Our Little Road Trip

-By Scharman

Family and friends who are following our French adventure, in this post you are victims of the play by play journaling of our little road trip, because in all reality, the reason we are keeping this family travel blog is to keep a family journal, thus the many details so we will remember all of the memories we are creating.

We are back in touch because we now have our beloved WIFI (or "wiffy" as our British Landlady calls it).

3 NOTES taken and now recorded from our trip:

1.  June is an ideal time to travel in France.
                A.  Crowds (or lack there of):  We have only stood in line once...and that was for 7 minutes at Giverny and that was because we were closer to Paris.
                B.  Weather:  It has been cool and overcast.  Perfect for photos and for temperments.  We honestly have been so lucky to only have the rain come when we are indoors or in the car traveling.

2.  Driving in France can be risky!
               A.  If you do not speak French and you get lost in the backroads.....good luck, you could be lost for days.  So, bring your own translator with you.  Relying on GPS is not an option with American cell phones in Europe.
               B.  Get very, very good map.

3.  Be prepared.
              A.  With food: For all the wonderful breadshops and cafes, and grocery stores, you always seem to need something on a Monday and everything is closed; or in the middle of the afternoon, also when everything is closed.
              B.   Gas: Be careful venturing if you are below one-half tank because gas stations also close on random days or hours. In Giverny we traveled to three gas stations only to have each one closed during the two hour lunch break.
              C.  Bring Cash: American credit cards do not work for many vendors, since we do not have a "smart card" chip, and instead use the outdated magnetic strips.
              
We just returned home from a 3 day roadtrip to the Normandy region of France.

MONDAY:

We started out bright and early on Monday morning, heading straight to famous Cathedral at Chartes, one of the finest examples of French High Gothic style which was started in 1193 A.D.

The most interesting aspects are the flying buttresses and the original stainglass.  Most of the stained glass we have seen in the Cathedrals is not original due to lightening and war.  In this cathedral in Chartes, in an effort to save these gorgeous stained glass pieces during WWII, each was taken down, wrapped in protective clothes and stored miles away in the surrounding countryside and returned when the war was over.

The flying buttresses are at the very top of this photo.

You can better see the flying buttresses to the right above Grace's head.

Another sinificant characteristic are the intricately carved statue scenes which depict scences from the bible.

Herod ordering the murders of all of the baby boys 2 years old and under.

The Baptism of Jesus Christ.  (Note the cup of water.)

The Last Supper.

The Ascension.  The children had a fun time trying to guess this scene.
Notice Christ's feet are hanging down from the top of the scene.

Our children were quite intrigued with the priests as they practiced for a special Mass celebration during our visit.

Next we headed to Giverny, to the home and gardens of Claude Monet in what is called the "Birth Place of Impressionism."  We just felt inspired to be at Giverny.  One could see why Claude Monet painted his surroundings.  Every place you looked was picturesque.  The camera could not capture the beauty of his gardens.

 

In front of Monet's home.  (No photos allowed inside.)

As we entered his gardens....

Looking out from his famous Japanese style bridge on the very water lilly pond he is so famous for painting.

Grace and Emmeline with Jake, Tom, Audrey, Maggie and Rich.  Matt so generously offered to stay in the car with the two sleeping boys, giving them a much needed recharge to make it through the rest of our roadtrip.
Bless you Matt.  You gave me a little gift.

After Giverny we were on a mission to find a hotel for the night in Rouen then feed the troops.  Seating for a crowd of 13 is unheard of in France.  We attract a lot of attention.  The stares and pointing are comical.

We decided upon Hotel Premiere Class, after the first hotel offered us a room with a shared bathroom down the hall with the other random guests.  The 40 euro price tag and free "wiffy" were a bonus.  No charge for the French ambiance.  Please note the spacious accomodations.  It is actually quite efficient to brush your teeth, go to the bathroom and shower all at the same time, while trying not to splash sleeping family members in the bed next to you.

Bunk beds!  The boys were in heaven.

Next stop, dinner in Rouen.

First we found a resturant which was open, was not crowded, and could seat 13 people.  Eric translated for this hungry crowd (again bless him).  

We waited.

And waited.

Played Simon Says and waited some more.

One thing we have come to learn about the French:  they will not be rushed.  A quality I both admire and have been frustrated by, especially when it comes to dinner time for my young children.

By the time we were seated our boys had had it.  They were starving, and our experience told us that once seated you are still subject to wait up to 30 minutes to order.  So, once again Matt earns the title of my hero (Do you think he remembers that this Sunday is Fathers' Day?)  And he takes the boys around the corner to a fast food resturant and has food in their bodies within minutes.  We knew that traveling in France with children would not give us the ultimate French dining experiences and we were correct.

Two beef patties on a baguette with frites, called the "American" on the menu.

Matt and the boys were done with their meal and we still hadn't recieved our menus.....so Matt and the boys had a photo shoot.

Ironcially, when we finally finished our North African cuisine of couscous, meat and delicious vegetables, the children (& Eric) were still hungry so we headed to the same place Matt and the boys ate to purchase a few kabob meals and puddings (for dessert).  Then back at the vans we watched Eric climb through his window to get into his seat (his door was blocked by the tree).  (Note:  European driving and parking favors teeny, tiny cars, not large family vans.)

TUESDAY:

We woke up, took some advil for our necks, had our breakfast of apples, bread and cheese with salami in our hotel room and headed to the Musee de la Tapisserie de Bayeux, or the Bayeux Tapestry which depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England.  It is a long embroideried cloth (the longest in the world) and was created to teach the people before history books were printed about the early history of France.  It was displayed once each year and people would come from miles around to look at the tapestry and learn the history of their people.  Photos were prohibited.  This exhibit surpassed our expectations.  It was like a Story of the World chapter with pictures.  Each person was given their own audio hand device which told the story as we walked along the Tapestry.

On our way into the exhibit we found a bit of Icelandic history which made us Icelandic descendants proud!  

A Viking Ship of Thovald, Eric the Red's son.  

We spent the rest of the day at Omaha Beach, one of the June 6th, 1944, D-Day landings for the Americans, where the most casulties were suffered.  It was a moving, patriotic afternoon, which stirred emotions and gave pause for reflection.  It was a quiet afternoon of reverence.

Over 10,000 lives American soilders gave their lives to defend freedom in Normandy.
The French people were so touched during WWII to see these young men come from a country
far away to defend the freedom and liberty for those they had never met.

Omaha Beach

It was humbling to imagine that such a beautiful place was devistated by loss of human lives.

We did not think we could top our stay at the Preimer Hotel.  We were wrong.  After an hour or so of driving around a bit lost in the French countryside we located a Chambres de Hotes Bed and Breakfast.  We fell in love with our hostess, Catherine, and wanted to stay at least five more nights.  Catherine spoke beautiful English and we so enjoyed our visits with her.

Here is a link to Catherine's bed and breakfast if any are ever interested in touring the Normandy area.  www.lafresnee.com

We again learn that French resturants close after lunch and do not open again until
anywhere between 6:30 and 7:30 for dinner.  Can we say hungry children?!

The picturesque drive to stay here....

on a working farm at at Bed & Breakfast.....

In this old barn....

Which now looks like this inside....

And has a dormitory like room to house a large family (or two)....

And has a bunny or two hopping around...

And feeds you a most delicious French breakfast in the main Farmhouse which looks like this....
(Behind the orange shutter directly behind me is an original painting, painted directly on the wall by a German soilder, who occupied the home when German troops took over the farm durning WWII.)

All of the children played yard games outside while we visited with Catherine
and another American couple (Parke & Whitley from Tennessee).

We didn't want to leave.  We wanted to stay and live here.

Our World War II history tour continued as we visited Pointe du Hoc.  Which was a rocky cliff and strategic strong hold for the German forces, because of it's perspective over the beaches.  Allied forces bombed the area for weeks in advance of D-Day.  Three companies of Army Rangers (225 soilders) tried to invade (75 were wounded, 60 survived and the rest were killed).  Unknown to the Allied forces, the Germans had moved their large guns 1 mile away to keep them safe from the bombings.

Every crater was created by a bomb explosion.

Climbing through the German Pill Boxes (or Bomb shelters) was eerie.

Many of the Pill Boxes were in ruins, while many were still intact.
The Germans had 3 years to fortify this rocky cliff from attack and they were prepared.

A heavy artillery bunker.

 Next we traveled to Sainte Mere Eglise Cathedral, where an American paritrooper was caught on one of the church's spires.  He successfully cut himself down, saved fellow soilders' lives and then died from his wounds.

Notice the white parachute kept on the roof in memory of the troops.

The broken stained glass was replaced after the war with memorials to those who gave their lives for France.  You can see the images of paritroopers in each of these stained glass pieces.

Our final event of the day had been long anticipated by George and Anthon.  Matt had been telling them stories of Mont Saint Michel for months.  It did not disappoint the boys.  

Mont Saint Michel is a great Cathedral built on the highest, rocky point, a small island off the coast of France, after the Bishop of Avaranches recieved 3 dreams in which he was visited by St. Michel and told to build a Cathedral to celebrate triumph over Satan and evil.  He was told in his dream to build it high and build it strong and that is what he did.  Mont St. Michel has been one of the top four pilgramige sites for Christians for 1,200 years.  We read that it was a tourists trap 1,200 years ago...and it still is.  It is an island of one street, which winds it's way up to the fortress like Cathedral.  You pass by vendors selling food and wears as you walk.  One of the cafes has been there for over 1,000 years selling omlets.  We passed up the temptation, instead settling for delicious crepes in a local town nearby.  You drive in on a causeway...but if you do not leave before high tide your car just may be underwater!

The children counted 596 steps to the top of the Cathedral.

Matt got the biggest kick out of George.  We come all the way to France and make it to George's most anticipated location and the boy finds a "roly poly" bug and adopts him as his new friend.  He carried the roly poly through the entire Cathedral.  In the end, he decided to leave the roly poly "in its own country" because "he might speak French, not English" and may not make it through the plane ride home.

Audrey decides to check out the roly poly too.

After our tasty dinner we gave the children their various medicines, put them in their pajamas and headed home for our three hour drive.  

Wheeeew!  There, now it's someone else's turn to post tomorrow.

P.S.  Scharman may or may not have woken up after dozing in the passenger seat and asked Matt to take the speed down a notch or two (from the 160 km per hour).