Update

Saturday August 6, 2011

This morning we woke up in Mosnes. We spent the  night in a beautiful hotel, Jim found on line, since all of Rick Steves places were full. It was lovely and just west of Amboise. Will have to give Rick a heads up. 80 euros for a spacious room with a king bed and a huge shower room. Room safe, hair dryer, magnified mirror meant I could finally tweeze by brows. On the other hand, my skin has cleared up a bit. The kids grabbed a buffet breakfast including eggs, rare, and Jim and I soaked in a big luscious room.

We decided to make it straight to Versailles, but use our usual non-peage stategy, but the first leg of the route was riddled with villages, so we had to opt for the autoroute to make it on time.

Friday we woke in Dinan in Brittany. I had really wanted to go to Brittany, the rugged coast, the lace hats, the stranged walled city I had visited in my twenties. Dinan in off the coast, and just charming. Picked by RS as a the city to see in Brittany. We had arrived late the night before, after visiting Mont St Michel.

On arrival, 11pm, we hunted for the hotel with the RS map,. Unknowingly, we went down a no-cars street and came headlight-to-headlight with a police car who had us reverse back to the appropriate car-allowed street. The policeman got out and came over and pointed to the sign, which was non-intuitive. I apologized and explained we were Americans trying to find our hotel. He looked back to two guys in the car and then said, "Follow us we’ll take you." We drove around and I guess they then realized that you can’t drive to this hotel. It was on a pedestrian only street, so parked us in a lot and gave us walking directions. At check in, the gal was a little bothered we were so late, but we made way to the top floor and a room with a fridge, shower and a charming décor with orangey netting draped over the head of the bed. The kids went to bed, but Jim and I decided to walk around a bit. It had been a long drive from St. Mich. We found a cute bar du vin, that was playing the Rolling Stones. We each got a glass, and then ordered a tartine, which ended up being two large pieces of toast covered with assorted topping you choose, and  a small salad. We noticed it seemed like a local's hangout, and that even the restaurateurs we passed by on the way came in later for their night cap. We finally tried the Calvados, finding it quite nice, a brandy with only a slight apple flavor. I think we made it back by 1. The next morning we woke at 8:30 and had to hop right out. I had had to give a breakfast time at check in and thought 9 would be ok.

Tour L'Horloge

We toured the town in the am in a light misting rain, which wasn’t too bothersome.
We followed RS route, and saw the old town ramparts, an old Breton church, with only an aisle on one side of the nave. We walked by touristic shops on old streets where half-timbered houses had smaller lower floors and cantilevered extended second floors. We found an gent playing a recorded like horn, and then the hurdy-gurdy.

We bought some of the little cookies local to Brittany, some cheese, salt, and Sam found a small boat powered by steam he had to get for it’s ingenuity.

We agreed it was time to go, to Loire, that St Malo, wouldn’t fit in, it was north 30 minutes and we were headed east.  We had thought it was a 2 hour ride, but referred to RS and found a 4 hour drive. We drove in light rain, but it cleared as we approached the Loire valley. We headed straight for Chenonceaux, and its Chenonceau. We arrived at 5:30, 1 and 1/2 hrs to close, but actually she said we had a few hours. We were there the perfect time of day, no crowds, in rooms sometimes alone or one other couple, and when we exited to go to the gardens, it has closer to sunset, and cooler. It was a perfect visit. I even got around some construction to see Chenonceau reflecting in the river from the east façade, the image that is so often portrayed.

We went to Amboise for dinner, but it was 9, so it was hard to really walk around, we found a table at a RS recommended spot, but it was passable. Sam did try porc rillets, and steak for dinner, Erin had duck confit, and Jim and I had fish, in a sauce that was only ok, and Salad Amboise, bibb type lettuce with dice sauteed potato and bacon and tomato, light dressing, again, only okay. We did find a nice Vouvray, and picked it since we had passed Vouvray on the way!! It is a nice refreshing light, a bit sweet wine, as RS said, a good apertif.  We wandered the base of the castle a bit, and listened to a band playing across from a café, rock, and then the accordion player outside our Anne of Bretagne restaurant. But then to our Hotel which was the grand surprise.

As we drove in to the Loire valley, we saw bikers here and there, we had read in RS that biking maybe a romantic idyllic notion, but it can be tough after a hill, stiff wind, but here in the valley, it seemed it might work.

Honfleur harbor

After Rouen’s night’s stay, we woke to tour the city and the famous cathedral, that Monet had painted. It was really heavily hit in WWII with damaging still evident. We went back to the vieux marche, and caught the end of the marker, smiled over the folks buying fish and having the heads cut off and cleaned after you purchase, and looked at the old faience shoppes where they still make the clay pottery dipped in the white and hand-painted the same way they did before.  I struggled but didn’t buy. It has that sort of delft look, it s pretty, but the whole getting it home and not breaking it, and we still have Provence to do. So we took off, with me as the navigator. We headed for Honfleur, and into Normandy. Just as on our way, here beautiful countryside,  each view a scenic overlook. We made it to Honfleur, a bit on rain, but was able to do the RS walking tour of the old harbor, and the small village perched on a small mount.
The church was as RS said, so different that the previous, accredited to their boat-building heritage rather than cathedral architects.  We tried to get a cider sample, but got itchy to get on our way, to Arromanches, where we would sleep the next night, and then tour D-Day beaches following. Honfleur reminded me of Nantucket, the shingle church, and the pretty town of another era, now a tourist mecca, with colorful cafes surrounding the boat basin where what used to be boat with goods, are now pleasure craft.

Back in the car, Jim always the willing driver, we headed out along the coast towards Caen and Arromanches. We could see families along the coastline playing and beaching just as we would. When we arrived in Arromanches it was in the rain, checked in and had a mediocre dinner at a nearby restaurant.

The next day, we found a nice breakfast in the hotel,  and then make our way for the D-day tour. First we did the circular theater, then we drove to Omaha Beach, where beach-goers were relaxing. We found some memorials and wended our way up to the American Cemetery which  has an incredible new museum they call a visitors center, but it was fabulous, we wanted to stay on more to read all the placarding and watch the movies, but a tour in English was taking off so we jumped on. The tour was 90 minutes and our British guide was fabulous!

We decided to head back to the car, though there was more inside we wanted to see, but we also needed to move on to Pont du Hoc, the critical land mass separating the two American beach heads that the Army Rangers overtook. It was great, tremendous divots still cratering the landscape. The bombed-out, but still evident and mostly intact, german concrete strongholds. We went all the way to St Mere Eglise where the 82 and 101 airborne dropped with with the well-told stories of many exciting landing including that of John Steele, who got snagged by the church spire but was rescued by the Resistence. The town is known as the first town liberated from the Nazis. We toured their church, but by now quite famished. We could only find dinky little places, we asked at the TI who was without insightful recommendations, and then found a nice looking place down the rue and over in an Auberge John Steele. The staff inside were eating and a hostess said "15 minutes." We decided to wait in their lovely courtyard with an aperitif  and a smattering of crackerettes. I thought they’d come get us, but when I went in 40 minutes later they were seating. We had our best meal here; served in such a homey genuine atmosphere, we think of it as a favorite.

Haystacks

I had pigeon, Sam tried porc rillettes, Erin duck confit, and Jim fish. Superb!! A real find!!