Blogs from Bayeux, Lower Normandy, France, Europe

Maandag 6 juli – Bezoek Bayeux Bayeux is de eerste bevrijde grote stad na D-Day. De stad is de slag om Normandië ongeschonden doorgekomen en het heeft dan ook nog een knus centrum, adellijke paleizen en een prachtige kathedraal. Het Centre Guillaume le Conquérant herbergt een grote trekpleister: de Tapisserie. Dit bezoek nam ons bijna de hele dag in beslag. We moesten er van op de MH-parking 2 maal naar toe wandelen. De eerste keer in de late voormiddag mochten we niet meer binnen. De wachtfile was te lang, en het sloot van 12 tot 14 uur. Om 14 uur terug daar, en opnieuw 100m buitenfile. 't Zal wel overgaan zeker. Eerst iets drinken en later terug proberen, misschien dan minder file. Verloren moeite. Bleek later dat men om de 2 minuten 2 man binnen liet. ... read more

After leaving Prague, we arrived in Paris (Charles De Gaulle Airport) to pick up our rental car for our trip to Normandy and the WWII beaches! Unfortunately, the car was not ready which delayed our trip for over an hour and we drove to Bayeux in pouring rain as the sun set, making the grey day even bleaker. We arrived at Au Loup Historic Apartments in Bayeux late but we were able to gain access by connecting with the hotel staff during a frantic drive in the dark with pouring rain! The apartments were not a normal hotel as you get codes and basically stay in a fully equipped apartment in an old cottage courtyard in the French village. Lovely apartment style residence and 2 minutes walking distance from the 11th century church and downtown. Very ... read more

3RD DAY AT FRANCE! Omaha beach, The Museum gift shop, American war memorial and The world war ll cemetery ! We got up to have a delicious breakfast then we started our day. First we drove to Omaha beach and learnt a lot about the wars. Then we drove to the Museum but thought about going in to the museum but then decided that we weren't going to go in and just stayed in the gift shop. Then we went to Bayeux town and got a pastry, an ice-cream and some macaroons for desert. Next we went back to the hotel and I wrote this blog post! 3RD DAY AT FRANCE IS OVER! see y'all later!... read more

Paris and most of Europe are breaking all heat records - Thursday night - 25th - we go out to eat at 22:00 - waiting till the temperature dropped to 39c - down from the high of 45c for the day. Danielle has a creme brûlée - I have the cafe’s signature salad - the Funambules - a mix of greens and iceberg lettuce, boiled eggs, cured ham, cubed medium hard cheese and roasted small potatoes in an acidic balsamic dressing with a few slices of baguette and a nice merlot - I am eating my way to gout... The heat is unbearable - we eat quickly - an hour in a cafe is very quick - we scramble back to our hotel and the safety of air conditioning - which most of the residents of ... read more

Well, what can I say. Today was a very long exhausting day. Left Boston at 7:10 pm, arriving at Charles de Gaulle airport at 7:20am, local time. The flight itself was very uneventful, arriving early, so we thought "Great". Not so fast, as we waited in line for 1 1/2 hours to get through immigration, then on to the car rental agency, which took another hour. So we didn't get on the road until 10:00am. Thankfully, our car is equipped with GPS, so we easily maneuvered through busy traffic, and arrived at our first stop, Giverny, to visit Monet's home and gardens. It was not disappointing, as the flowers were spectacular, and his home interesting, and filled with reproductions of his works. After a very delicious lunch of filled crepes, we headed off to Bayeux, where ... read more