Walking in the footsteps of Monet

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Today the cruise ship docks in Le Havre Paris. From Le Havre Renata and I wanted to tour Normandy to see the D-day beach sites. However, those Princess tours were all booked so we decided to go on tour to Monet House and the city of Rouen instead.

Claude Monet’s home is located in Giverny, France. The house has a beautiful garden with a lily pond that could have been the inspiration for his famous “Water Lilies” paintings.

After touring Monet’s House, we headed over to Rouen after a delicious lunch. Rouen is a city on the river Seine in northern France and is Normandy’s vibrant, historical and cultural capital, famous for its cathedral and museums. Places we visited in Rouen include:



1. La Couronne, founded in 1345, is the oldest inn in France. In 1948, the restaurant served chef and author Julia Child her first French meal, which was said to have inspired her to devote her life to promoting French cooking.

2. St. Joan of Arc Church: she was burned to death on a funeral pyre in Rouen. The roof of

Le Havre Cruise StopLe Havre Cruise Stop

the church is supposed to represent the flames that killed her and the sweeping curves symbolize an overturned longship. The inside of the church has a beautiful stained-glass display

3. Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen: It is famous for its three towers, each in a different style.



Rouen’s main street was overbearingly crowded with tourists from the Viking River Cruises, other tourists and locals. We explored the streets surrounding the Seine before it was time to head back to the ship.



Tomorrow, we head back to Southampton which marks the end of our British Isles cruise. Although Renata and I enjoyed the cruise we got sick from the overcrowding on the ship and the constant flow of passengers departing and arriving on the ship. Furthermore, because we were on a cruise, we had limited time in the different ports and we needed to ensure that we made it back in time before the cruise ship left the port. Nevertheless, it was a good experience because we got to spend time with our mom. I think that cruises to more scenic places would be nicer in the future. Until then!

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