Rich and I took at trip to France, April 27 - May 27. We flew to Paris from Seattle and rented a car from Charles de Gaulle. Our first stop was the fishing Viking village Honfleur for two days, then we drove to Normandy beaches to see Omaha and Utah Beach, the American Cemetery Normandy, the Utah Beach Museum, and then stayed in Roche Torin close to Mont. Saint. Michele three nights seeing the abbey on the island across the water and landscape from our hotel where we admired the medieval Abbey and local farm sheep grazing and sleeping in the bucolic fields. We then drove to the Loire Valley staying at Auberge de la Caillere to visit chateaus: Blois, Chambord, Chenonceau, and Ambroise where Leonardo Di Vinci’s tomb lays in the church. Next stop, and our longest drive, to the Basque region of France, staying at the lovely seaside Saint-Jean-De-Luz and enjoyed fours days at Hotel Plage soaking up the sun, admiring the Pyrenees mountains, exploring half-timber house villages, and we took a a bus/train day trip to San Sebastian, Spain for a authentic tapas and pinxtos crawl. Next stop for two days staying at Mercure Carcassonne La Cité hotel, the medieval town of Carcassonne to see the castle and eat cassoulet. Delicious! Our next stop for five days, Boulbon, France, near the Rhone River in Provence. We loved the maison we stayed in Hotel Bastide, loved the village, danced to disco music with a local chef, and explored wonderful towns: Arles, Nimes, Les Baux-de-Provence, Gordes, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Aux-En-Provence, and Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Not enough time to see every town - another trip perhaps. From Boulbon, we drove to Lyon where we enjoyed three days staying at Le Phoenix eating to our hearts content at Les Halles de Lyon - Paul Bocuse, a bouchon, and more. For wine, oh yes, Rhone, Loire, and did I mention Burgundy - Oui! We stayed in the lovely grape growing village, Aloxe Corton - a piece of heaven, at Villa Louise explored, shopped and dined in Beaune - it was lovely! We toured the interesting historic Hôtel-Dieu Museum - Hospices de Beaune - a must see in Beaune. Two days is not enough time in Burgundy. We shall return to visit more villages and Dijon in the future. The last leg of our trip we spent two nights in the Champagne region, Reims, where we enjoyed seeing the gothic Reims Cathedral and sampling different champagnes, after two days we drove back to Charles de Gaulle Airport, dropped off the car, and took at taxi to Paris where were spent three HOT days (temps hovering 94 degrees in May), between the 4th and 11th Arrondissement’s. We rode the Paris Metro to see Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre, Moulin Rouge area, the Eiffell Tower, Notre-Dame Cathedral of Paris, The Galeries Lafayette Dome, a sunset river cruise on the Seine River, and shop and eat in the Paris Marais district and Jewish quarter. FYI - if you want to eat well, visit Michelin Guide France to review restaurants in various languages and book reservations. BTW, Rich and I were also our own travel agent. We did all the research. Spent time on Goggle Maps exploring hotels, locations, and restaurants. This is one of eight blog posts about our France trip. Lots of beautiful, interesting, and fun photos to see. Images by Jolly Sienda Photography and Studio, Bremerton, Washington, USA. Here we go!!! One - Normandy to Mont. St. Michele.
Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel photo by Jolly Sienda Photography and Studio, Bremerton, WA.
Honfleur at sunset by Jolly Sienda Photography and Studio, Bremerton, Washington
The sheep near Mont Saint Michele - I got to see them herded to their farm, by Jolly Sienda Photography and Studio
Marina at Honfleur, Normandy region of France, by Jolly Sienda Photography and Studio
American Cemetery Normandy, photo by Jolly Sienda Photography and Studio
View from our hotel of Mont. Saint Michele Abbey and sheep by Jolly Sienda Photography and Studio
Norman village at Honfleur - so old, 1200’s Vikings, by Jolly Sienda Photography and Studio
Worship service in one of the churches, Mont Saint Michele, by Jolly Sienda Photography and Studio
Cafe in Honfleur by Jolly Sienda Photography and Studio
Hot Chocolate with whipped cream by Jolly Sienda Photography and Studio
Gardens, churches, and a cat, Honfleur, France by Jolly Sienda Photography and Studio
Norman Viking village at Honfleur, by Jolly Sienda Photography and Studio
The bridge that leads to D-Day landing on the beaches of Normandy by Jolly Sienda Photography and Studio
Les Braves, Omaha Beach, Normandy by Jolly Sienda Photography and Studio
At Mont Saint Michele looking out at low tide, people on the beach, by Jolly Sienda Photography and Studio
Granville, Normandy by Jolly Sienda Photography and Studio
Cat travel and abstract paintings, Granville, Normandy by Jolly Sienda Photography and Studio
Food markets by Jolly Sienda Photography and Studio
Jolly Sienda Photography and Studio, Bremerton, Washington, USA, T: 240-899-5295, E: info@jollysiendaphotography.com, W: www.jollysiendaphotography.com, Facebook and Instagram
