Angryville
We hope you are enjoying our blog and that we are not boring you. We love all of you and think about you as we write. Today dawned bright and sunny. Rain was predicted but we were not going to consider that in our plans. In fact, it was sunny all day!
We started with a nice croissant breakfast at the inn and a good conversation with our innkeeper Wil. He gave us some advise and directions as we prepared to go out driving on our own. We walked the 20 minutes to the rental car agency, picked up our cute little Ford, and off we went. There were three of us in the car - Bill, Karen, and Gertrude Penelope Smith (GPS). Bill brought Gert from home in his suitcase. We know some of you wanted to come along but for some reason Bill favors Gert. She proved very valuable in helping us get around so we will keep her along. We didn't always listen to her, as at times we had a different route in mind, but she was patient with us. Karen had a map which helped a lot in making sure we went on the side roads that we wanted to take to get the real scenic experience. Gert is very single minded and only goes on the direct routes.
Our first stop was the charming town of Deauville and then the close neighbor town of Trouville. It was there that we learned to use a French pay parking machine.
We had been told that today was a holiday - the French labor day. So everything was supposed to be closed. Well when you decide to visit some resort cities on a holiday the opposite was true. There were lots of people out enjoying their day off and all the resorts and their restaurants and shops were actually open. We enjoyed the beautiful sunshine and all the people who were also enjoying their holiday. In the places we visited today, there were less people who spoke English, but we got by with no trouble.
Our main destination was the city of Honfleur. It is an old harbor town with tall slate-fronted and timbered buildings.
All along the harbour are cafes and the main attraction is the seafood. We found a great parking spot and a nice table in the sun at a cafe on the harbour. It was beautiful and we were able to take our sweaters off for a while. We were not into the seafood so we had a great French lunch of green salad and french fries.
After enjoying a walk around Honfluer we drove north to try to hunt down the Cote d'Albatre, the tall white cliffs along the coast.
Gert took us along some really small roads that had us wondering about her sanity but she may have been punishing us for not always listening to her. After arriving in the center of Etretat we were again blessed to find a great parking spot. We walked out to the beach and enjoyed the beautiful sea and sun with tall white cliffs to the north and south of us. We decided to walk up the cliffs on the south. It was really beautiful and a great walk and yes, we went up on top as shown above where others are walking. Bill was pleased to see a gorgeous golf course along the climb and wished he could have played it!
The driving was fairly easy and the countryside was lush and green. Many forests and farms. We drove through many small towns with colorful names. We were happy when we went through Angryville and we were a little concerned when we went through Villianville, but there were no incidents in either spot. We have learned that not only is this apple country, but it is also a dairy farming region, so we saw lots of cows enjoying green pastures.
On the way back to the inn, the rain finally made its appearance, but we didn't care. We had been able to do all we wanted to do in the sunshine. Once back in Bayeux we were not in the mood for a restaurant dinner, so we went to the local grocery store and had a picnic in our room.
Tomorrow we leave Bayeux and expect Gert to find our next home away from home.
We started with a nice croissant breakfast at the inn and a good conversation with our innkeeper Wil. He gave us some advise and directions as we prepared to go out driving on our own. We walked the 20 minutes to the rental car agency, picked up our cute little Ford, and off we went. There were three of us in the car - Bill, Karen, and Gertrude Penelope Smith (GPS). Bill brought Gert from home in his suitcase. We know some of you wanted to come along but for some reason Bill favors Gert. She proved very valuable in helping us get around so we will keep her along. We didn't always listen to her, as at times we had a different route in mind, but she was patient with us. Karen had a map which helped a lot in making sure we went on the side roads that we wanted to take to get the real scenic experience. Gert is very single minded and only goes on the direct routes.
Our first stop was the charming town of Deauville and then the close neighbor town of Trouville. It was there that we learned to use a French pay parking machine.
We had been told that today was a holiday - the French labor day. So everything was supposed to be closed. Well when you decide to visit some resort cities on a holiday the opposite was true. There were lots of people out enjoying their day off and all the resorts and their restaurants and shops were actually open. We enjoyed the beautiful sunshine and all the people who were also enjoying their holiday. In the places we visited today, there were less people who spoke English, but we got by with no trouble.
Our main destination was the city of Honfleur. It is an old harbor town with tall slate-fronted and timbered buildings.
All along the harbour are cafes and the main attraction is the seafood. We found a great parking spot and a nice table in the sun at a cafe on the harbour. It was beautiful and we were able to take our sweaters off for a while. We were not into the seafood so we had a great French lunch of green salad and french fries.
After enjoying a walk around Honfluer we drove north to try to hunt down the Cote d'Albatre, the tall white cliffs along the coast.
Gert took us along some really small roads that had us wondering about her sanity but she may have been punishing us for not always listening to her. After arriving in the center of Etretat we were again blessed to find a great parking spot. We walked out to the beach and enjoyed the beautiful sea and sun with tall white cliffs to the north and south of us. We decided to walk up the cliffs on the south. It was really beautiful and a great walk and yes, we went up on top as shown above where others are walking. Bill was pleased to see a gorgeous golf course along the climb and wished he could have played it!
The driving was fairly easy and the countryside was lush and green. Many forests and farms. We drove through many small towns with colorful names. We were happy when we went through Angryville and we were a little concerned when we went through Villianville, but there were no incidents in either spot. We have learned that not only is this apple country, but it is also a dairy farming region, so we saw lots of cows enjoying green pastures.
On the way back to the inn, the rain finally made its appearance, but we didn't care. We had been able to do all we wanted to do in the sunshine. Once back in Bayeux we were not in the mood for a restaurant dinner, so we went to the local grocery store and had a picnic in our room.
Tomorrow we leave Bayeux and expect Gert to find our next home away from home.
It looks like another wonderful day. I hope Gert can find the Chateau tomorrow; please post pictures of your room and the grounds when you get there. Glad you're having a great time!!
ReplyDeleteLove the off-the-beaten-path experiences of your travels. We so enjoyed reliving Paris and Versailles with you and look forward to your next adventures. Listen to Gert and stay safe!
ReplyDeleteLove to you both, Sue