Museum visiting could be an Olympic Event

Yes, visiting museums really could become an endurance event.  Yesterday we walked around Paris, and visited St. Chapelle.  Today we visited the D'Orsay and the Musee Orangerie, and have seen enough modern art to cross our eyes!

Notre Dame de Paris

Rouen

We have had a wonderful day, although we are starting to realize that our holiday actually is coming to an end, and are starting to feel ready to come home.  This morning we checked out of our hotel in Bayeau and drove through small towns and villages to Rouen.  We checked into the hotel and parked the car, and then it was off for a busy afternoon.  We visited the lovely old streets of the city, stopping to admire the beautiful Eglise St. McClou.  The beautiful timbered buildings on the far side of the cathedarl, away from the Seine, are still looking much as they did hundreds of years ago, and were very photogenic.  The cathedral of Rouen is also spectacular, with its famous wrought iron steeple again sihouetted against the skyline.  Although we woke up to drizzle that lasted for most of the day, it didn't bother us, and after we left the smaller but choice Musee des Beaux Arts, were we were well satisfied with the range and quality of what we saw, the sun had come out.  We went down to the Place du Vieux Marche, where we saw a colourful market and the avant-garde Eglise Jeanne d'Arc, which made the spot where Joan of Arc died rather colourful.  Time for some last photos in the late afternoon sunshine, and then time to head back to the hotel for a quick rest before heading out for a nice dinner.

The picture above is the central apse of Rouen Cathedral.  Tomorrow we drive to Paris, drop off the car, and begin our all-too-brief visit to the City of Light.  Some pictures below!

Vieux-la-Romaine et Falaise

Today we started out by driving to Vieux-la-Romaine, which has been known since the Eighteenth Century as the Roman city of Aregenua.  The site has been cleverly developed, with a museum, an educational / experimental area, and several outdoor sites that are in the small town and itself.

After this, we went down to the town of Falaise and saw the reconstructed chateau where William the Conquerer was born.  Falaise saw immense destruction in August of 1944, and the Chateau de Guillaume was a German stronghold.  When we saw the view from the ramparts and tower, over miles of countryside, we could see why.  The reconstruction is nicely done, and follows the layout of the castle in the Twelfth Century exactly, some of the artistic details include a floor of glass and lead, where one can see through to the floor below.  I have a real phobia of walking on floors where I can see between my feet, so it took everything I had to make it past the great hall, and I'm afraid Ian did the ramparts on his own.

Next we walked around the streets of Falaise and visited the eglise (church) next to the chateau.  It is a beautiful sandstone church which sadly shows the damage of the war.  Ironically, the other end of the church, which was more havily damaged, is beautifully restored.  It is sobering to think that 340 civilians from this one city died in August 1944.

Bayeau and Point du Hoc

Today we planned to go to Vieux and see some Roman ruins, but over breakfast we discovered that the museum is closed on Wednesday.  We decided to switch up itineraries, and today we saw the Musee de Bayeau, which was a little gem and not what we expected, and after a lovely lunch, we were off to Point du Hoc, where the American Rangers fought an amazing battle early in the morning of D-Day.  I have been surprised to find out just how different the D-Day landing sites are, and am so impressed with the heroism of the people who had to climb cliffs Batman-on-a-rope style, while under heavy fire.  It was sobering to see the American flags at half mast today, the day after the attacks in Belgium, a grim reminder that while the Second World War may be long over, war itself continues.

Ian and I above Omaha Beach.

D-Day Remembered

Commonwealth Cemetary, Bayeau France

Statue outside the Canadian Museum on Juno Beach

Today we visited war museums, the first showing the overall invasion of Normany on D-Day, and the second was the Canadian museum at Juno Beach.  We spent the rest of the day driving along the astoundingly beautiful sea coast, hardly able to believe that such a great deal of violence and suffering took place here, in June of 1944.

Nous sommes en Bayeux aujourd'hui.

Today we bid adieu to St. Malo and drove to Bayeau in Normandy.  We are here for four days, and today we were going to do a walking tour of the town, see the cathedral, and generally get the lay of the land.  I was planning to leave the Bayeau tapestry until the day after tomorrow, but couldn't wait!  It was wonderful, and even though I have studied it before, it was a different experience seeing the real size and scope of the tapestry laid out in front of us.

Dinan, the aquarium, and laundry

Today is our last day in St. Malo, and we decided to visit one of the many historic villages in the area, Dinan.  Our plan was to walk the town with convenient breaks to visit the town's many museums. Our first surprise was that our hotel was out of breakfast, but we found some mediocre croque monsieur in Dinan -- one of the few places open.  Of course today is dimanche, and none of the museums was open yet, in spite of what the guide books said.  After viewing the town for a couple of hours, during which we saw the picturesque town and the local flea market, we decided to head off to the Grande Aquarium.  This was a great choice.  Although I was reluctant to spend time in an aquarium in France when I have visited our local aquariums so many times, this one had Atlantic fish, and was really well set up -- it even had a submarine ride!  Although the place was full of French families on a Sunday opening, we had a great time -- and the audio with our shark video is hilarious!  We marched our duds to the laundrette and while the clothes dried we had crepes and tea on the at a salon above the beach.  So while it has been cold, and everything was closed, we have had a snug and happy day.

Ian, watching sharks swim over his head.  Turtles too!

A square in Dinan.

We stuck a few more pictures below: