beautiful Port Coton

We didn't see "the foam" that Van Gogh painted, but the views were stunning

Windy vista at Port Coton

A beautiful beach at Port Coton but there was no way to get down to it

Beautiful rock formations at Port Coton

Panorama at Port Coton

Beautiful rock formations

There was a couple at Port Coton from Lorient who wanted a lift to Sauzon so we drove them there.  They got out and we went into Sauzon for coffee and a crepe.  Lots of crepe places here.  Funny how we can find them when we don’t want a crepe but many times can’t find them when we do want one!

The waterfront in Sauzon with the tide out - boats in the mud

View from the crepery looking at the low water - people were out collecting mussels

The small lighthouse at Sauzon

Then we drove back to the B&B and relaxed.  We dressed for dinner.  Manuel’s wife told us that the restaurant where we were supposed to eat was closed, or at least they weren’t answering their phone.  So she made a reservation at a crepe place for us!  We don’t think so.  So we drove back to Sauzon and ate again at La Cale – more oysters, tuna tartare and shrimp in ginger that I had to peal (messy!), fish for both of us – and dessert – crème brulee and chocolate mousse.  We had a great bottle of Sancerre.  It was delicious and the maître d' / waiter took good care of us again.

We drove back to the B&B.  The owners met us and told us the Sea Gull restaurant in La Palais was actually open after all – oh well, we think we had a better meal tonight.  The waiter took care of us and gave us a digestif after dinner – Argentinian rum!

We went to bed about 10 and read for a while.  The surf outside is loud and relaxing.  Off to bed.  Another long travel day tomorrow.