Road trip to Normandy

We have a favorite B&B near the beaches of Normandy.  We have referred over 10 people there and have always wanted to go back to this renovated old mill, exquisitely decorated and peaceful. It was a place I had always wanted to take my friend, Wendy, to see.  When she told me she would love to see the Normandy beaches, I planned a girlfriend get-away, along with my friend Amy.


But this meant renting a car....which also meant I would have to drive.  After checking rates, it made sense to keep the car that we rented for Burgundy, but that meant driving in Paris.  That was something I was NOT going to do.  It's not that I can't drive in a big city. But Paris, with all of it's round-abouts and NO marked lanes, and CRAZY fast drivers.......It stresses me out just being a passenger!  Besides, to get out of Paris, it usually means driving around the Arc de Triomphe to get on the freeway, the granddaddy of roundabouts.  It has 12 avenues radiating from the Arc!  

So, after begging and promising to give countless backrubs to Lyle,  I convinced him to drive us out to a freeway entrance.  What a guy, huh?


We picked up Amy and headed toward La Defense, where Lyle works, just outside of the city limits....yes, driving around the Arc.  After a few attempts at finding a drop-off point, he did find a corner near his office.  We said our good-byes and he watched us take off for the A13.


We did pretty well, until we missed a turn to get off on the N13, which I thought was more direct.  Well, French freeways do not make it easy to turn around.  It usually involves driving 20 or 30 kilometers back, going through the toll booths again, and then going through more roundabouts to find the highway.  We dutifully did that, but found out that the N13 was a VERY slow way to go, slowing down through small villages, hills, valleys, and behind huge semi-trucks.  It turned a 2-hour trip into 5 hours.  We rationalized the mistake by saying it was an adventure....and picturesque too!

We arrived to a very warm 90-degree day at Omaha Beach, where people were sunbathing, swimming, and walking.  It was hard to imagine the 10,000  lives lost on beginning on June 6, 1944. We could see the bunkers in the hills above.  It was emotional. 

Amy knew the way from the beach up to the American Cemetery overlooking the sea, so we hiked up there.  The thousands of crosses lined up brought tears to our eyes.

 So did talking to an 85-year old  veteran from Oregon, who hadn't been here since seeing his buddies die around him.  As he told us a little of the story, we told him a big thank-you, all of us trying to hide our tears.  Yes, every American should see this if they can.  I have been able to come here twice.

 

 

We drove a few more kilometers to see the area where the German troops had their bunkers, still left untouched after the bombings.

 

 

We wondered what these young German soldiers were thinking as they also toured the area....

We headed to our B&B, checked in, and relaxed for a few minutes as we took in the country views....

 

 

  ......before having to head for dinner in the pretty little village of Bayeux, the first town to be liberated by the Allies. It escaped bombings and destruction, and still has buildings from the 15th century. It is so refreshing to see the streets still lined with American, French, and European Union flags.  We found a cute little place for dinner, then walked the winding streets....
 

 

 

We woke up to a foggy and rainy morning, had a wonderful French breakfast.....

and had to get going on our road trip.  We stopped in Bayeux to check out the majestic Cathedral of Notre Dame in the middle of the town.  

This cathedral was constructed in the mid 11th century.  William the Conqueror, who was King of England, was present for its consecration in 1077. 

 After stopping  at a few shops and picking up some antiques, we were back on the road again.  Our time schedule forced us to get going before noon so that we could reach our next destination - Giverny.

This time we took the freeway...and reached the town of Vernon in a few hours.  Amy hopped on the train back to Paris,  and Wendy and I drove to the little town of Giverny where Monet's garden is the main attraction.  I had been there with my girlfriends in June, but Wendy hadn't seen it.  It was a delight to visit it again.  Spring flower gardens were now filling up with autumn blooms. 

 

 

 But the famous water-lilly pond appearance doesn't seem to change much.  It is always the beautiful scene that seems timeless, just as Monet painted it a hundred years ago.

Our road trip ended that evening as I dropped the car off in Vernon, to avoid driving into Paris, of course.  We took the train for a relaxing one-hour ride into Paris, a bit worn out, but filled with some wonderful memories.