France!!!!!

After 12 1/2 hours of flying, we're ready for our French adventure.
By the way, I feel a need to give a big salute to Air France.
Great service!

WARNING! This post contains lots and lots of photos. They may not be the best of the bunch, but since we took 6 cameras and over 3000 pictures, the truth is, I got tired of selecting and looking at photos!!

I loved France, but more than that, I loved traveling with my husband, two sisters, and brother-in-law. Thanks to Ron and Cathy, we had marvelous accommodations at Marriott’s Village d’lle-de-France, about 10 minutes from Disneyland, and a little over an hour train ride from Paris.

We spent two days seeing the Paris sites via bus, metro, train, and "feet." And, for four days, Ron skillfully drove us through France on every imaginable size and kind of road as he followed Michelle’s instructions (our appropriately named GPS voice). Carolyn, Merrell, and I spent all four days riding in the backseat of the rented Citroen, getting to know each other up close and personal!

Disclaimer:
We don’t look like French models in these photos because: Our luggage didn’t arrive with us, so we wore the same clothes for 3 days, and had no make-up. The wind blew constantly…so why comb our hair? We’re too old to be models. Need more reasons?

The Adventure Begins

Posing while sitting on the hide-a-bed? No fancy French background for us. No sir! We're ready to hit the city in super sophisticated style to gain a little culture, see a few famous historical sites, and wander through a museum or two.

We toured Paris for 2 days on the Hop On, Hop Off, Bus.



The streets of Paris...


The Louvre Palace was built in the 12th century and has been a museum since 1793. Oh my! It is huge! I don't think I could have seen everything even if I spent weeks inside.
Botticelli's self portrait fascinated Merrell, but not as much as photographing
the Mona Lisa. Everyone else had the same idea and it was difficult to get close to the painting.
Notre Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris) was the first cathedral we visited and it was hard to believe that we were looking at something over 800 years old! Victor Hugo’s book, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, brought renewed interest to the cathedral and led to its complete restoration in the 1800s.

Catholics believe that the cathedral houses a piece of the Cross, which had been kept in Rome and delivered by Saint Helen, a nail from the Cross, and the Holy Crown of Thorns. For sixteen centuries, Christians have traveled from around the world to see these artifacts. This photo was taken from the back of the cathedral, so it doesn't look like the traditional history book view.

The Avenue des Champs Elysees is one of the most famous streets in the world -- and one of the most crowded. It's shops, wide sidewalks, and restaurants attract thousands of tourists. We walked one block away and found a great restaurant where the food was half the price. Of course, we can't tell people we ate on the Champs Elysees, but...

Carolyn, Ron, and Cathy CLIMBED to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Merrell and I took the elevator.

Souvenir and fabric shops galore spread out at the base of Sacre-Coeur. After a gradual incline, the shops end, and the stairs begin.
To Catholics, the thirteenth century Sacre-Coeur Bascilica marks the spot of the martydom of Saint Denis and was built to encourage prayers to the Heart of Christ. Saint Joan of Arc was one of its famous visitors. The entire building is relatively new (so to speak) and became an official church in 1919. The many shops and street entertainment on the steps truly detracted from its purpose and beauty.
San Chapelle was built in the 12th century (no surprise). Its amazing stained glass windows depict the ENTIRE BIBLE and practically run floor to ceiling on the upper floor. The chapel is now surrounded by the current Police Department and Hall of Justice (de jail). The windows were being cleaned and restored, so the inside was filled with workers and scaffolding. Despite the construction, this was my favorite cathedral. Gorgeous.

We've seen enough. Should we eat here? What does it say? Who knows. It's written in French.
The Palace of Versailles was the official residence of the Kings of France. Whew! What an ornate, opulent place! No wonder there was a French Revolution.



The Chartres Cathedral has housed the tunic of the Virgin Mary since 876. Charlemagne was to have received it as a gift during a trip to Jerusalem. Because of this tunic, it became an important pilgrimage center. The inside was designed to hold hundreds upon hundreds of faithful pilgrims.

It's also being restored to its magnificent beauty. This project supposedly began in the 1970s and is definitely an ongoing project! The cathedral is massive inside and out, and will probably take another 40 years to clean. It was obvious that some sections had been restored to their creamy-white, cold, hard beauty, and some sections were heavily coated with grime and pollution from 800 years of gunk. Only a few medieval glass windows are cleaned and restored each year, at a cost of $80,000 per window! Yikes!


Time to eat. We honestly tried to eat at least once a day!
Monet's home in Giverny has a fancy flower garden in front and a Japanese inspired water garden across the road. Beautiful.




No Photos Allowed. The Bayeux Tapestry is 60 meters long and about 2/3 of a meter wide. It actually is a linen fabric which has been embroidered with the story of William the Conqueror and the 1066 Battle of Hastings.
Cathy and Merrell pose outside the LaTapisserie entrance.
We arrived at Arromanches and went directly to the small WWII museum on the shore, then found this quaint French hotel (Hotel le Chanteclair). The museum had interesting facts about the artificial harbor built at Arromanches in the first days after the D-Day invasion. I had never even heard of this engineering feat, but found it extremely interesting!

Winston Churchill recognized the need for the creation of an artificial harbor in Normandy. The troops landing on the beaches of Normandy could only carry enough supplies (food, bullets, fuel, etc.) for a few days, and replenishing these necessary supplies was critical. Engineers in England built huge concrete blocks that would be used to create the docks needed for the port, and ships towed the blocks the 119 miles across the Channel. In addition, older, discarded ships were sunk to provide added harbor support.
I just lost my picture of Mont San Michel, and I can't figure out how to get it back. Too bad. Too many clicks, I suppose. Below is a picture of Merrell climbing a few of the many steps leading to the top of San Michel. Huff! Puff!


I'm standing by the Marne River in Meaux.
It seems that every town has a Gothic style 12th century cathedral. This is the Meaux Cathedral.
Vaux-Le-Vicomte. Nicolas Fouquet commissioned the best architect, painter-decorator, and landscape gardener to create this fabulous castle/chateau which ended up serving as the model for the Palace of Versailles. King Louis XIV, jealous that Fouquet had a more luxurious palace and grounds than the King, imprisoned Fouquet for life. He then confiscated and transported the chateau's tapestries, paintings, statues, and trees to Versailles. Fouquet's descendents are gradually restoring this beautiful chateau and its furnishings. The 1850s slate roof and goldleaf (or whatever that is) is currently being replaced. Roads are being repaired in Utah. Cathedrals and castles are being repaired in France!


The medieval town of Provins was virtually empty. No tourists. No shops open. Great!






Our last meal in France. We had salad with "pig" on top (turned out to be bacon).