July 8, 2024
Hi Crew…
Sorry it has taken me some time to get back to sending another update, but life at the end of the year was busy with grades, saying goodbye, organizing for a trip to the States & then coming to the States….I am here about another week, which is filled with visits of family and friends, before i head back to Paris for the olympics and to catch up with some friends who will be in the area….at this point i have tickets to 16 events - track & field, diving, water polo, soccer/football, rugby, archery, volleyball, beach volleyball….it should be amazing!!!!!
Earlier in the year, i took a few more trips, so am going to cover two of them here - a week in Normandy with my friend Bill and a long weekend in Amsterdam with my friend Laurel, visiting Lissa & Jeff & darren and celebrating the King’s Birthday and Lissa’s birthday🎂…..a great time was had on both trips….one filled with history, tasty food, lots of churches and driving the french countryside….and the other exploring the canals, partying with the Dutch and seeing old friends…..it is amazing how easy it is to see and visit things in europe….such a breeze…..on with the pictures…..
One of the first towns we stopped at on our normandy trip was rouen….this is a town known for its gothic churches, cobbled-stoned streets in the center and joan of arc…..this is where she was burned at the stake….it also has this beautiful clock tower…it is an astronomical clock, part of it was built in 1389…and it still works….amazing…
Above is the church of saint joan of arc….it is a very modern day church, with many curves inside of the church…many people did not like this church when it was built because it was so modern for the 16th century….its located just next to where joan of arc was burnt at the stake in 1431…it was stunning in my opinion…..
Rouen was destroyed during WW2….shells were dropped here, due to it being a Nazi outpost at the time…much of rouen was destroyed by the allies…the building above is the current rouen courthouse, although it played other roles in history…in 2020, artist jan vormann, a german sculptor, came and put together this piece where he filled some of the holes left behind from the war with legos….he called it dispatchwork….some folks do not like this, but i think it was a cool way to fill in the holes left behind….
From rouen we headed to small town just outside of mont-saint michel….called pontorson…where we had some amazing crepes, drank cidre (no, i am not spelling it incorrectly - this is the french version of cider) and loved the sheep on our street….aren’t they cute🐑
This area of Normandy, and mont-st-michel are known for their sheep and agriculture….everything is about farming….this was a old grain windmill that is still used to grind flour….so pretty with the sunset…
And then we went to mont-st-michel……such an amazing place….it is a tidal island and is about 1km from mainland….the building at the very top of the island is an abbey…in 966 this island is where the church was built by the benedictines….and from this time until now, it has been a location for pilgrims to come to…it is still visited by pilgrims and 4 monks and 6 nuns still live here full time….you can take a tour of the abbey…but may not go to where the monks and nuns currently reside…and it is an abbey perched on a huge rock…built with some incredible engineering!!!
Most people have only seen the island when it is surrounded by tidal water…but there is actually a boardwalk that you can walk or ride a shuttle to the base of the island…which you can see in the picture above….once you hit the bottom, then it is a climb to the top…lots of stairs and cobbled stoned streets…with lots of other visitors…but wow, what a location!!!!
From mont-st-michel we headed to the beaches and landing where D-Day occurred during WW2…if you did not know, this year was the 80th anniversary of the landing on D-Day this past June 6th….amazing…the museum we visited was really well made and they were getting ready for the big celebrations….such an incredible feat with so many different countries working together….and i have to say the french really celebrate this history in an incredible way….lots of monuments and plaques and they add fresh flowers to all of them consistently….actually this happens all over france….
These are the concrete gooseberry pontoons that are still left in the water off of omaha beach…the engineering of this invasion was incredible and had never been attempted before….we learned all about the set-up of the invasion and what happened after everyone came onto the beach….
This is a view from one of the bunkers that the germans actually made to look over the entire area to make sure that no one was landing on the beaches….these bunkers were actually empty on D-day because the germans got a tip off that it was going to happen, due to a weather delay…..it was really supposed to happen on june 5th…
This is a view of the american cemetery in normandy….this was an extremely moving experience to go here and see all of these crosses…we also saw the ending of a ceremony that was laying a wreath at the main monument….just incredible…and it is so wonderful to see people really care about this aspect of their country’s past and just how many people were involved in this invasion that eventually led to the end of WW2….
Another town we stayed in was Bayeux…..which is home to an incredible medieval tapestry, but we were not allowed to take a picture of it…although it does have halley’s comet sewn on it, which was so cool to see….bayeux also had a impressive gothic cathedral, which you see above…where king richard the lion hearted is buried….who knew…..this cathedral also had the most impressive historical timeline that i have ever seen and i learned a lot from it…..
We also stayed in a seaside town called honfleur….it had a lovely marina, as you can see above…this is where the seine runs into the english channel….such a charming town….
We went and visited etretat…a place along the coast that is known for its white cliffs and the rock formations down in the water…this particular rock formation is known as the needle….and many painters, especially monet, painted this particular set of arches and rock formations….
Here is the arch in the other direction….called the upstream cliff….
The last place we stopped at before getting back to paris was giverny….to see claude monet’s house and gardens…he lived here from 1883-1926…you might know this particular pond because this is what he drew his inspirations from with water lilies….i have made it to this location during three different seasons and I have to say that it is always incredible, but coming at the start of spring…WOW!!!!!
This was one of the last shots of the trip…bill and i on the bridge over the pond at giverny….we had a great time and i hope i get to return there again in the fall to see the colors and flowers then….
Of course the last, last shot of the pictures has to be me with a local cidre…they are definitely not as sweet as the ciders from england and therefore i liked them much more…normandy is an amazing location in france and has so much to see and do….the cities are lovely…the beaches are beautiful….the cathedrals are stunning…it is just an amazing part of france that i am happy i got a chance to visit….
On to Amsterdam….for King’s Day and Lissa’s Day🎂
This is the train station in amsterdam that i arrived at on friday evening….the train is only three hours from paris…this trip will happen again….this building is so beautiful and was quite stunning with the sunset happening….things were a bit crazy, as this was the start to king’s day
If you have never been to amsterdam, there are these amazing amazing canals in the city…the buildings along the canals can be a bit wonky, as foundations and such shift…many folks were on the canals during king’s day, as you will see below….
Kings day is always on april 27 and is one of the biggest and most colorful festivals of the year…it is a birthday celebration and national holiday for the king of the netherlands…King Willem-Alexander….you can see that folks are in orange and partying in the canals…we were not on a boat…i think that would have been insane….
This day is a day of music, dancing, partying and flea markets…this is the one time people can sell small appliances and not have to pay taxes….we were in a park and there were tons of vendors, mainly kids, who were selling food and clothes and toys…this was during the day….partying happens during the day as well…but after 8pm it gets crazy!!!! You can see the crowds in the pictures above….
I am super lucky to have friends living in amsterdam and glad that i got to connect with most of them…above is a shot with my friend darren, who i worked with in romania….he currently teaches in amsterdam…so glad we got to connect
And this crew of people are folks i mostly either knew or worked with in china….lissa (first on the right) was also celebrating her birthday, because it is the same day as the king….so.much.fun!!!!🎂
The day after king’s day was beautiful and i got to wander around a bit before hoping the train back to paris….i love the canals and the buildings…just a wonderful combination….this is looking at the train station from across a canal (no, i do not know the guy in the picture) 😂
Another shot of a canal + boat + buildings….i will need to get back there, as it is a super fun town…..and very easy to explore….
Last shot of me with a tasty beverage and some vegan breakfast before the festivities began for the day…i am in the required color of orange…it was a super fun time in amsterdam!!!!
And so you have it…some of the trips i took this spring….there are still more and i am hoping that maybe i will get another update out in the next week before i head back to paris…we’ll see…but these two trips were a blast…with fun folks…next update will focus on my week long trip to the baltics….with my friend wendy….if you have any questions or just feel like saying hi, please drop a line….hope all is well
Thanks as always for reading….
Have a fab day 😎
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