We awoke to another wonderful breakfast at the Manoir. We packed up and got ready to leave.
Prior to our departure, we were treated to a rare opportunity – we were able to view, touch, and climb on actual German, Russian, and French Artillery that had been collected from the local fields in the months after the Allied Invasion, and was stored in the field house at the Manoir.
We spent our final full day in France visiting several important historical sites. We started at Pointe du Hoc, a clifftop location west of Omaha Beach. The Rangers scaled the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc on D-Day to control the threat of German fire from the point onto the Allied Forces landing on Utah Beach to the west and Omaha Beach to the east.
At Pointe du Hoc, we were able to explore the German bunkers, view the sites off the cliffs, and marvel at how the Pointe was taken on D-Day.
Next, we headed to Omaha Beach, where we walked on the sand, admired the monument, and remembered the events of D-Day.
Finally, we stopped at Pegasus Bridge, where Allied Forces landed 3 gliders in the early morning of D-Day to secure the passage for tanks and artillery to move eastward into France.
We continued our drive east to Paris, to our accommodations at a hotel near Charles de Gaulle Airport in preparation for our flight the next morning.
We had a wonderful time in France! We have lots of pictures and memories to share!
Day 9 – Monday, July 28: Lessons in History, Lessons in Humanity
We awoke to a wonderful breakfast at the Manoir d’ Herouville – croissants with homemade jam, yogurt, muselix, cinnamon bread, scrambled eggs, sliced ham, coffee, orange juice, milk and hot chocolate.
We headed out to spend the day absorbing the beauty and history of Normandy. After a lovely drive through the countryside, we arrived at the Museum and Memorial at Caen (www.memorial-caen.fr). We visited remarkable exhibits depicting a variety of aspects of D-Day, World War II and post-war France and Europe. We also visited the very moving and recently completed September 11th Exhibit.
From Caen, we headed back to Arromanches, the site of Gold Beach. Wyatt and Caroline enjoyed the carousel and some sights on the beach. We met up with the Moores to see a special depiction of the Battle of Normandy at 360* theatre in Arromanches. It was loud and a bit scary, but we all enjoyed the experience of “theater in the round”.
We then headed on to Colleville-sur-Mer, the site of Omaha Beach. This is the site of the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial featured in the opening of the film, Saving Private Ryan. The Cemetery is emotionally over-whelming, with rows and rows graves marked with white Crosses and Stars of David reminding all of us the remarkable price one generation paid for our freedom. We stood quietly for the lowering of the flag at 5:30 pm.
We made our way back to the Manoir, where we enjoyed an impromptu dinner together rin the tower – spaghetti and red sauce, vegetable soup, local cheese, bread, salmon, and wine. We visited with our hosts at the Manoir, a British couple who have recently taken on the property. They were delightful, with many stories of their travels guests. We were also treated to a light rain, which was refreshing.
We turned in relatively early, after a day well-spent.
We headed out to spend the day absorbing the beauty and history of Normandy. After a lovely drive through the countryside, we arrived at the Museum and Memorial at Caen (www.memorial-caen.fr). We visited remarkable exhibits depicting a variety of aspects of D-Day, World War II and post-war France and Europe. We also visited the very moving and recently completed September 11th Exhibit.
From Caen, we headed back to Arromanches, the site of Gold Beach. Wyatt and Caroline enjoyed the carousel and some sights on the beach. We met up with the Moores to see a special depiction of the Battle of Normandy at 360* theatre in Arromanches. It was loud and a bit scary, but we all enjoyed the experience of “theater in the round”.
We then headed on to Colleville-sur-Mer, the site of Omaha Beach. This is the site of the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial featured in the opening of the film, Saving Private Ryan. The Cemetery is emotionally over-whelming, with rows and rows graves marked with white Crosses and Stars of David reminding all of us the remarkable price one generation paid for our freedom. We stood quietly for the lowering of the flag at 5:30 pm.
We made our way back to the Manoir, where we enjoyed an impromptu dinner together rin the tower – spaghetti and red sauce, vegetable soup, local cheese, bread, salmon, and wine. We visited with our hosts at the Manoir, a British couple who have recently taken on the property. They were delightful, with many stories of their travels guests. We were also treated to a light rain, which was refreshing.
We turned in relatively early, after a day well-spent.
Day 8 - Sunday, July 27: Arriving in Normandy & an Adventurous Dinner
(Hi everyone - we are home from our trip! We did not have internet access our last 3 days in France. I kept a paper journal, so I'm posting days 8-10 from home.)
We enjoyed our final breakfast at our beloved Chateau du Pintray, packed up, and headed out for our next adventure. We traveled to the region of Normandy, along the Northern coast of France. Normandy is the area of the beaches of the D-Day invasion of German-occupied France by Allied Forces on June 6, 1944.
We traveled by car a total of 4 hours, eating lunch on the way. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery - more sunflowers, wheat fields, Charlais cattle, horses, and little villages along the way.
We arrived in the village of Sainte-Mere-Eglise, which is about 20 miles from the coast. This was one of the sites where paratroopers parachuted into Normandy on D-Day.
From the Wikipedia entry for Sainte-Mere-Eglise:
(Sainte-Mere-Eglise is the site of) a famous incident involved paratrooper John Steele of the 505th PIR, whose parachute caught on the spire of the town church, and could only observe the fighting going on below. He escaped capture by feigning death until the town was taken the next day. The incident was portrayed in the movie The Longest Day.
The village commemorates this event each summer by hanging a parachute from the church steeple. There are paratroopers and parachutes depicted in the stained glass windows of the church. We got lots of pictures.
We then headed to the Memorial and Museum at Utah Beach. Of the 5 beaches of the D-Day Invasion, Utah Beach is the farthest to the west. The kids were happy to run and play on the sand for awhile. The Moores headed on to our accomnodations in Normandy, the Manoir d'Herouville, while the Hoyles toured the Museum. There were lots of interesting exhibits about the invasion.
We then headed on to the Manoir d'Herouville which is just outside of the village of Litteau. The Manoir has a main house (in which John, Caroline, and I share a room), and a tower - just like a fairytale castle. The tower has 3 levels - a main level with a common area and kitchen, a second floor (where Megan, Steve, and Elanor are sleeping), and a third floor with twin beds for the boys. So, Wyatt and Lucas are sleeping on the top floor of a tower! The grounds of the Manoir are beautiful with lush grass, trees, and a pond. There are cows and ducks (that delight the children) and chickens (that chase and delight the children - very entertaining, until they peck your feet!).
After settling in, we headed to Arromanches, a little town on the coast, for dinner. Arromanches is the site of Gold Beach, one of the 5 beaches of the D-Day invasion. We found a lovely restaurant and enjoyed the seafood of the region, including prawns, mussels, scallops and salmon. Icecream all around for dessert.
After dinner, we called it a night. A busy day!
We enjoyed our final breakfast at our beloved Chateau du Pintray, packed up, and headed out for our next adventure. We traveled to the region of Normandy, along the Northern coast of France. Normandy is the area of the beaches of the D-Day invasion of German-occupied France by Allied Forces on June 6, 1944.
We traveled by car a total of 4 hours, eating lunch on the way. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery - more sunflowers, wheat fields, Charlais cattle, horses, and little villages along the way.
We arrived in the village of Sainte-Mere-Eglise, which is about 20 miles from the coast. This was one of the sites where paratroopers parachuted into Normandy on D-Day.
From the Wikipedia entry for Sainte-Mere-Eglise:
(Sainte-Mere-Eglise is the site of) a famous incident involved paratrooper John Steele of the 505th PIR, whose parachute caught on the spire of the town church, and could only observe the fighting going on below. He escaped capture by feigning death until the town was taken the next day. The incident was portrayed in the movie The Longest Day.
The village commemorates this event each summer by hanging a parachute from the church steeple. There are paratroopers and parachutes depicted in the stained glass windows of the church. We got lots of pictures.
We then headed to the Memorial and Museum at Utah Beach. Of the 5 beaches of the D-Day Invasion, Utah Beach is the farthest to the west. The kids were happy to run and play on the sand for awhile. The Moores headed on to our accomnodations in Normandy, the Manoir d'Herouville, while the Hoyles toured the Museum. There were lots of interesting exhibits about the invasion.
We then headed on to the Manoir d'Herouville which is just outside of the village of Litteau. The Manoir has a main house (in which John, Caroline, and I share a room), and a tower - just like a fairytale castle. The tower has 3 levels - a main level with a common area and kitchen, a second floor (where Megan, Steve, and Elanor are sleeping), and a third floor with twin beds for the boys. So, Wyatt and Lucas are sleeping on the top floor of a tower! The grounds of the Manoir are beautiful with lush grass, trees, and a pond. There are cows and ducks (that delight the children) and chickens (that chase and delight the children - very entertaining, until they peck your feet!).
After settling in, we headed to Arromanches, a little town on the coast, for dinner. Arromanches is the site of Gold Beach, one of the 5 beaches of the D-Day invasion. We found a lovely restaurant and enjoyed the seafood of the region, including prawns, mussels, scallops and salmon. Icecream all around for dessert.
After dinner, we called it a night. A busy day!
Day 7 - Saturday, July 26: A Bike Ride, a Wine Tasting, and a Family Dinner
The day began with our second breakfast at the Chateau de Pintray – croissants with jelly, cereal, yogurt, fruit, coffee and hot chocolate. After our meal, we headed out for a day of biking.
We drove about 40 minutes east along the Loire river to the town of Brehemont to a bike and kayak rental shop called Loire Velo Nature. We got standard bikes for the boys and the moms. Steve rode with Elanor in a child seat on his bike and John road with Caroline on a trail-a-bike. After some snacks, we had a wonderful journey to a Chateau at L’Indre, which we admired from the outside. We had a lovely lunch at an outdoor café - sandwiches and salads. I have developed an addiction to the local goat cheese served with fresh tomatoes and a splash of balsalmic vinigrette – delicious!
After lunch, we continued our ride on a trail along the river. It was beautifully scenic – lined with small country houses, fields of sunflowers, and tall trees. There were also some mosquitos living along the bike trail, as we found out when we stopped for a water break. We kept moving and had only a few nibbles from the bugs. John had the boys in a paceline as they pretended to be the cyclists on the Tour de France.
We rode back through several little villages and farms. John and Wyatt were interested in the square bales of hay. We took lots of pictures. The kids were very tired, Wyatt slept in the car all the way back to the Chateau de Pintray.
We arrived back at the Chateau just in time for a wine tasting. We sampled some wonderful wines from the Chateau’s vineyard. Steve and John Christophe, our host and wine connoisseur had a lively conversation (in French and English) about the vineyard and the conditions that constitute a “good year”. The 2005 season was especially good for Chateau de Pintray, and we bought several bottles to bring home.
After the kids played in the back yard and enjoyed their new favorite game, billiards, each family headed out on their own for dinner. The Hoyles went back to Amboise, where we had a lovely dinner listening to outdoor music, and took a stroll along the riverside. The kids topped it off with American ice cream.
We headed back to the Chateau to shower and pack up. Tomorrow, we are headed for Normandy.
We drove about 40 minutes east along the Loire river to the town of Brehemont to a bike and kayak rental shop called Loire Velo Nature. We got standard bikes for the boys and the moms. Steve rode with Elanor in a child seat on his bike and John road with Caroline on a trail-a-bike. After some snacks, we had a wonderful journey to a Chateau at L’Indre, which we admired from the outside. We had a lovely lunch at an outdoor café - sandwiches and salads. I have developed an addiction to the local goat cheese served with fresh tomatoes and a splash of balsalmic vinigrette – delicious!
After lunch, we continued our ride on a trail along the river. It was beautifully scenic – lined with small country houses, fields of sunflowers, and tall trees. There were also some mosquitos living along the bike trail, as we found out when we stopped for a water break. We kept moving and had only a few nibbles from the bugs. John had the boys in a paceline as they pretended to be the cyclists on the Tour de France.
We rode back through several little villages and farms. John and Wyatt were interested in the square bales of hay. We took lots of pictures. The kids were very tired, Wyatt slept in the car all the way back to the Chateau de Pintray.
We arrived back at the Chateau just in time for a wine tasting. We sampled some wonderful wines from the Chateau’s vineyard. Steve and John Christophe, our host and wine connoisseur had a lively conversation (in French and English) about the vineyard and the conditions that constitute a “good year”. The 2005 season was especially good for Chateau de Pintray, and we bought several bottles to bring home.
After the kids played in the back yard and enjoyed their new favorite game, billiards, each family headed out on their own for dinner. The Hoyles went back to Amboise, where we had a lovely dinner listening to outdoor music, and took a stroll along the riverside. The kids topped it off with American ice cream.
We headed back to the Chateau to shower and pack up. Tomorrow, we are headed for Normandy.
Day 6 - Friday, July 25: Chateau and Shopping
We awoke to a lovely breakfast at the Chateau de Pintray with the other guests, including a couple from NYC and a family from the UK with children age 12 and 14. There was much lively discussion of past travels to far away places giving all of us good ideas for our next trip. The kids were thrilled to be allowed hot chocolate in the morning.
We headed out to Chateau de Chenonceaux, a 16th Century castle on the Cher River. It is filled with art and beautiful furnishings. There is a lovely garden outside. The kids were especially interested in the drawbridge over the river and the maze beside the gardens. They ran through it over and over. We let them take the video camera through as well, which will probably result in some interesting if not emetogenic footage.
After leaving the Chateau, we went to lunch in Amboise. We found a café with outdoor seating under an awning, which was lucky, since we were treated to a couple of brief rain showers doing our lunch – the first precipitation of the trip.
It cleared up and we took on some shopping in the market. All the prices look like low numbers, but with the Euro much more valuable than the dollar, the conversion is a bit expensive.
We got some porcelain bowls for the children with their names on them – Wyatt had to settle for one that said “James” and I got some much needed sandals. I also got some great footage of the kids dancing and John doing the robot to some funky Eurotechnic pop music outside one of the hipper clothing stores.
We picked up some provisions for a dinner in and headed back to the Chateau de Pintray. We spent some time relaxing, playing Chinese Checkers, and writing while the kids played outdoors. The Chateau has a large yard and vineyard.
We ended the evening with a wonderful meal put together from all of Megan’s and Steve’s fabulous food finds – sausages, salami, hard and soft local cheeses, fruit, baguettes, yogurt, chocolate and wine.
Bon Appetit!
We headed out to Chateau de Chenonceaux, a 16th Century castle on the Cher River. It is filled with art and beautiful furnishings. There is a lovely garden outside. The kids were especially interested in the drawbridge over the river and the maze beside the gardens. They ran through it over and over. We let them take the video camera through as well, which will probably result in some interesting if not emetogenic footage.
After leaving the Chateau, we went to lunch in Amboise. We found a café with outdoor seating under an awning, which was lucky, since we were treated to a couple of brief rain showers doing our lunch – the first precipitation of the trip.
It cleared up and we took on some shopping in the market. All the prices look like low numbers, but with the Euro much more valuable than the dollar, the conversion is a bit expensive.
We got some porcelain bowls for the children with their names on them – Wyatt had to settle for one that said “James” and I got some much needed sandals. I also got some great footage of the kids dancing and John doing the robot to some funky Eurotechnic pop music outside one of the hipper clothing stores.
We picked up some provisions for a dinner in and headed back to the Chateau de Pintray. We spent some time relaxing, playing Chinese Checkers, and writing while the kids played outdoors. The Chateau has a large yard and vineyard.
We ended the evening with a wonderful meal put together from all of Megan’s and Steve’s fabulous food finds – sausages, salami, hard and soft local cheeses, fruit, baguettes, yogurt, chocolate and wine.
Bon Appetit!
Day 5 - Thursday, July 24: A Trip to the Country
We got up (a little later than expected) and John took Wyatt and Lucas on a surprise trip to the 3rd floor of the Eiffel Tower. The rest of us went about our errands to get ready to leave Paris and head for the Loire Valley. Steve went to meet up with John and the boys to get the cars and the girls packed up. We left the apartment shortly after noon, grabbed a quick sandwich, and met up with Steve and John.
Our rental cars were tiny in comparison to what we drive at home. We got ourselves and our luggage situated, then held on for a race car-like ride through Paris. John articulated his enjoyment by turning to me and saying “this is the best video game ever”.
We were on to the Cathedral at Chartres, about one-hour outside Paris. The Cathedral is beautiful, and filled with relics and art work. The stained glass and sculptures were magnificent inside and outside. Chartres is a lovely little town and we took lots of pictures.
Next stop was the town of Amboise where we stopped for dinner. We sat on the terrace of a little café along the river. The kids had crepes with egg and the adults had salads and pizzas.
We headed on to our destination for the next 3 nights – Chateau de Pintray in Lussault-sur-Loire. The Chateau is beautiful, with outdoor grounds for the kids to run and play – a luxury we missed staying in the city. We all got settled in for the night – Steve, Megan, and Elanor have a 2 room suite downstairs, while John and Caroline and I are upstairs in a spacious room overlooking the gardens. Lucas and Wyatt are next to us in their own room with twin beds and a desk between them. We are all enjoying the quiet countryside.
Bonne Nuit!
Our rental cars were tiny in comparison to what we drive at home. We got ourselves and our luggage situated, then held on for a race car-like ride through Paris. John articulated his enjoyment by turning to me and saying “this is the best video game ever”.
We were on to the Cathedral at Chartres, about one-hour outside Paris. The Cathedral is beautiful, and filled with relics and art work. The stained glass and sculptures were magnificent inside and outside. Chartres is a lovely little town and we took lots of pictures.
Next stop was the town of Amboise where we stopped for dinner. We sat on the terrace of a little café along the river. The kids had crepes with egg and the adults had salads and pizzas.
We headed on to our destination for the next 3 nights – Chateau de Pintray in Lussault-sur-Loire. The Chateau is beautiful, with outdoor grounds for the kids to run and play – a luxury we missed staying in the city. We all got settled in for the night – Steve, Megan, and Elanor have a 2 room suite downstairs, while John and Caroline and I are upstairs in a spacious room overlooking the gardens. Lucas and Wyatt are next to us in their own room with twin beds and a desk between them. We are all enjoying the quiet countryside.
Bonne Nuit!
Day 4 - Wednesday, July 23: Mona Lisa, Magic, and Parent's Night Out
We awoke to another beautiful day in Paris, sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s and low 80’s. After a morning run for John and a quick breakfast in the apartment, we headed out for more sight-seeing.
Steve took Elanor to the Orangereis, which is an impressionist museum where she enjoyed seeing Monet’s paintings of water lillies.
In keeping with our theme of education in the morning, the remaining 6 of us, Megan, Lucas, and the 4 Hoyles went to the Musee du Louvre. The Louvre is enormous, so we picked some specific things to see. The kids were interested in the Egyptian relics, as were the majority of tourists in Paris on this particular day. We saw mummies, tools and writings, and a variety of whatever is plural for sphinx – “sphinxes”, perhaps?
We spent some time in the exhibit of Megan’s area of expertise, Mesopotamia – which was just as interesting, but less crowded.
Megan and Lucas headed out to meet up with Steve and Elanor and the Hoyles went to see the tourist attractions of the Louvre, including the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, and the Venus de Milo. After a quick adult anatomy lesson from the sculptures of pre-classical Greece, we left to meet up with the Moores for lunch.
On our way, we walked through Jardin des Tuileries (Tuileries Gardens), which were beautiful, and the sight of the large Ferris wheel in Paris. John offered/threatened to take Caroline on it, but, after her experience and the Eiffel Tower, we decided …maybe not.
After a quick trip on the Metro, we met up with the Moores at a small café outside the Pompidou National Center of Art and Culture where the kids had possibly the world’s greatest omlettes. Following our restoration, we headed out for the afternoon adventure.
In keeping with our theme of entertainment in the afternoon, we made our way to the Musee du Magic where we were treated to a wonderful magic show. The kids stared bug eyed at a variety of rope, ring and card tricks performed by a magician in a tuxedo speaking french at 100 kilometers/hour. We needed little translation to appreciate the illusions, and Steve was able to fill us in on the jokes. The museum had a variety of exhibits about the history of magic, optical illusions, as well as plenty of pop-out-at-you scary stuff that the kids loved. We headed back to the apartment, a tired bunch.
The kids played in the apartment while we awaited the arrival of their babysitter for the evening. We were all excited (especially the parents) to meet Marie, a Canadian college student studying in Paris whose services Megan had found on Craig’s list. After some half-hearted warnings to the kids about bad behavior and being sold into slavery, Steve, Megan, John, and I left our 4 kids in Marie’s capable hands and headed out for dinner in Paris.
Our destination was Ambassade d’ Auvergne. Steve told us about how he had often passed by this restaurant while living in Paris during a semester abroad in college, hoping he’d be able to afford to dine there, someday. It was fabulous – after the champagne apertiff, we opened a bottle of wine and started on the first course. Megan and I had a cucumber and eggplant dish with plenty of soft cheese. John had a melon soup served with a slice of bacon on top. My main course was grilled fish with an olive chutney and John had sausage with wonderful mashed potatoes (aligot). We finished off with chocolate mousse. All delicious!
After a great meal, we walked around newly restored Notre Dame, which is beautiful at night. We walked through the Latin Quarter of Paris on our way to catch the metro home to the sleeping kids.
Wonderful Day!
Steve took Elanor to the Orangereis, which is an impressionist museum where she enjoyed seeing Monet’s paintings of water lillies.
In keeping with our theme of education in the morning, the remaining 6 of us, Megan, Lucas, and the 4 Hoyles went to the Musee du Louvre. The Louvre is enormous, so we picked some specific things to see. The kids were interested in the Egyptian relics, as were the majority of tourists in Paris on this particular day. We saw mummies, tools and writings, and a variety of whatever is plural for sphinx – “sphinxes”, perhaps?
We spent some time in the exhibit of Megan’s area of expertise, Mesopotamia – which was just as interesting, but less crowded.
Megan and Lucas headed out to meet up with Steve and Elanor and the Hoyles went to see the tourist attractions of the Louvre, including the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, and the Venus de Milo. After a quick adult anatomy lesson from the sculptures of pre-classical Greece, we left to meet up with the Moores for lunch.
On our way, we walked through Jardin des Tuileries (Tuileries Gardens), which were beautiful, and the sight of the large Ferris wheel in Paris. John offered/threatened to take Caroline on it, but, after her experience and the Eiffel Tower, we decided …maybe not.
After a quick trip on the Metro, we met up with the Moores at a small café outside the Pompidou National Center of Art and Culture where the kids had possibly the world’s greatest omlettes. Following our restoration, we headed out for the afternoon adventure.
In keeping with our theme of entertainment in the afternoon, we made our way to the Musee du Magic where we were treated to a wonderful magic show. The kids stared bug eyed at a variety of rope, ring and card tricks performed by a magician in a tuxedo speaking french at 100 kilometers/hour. We needed little translation to appreciate the illusions, and Steve was able to fill us in on the jokes. The museum had a variety of exhibits about the history of magic, optical illusions, as well as plenty of pop-out-at-you scary stuff that the kids loved. We headed back to the apartment, a tired bunch.
The kids played in the apartment while we awaited the arrival of their babysitter for the evening. We were all excited (especially the parents) to meet Marie, a Canadian college student studying in Paris whose services Megan had found on Craig’s list. After some half-hearted warnings to the kids about bad behavior and being sold into slavery, Steve, Megan, John, and I left our 4 kids in Marie’s capable hands and headed out for dinner in Paris.
Our destination was Ambassade d’ Auvergne. Steve told us about how he had often passed by this restaurant while living in Paris during a semester abroad in college, hoping he’d be able to afford to dine there, someday. It was fabulous – after the champagne apertiff, we opened a bottle of wine and started on the first course. Megan and I had a cucumber and eggplant dish with plenty of soft cheese. John had a melon soup served with a slice of bacon on top. My main course was grilled fish with an olive chutney and John had sausage with wonderful mashed potatoes (aligot). We finished off with chocolate mousse. All delicious!
After a great meal, we walked around newly restored Notre Dame, which is beautiful at night. We walked through the Latin Quarter of Paris on our way to catch the metro home to the sleeping kids.
Wonderful Day!
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