Giverny and Les Andelys

Last night we planned for our trip to Giverny and Monet’s Gardens.  Rick Steve’s guide says if you are driving in France you should double the time you think it will take you.  We added 15 minutes to our plan but decided that doubling the time was silly.  We were up and walking the two blocks to the underground parking spot before 8 a.m.  We programmed the navigation system on the car and used the remote to open the metal door that keeps this lot protected.  That is when things started to go wrong.  The navigation system seemed to lead us into every construction zone and detour.  We crossed the Seine three times before we finally got out of Rouen.  One construction worker told us to cross a sidewalk to get back on track.  We were pretty shaken by the time we hit the A13.  Then the fog rolled in.  I had told Gayle last night that if we lived through so many cold and cloudy days just so we could have a beautiful, sunny day in Giverny then I was okay.  We had planned to arrive at the parking lot of Monet’s Gardens by 9:15 for the long hike to the entrance.  We had purchased timed tickets for 9:30 a.m., the opening time for the Gardens, so we could be among the first people in.  We didn’t make it.  Plus, we walked past the entrance.  By the time we back tracked and got into the gardens we were already tired.  We veered to the right and headed to the Water Garden first, hoping we would beat the hordes of people.  The sun was out and it was a beautiful day.

It was a lovely walk around the ponds.  I took so many photos.  I can see why this place inspired Monet.

The longer we were there the more and more crowded it became.  

We took the walkway back under the road to the other garden and Monet’s home.  By then Gayle was spent so she waited on a bench and I walked the garden.

I went into the house and toured it.

From the upstairs window you get a sense of the scope of the garden.  It takes a lot of workers to keep the place beautiful.  

I wound my way back to Gayle and by now the amount of people made it very difficult to get to the exit.  We stopped in a little cafe on the way to the parking lot to get something to drink.

We decided to return to Rouen by a different route.  When Bryan and I came to France and rented a car the woman at the car rental desk set up our GPS, not for the fastest routes but for the most direct.  It ended up taking us forever to get places but we saw beautiful countryside.  When we were planning this trips several months ago I had looked up a route that would take us past Chateau Gaillard and through Les Andelys.  The route took us through woods…

…and fields.

Over and over again we exclaimed at how beautiful it is in France.

The road to Chateau Gaillard promised us a 15% grade.  We made it without damaging the car.  It was worth it just for the view of the Chateau Gaillard.  It was built under the direction of Richard Lionheart as a defense against the French.  Many years later Henry IV had it demolished and the stones used to build a convent.  This is what remains.

But it wasn’t just the Chateau that was worth the drive.  The view of the Seine River and the town of Les Andelys was incredible.

We headed further down the 15% grade road to Les Andelys in search of some lunch.  Gayle found the perfect parking spot for our Peugeot rental, right next to the church we saw from the cliff top.  

Of course, the gravitational pull wouldn’t let me find lunch until I had gone into the church.  It is called Saint Sauveur (Holy Savior).  There are so many beautiful churches here that it is almost becoming common place.

I wish I understood who the figures represented that were holding up the pillars of the church.  

The stained glass windows were a striking red color depicting the stations of the cross.

This quiet, little town is beautiful with views of the Chateau above it.

I noticed a restaurant across the street from the church called La Chaine d’Or.  They were not busy and we had a relaxing lunch right next to the Seine.  The food was amazing and I told the Maitre’d that our meal at his restaurant would be one of the highlights of my trip to France.

Back on the road we headed to Rouen taking the less traveled way.  It was lovely.  We arrived back at our apartment before 5.  I headed out to find a baguette, butter and cheese for “dinner” at home.  I walked past the cathedral one more time.  Monet painted several pictures of this cathedral and there is information about it on the plaza. 

On the way to the grocery store I took a detour into Chocolaterie Auzou.  I had read that they make a chocolate that they call “The Tears of Joan of Arc.”  You can taste one for free.  I did and decided one was good.  I did buy a praline chocolate and a carmel chocolate for Gayle and I to have for dessert.

Gayle and I enjoyed our baguette while we blogged and planned for tomorrow.  We need to pack tonight.  We will meet Brett at Mont St-Michel tomorrow night.  We were planning to go to Bayeux to see the tapestry; to the Normandy American Cemetery and to Omaha Beach.  Brett is in Caen and he says the traffic is filled with military vehicles preparing for the 80th anniversary of DDay on June 6th.  We knew that was coming up and that everything will close down to tourists on June 5 and 6 but we were hoping that since we are driving there on June 4 we would be okay.  We are now questioning whether we will get anywhere close to the cemetery or the beach.  We will find out tomorrow.