End of September tours

A great way to finish the tours for 2013. These beautiful gardens near Beuvillers are some of the best in France. After our day in Rouen, it was good to have a walk in the peace and quite of these acres of gardens surrounding old cottages.

And one of the group found a new friend!

Rouen cathedral, painted many times by Claude Monet, one of France's leading impressionist artists who lived in Giverny. Rouen has an old town centre with many timbered houses and their famous clock on an archway near the centre of the old town. There is a cross erected where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. Her story may be found all around the city and on documents issued by the Office of Tourism.

Arrival in Normandy

Early morning at our chateau/hotel and a light mist softens the atmosphere. Close to Bayeux but away from the traffic, our first evening here was enjoyed in the dining room with Normandy food - local oysters and seafood with delicious sauces, topped off with fresh fruit and local ice cream.

Joan of Arc

Saturday was a day of dropping off guests and driving to Paris to pick up a special guest. We stopped at Orleans for a gastronomic lunch on the banks of the Loire river at La Lievre Gourmand - owned by an Australian who is an excellent chef (really excellent!). The beautiful cathedral is easy to see from miles away so we felt we should explore the place. After our lunch we had an energetic stroll around the cathedral and the old part of Orleans. Joan of Arc is a historic heroine of this town which she (and her troops) reclaimed from the English for the French King-in-waiting. After being in Rouen a few weeks ago and seeing the cathedral and the square where she was burned to death, it felt like going the full cycle of history. Rouen cathedral was painted by Claude Monet in many different hues and also touched our imagination. Rouen and Monet's garden are a part of the Normandy tour. If you are interested to join us in 2012, follow this link: Normandy tour