A Bit of Practical InfoPublic restrooms that don't require admission to something else first can be scarce in Paris. In an emergency I've used those gray metal cylinders on the sidewalksmdashthe ones that automatically clean themselves after every customermdashbut I find them damp and a little scary and they aren't plentiful either. The conventional solution is to stop at a cafe then 1 or

Posted: August 13th, 2010 under Upper Normandy.
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A Hotel Down a PassageTouched down at Charles de Gaulle airport late this morning and got myself into the city by the Roissy Bus. My lodgingsmdashin the Hotel Chopinmdashare in the lower portion of the 9th district only a kilometer or so from the Opera Garnier where the bus drops its passengers before heading back to the airport.Hotel Chopin is a budget accommodation but it suits me just fin

Posted: August 13th, 2010 under Upper Normandy.
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Departure Date minus 1.I've just started this blog and am unfamiliar with how it works. Anyway the idea is to record a holiday that Jane and I are taking in France. The mode of transport being the Big Bad Chev my Chevrolet Camaro the hero of the Big Drive Home in 2002 back to doing what it does best long distrance cruising.The plan is to take the ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre and stay the

Posted: August 13th, 2010 under Upper Normandy.
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Hey everybodyWell I just wanted to update a bit unfortunately cannot post pictures on this entry but I will try on another computer at some pointSo we left London early on Saturday morning Aug.8. We arrived in France via the Eurotunnel quite quickly spent most of our first day travelling. We made a brief stopover on Saturday in Iepres Belgium to see the MenenMenin Gate. It is a war mem

Posted: August 13th, 2010 under Upper Normandy.
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Well we have been home over a month now and have begun to edit our photos so far we are down by two thirds from 3000 to 1000 Don't worry we wouldn't post them all but we thought you might like to see a few. These are from our first days in France. July 1719 which we spent with our friends in Deauville and visiting the DDay beaches and American cemetery.

Posted: August 13th, 2010 under Upper Normandy.
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By Bus and by TrainThis day Tuesday was a travel day. I left the Hotel Chopin after breakfast and traveled by a single city busno transferdirectly to the Gare St.Lazare. From there I caught a train to Vernon about an hour away in Upper Normandy. A fellow passenger on the train who was coming from Paris to visit his family offered me a lift to the Avis car rental office saving me the long

Posted: August 13th, 2010 under Upper Normandy.
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It's Always Nice to See Other Americans in ParisI was welcomed to the Left Bank by the bronze statue of Thomas Jefferson who served as ambassador to France prior to his term as president of the new US. They say he spent much of his time here enjoying the sights socializing with the French elite and developing a close personal relationship with a member of his American staff. Seeing Jefferson th

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This middle ages city is well preserved and so pretty. It is here where St. Joan of Arc was sold to the British who tortured her as a witch and burned her at the stake. It seems that no one spoke up on her behalf. The church built in her memory is an incredible piece of very modern architecture in the town of gothic churches The cathedral of Notre Dame so frequently painted by Monet dominat

Posted: August 13th, 2010 under Upper Normandy.
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Subtle beautiful peaceful so in harmony with nature and so impressionistic. Giverny We felt right at home in Claude Monet's charming gardens and bright the dining room is totally painted the brightest yellow we have ever seen eclectic cottagey home. Our own little Ballston Lake garden tends to get a little busymessy like Monet's on a much much smaller scale. We love the wild and mu

Posted: August 13th, 2010 under Upper Normandy.
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The following pictures were taken in Normandie France. They include Veules Les Roses Rouen Etretat Giverny Ponte du Hoc Bayeaux. They were taken between July 19 and 24 2009.

Posted: August 13th, 2010 under Upper Normandy.
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Voie Verte is French for GreenwayAcross France the state is developing a network of greenwaysmdashknown as les Voies Vertesmdashreserved for pedestrian and nonmotorized vehicle use. Irsquod cycled a few kilometers on a greenway in Burgundy last year and was eager to see what one in Upper Normandy would be like.I chose the greenway called The Valley of the Epte so named because it intertwi

Posted: August 13th, 2010 under Upper Normandy.
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HonfleurWe awoke at 5am to a beautiful peaceful morning. Mike checked the forecast one last time and saw slight seas and gentle winds so we decided today was the best day to make the 89 hour trip to Honfleur. We were out of the harbour and sailing into the stunning pink purple orange and yellow sunrise before 6. The crossing under brilliant blue skies and gorgeous sunshine was calm and peacefu

Posted: August 13th, 2010 under Upper Normandy.
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